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25 Apr 2024
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Description
We are a meditation center providing a place to practice Jhana and Vipassana meditation methods. The meditation master is a Korean monk. She was ordained as a monk in 1986, and she went to Myanmar to practice Jhana and Vipassana for more than ten years. Therefore, under her guidance, you can experience meditation from the Myammar Pa Auk meditation method.
We welcome those who would like to practice meditation and volunteer in our meditation center, such as kitchen work, gardening, farming, construction work, and housekeeping. Because this is a meditation environment surrounded by a mountain view, our job is to maintain the meditation environment here, which is laborious and repetitive. We are occasionally relaxed and sometimes challenging, so you will meet other volunteers here as we share the work.
The meditation center adopted the management system from Myanmar. So, it runs based on donations. Therefore, it is accessible for yogis who want to stay long-term or short-term to meditate and volunteer. But one thing, the daily schedule is a bit early. We will wake up early for breakfast at 6.30 Am. We usually start our daily work around 7.30 Am.
We are located in GyeongNam, GeoChang Gun. Our meditation center is situated at 720m sea level and is surrounded by the mountain. The place is secluded and quiet. We owned apple, grape, and vegetable farms. The food here is organic, and 90% comes from our farm because we live in 禅農一致, which means farming and meditation.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Help around the house
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Our meditation center will give all the best to support people learning meditation. Meditation helps people calm their minds down and cultivate the concentration of the mind. You can work five days and take two days off or any other way you want. Of course, the activities on your days off will be your preference, although we encourage you to meditate.
We also give volunteer Korean lessons for those interested in learning the Korean language. Three hours a week. We decided to offer Korean lessons because we see how quickly foreigners can improve if they can learn Korean at the volunteer service and help you after leaving the meditation center and get some grounding in another part of Korea!
In addition to the above conditions that may have attracted you to this place, we need to let you know that many of the people who come here to meditate have had their hearts broken and have been lost in life. They are no longer looking for external things; they want inner peace. They are looking for spiritual healing and reconciliation with their inner self.
It can get boring here if you are very much after external things. Because meditators spend most of their time meditating, there is no entertainment and no social interaction as frequent as in society. This is the character of the meditation center. Because it's a meditation center, it doesn't have long chanting rituals like a monastery, just short morning and evening chants, and then it's in meditation mode. The whole day is in meditation mode, and several meditators here have been meditating non-stop for years.
Help
We are a large meditation center with an organic vegetable farm and apple orchard. We also grow flowers and do landscaping. Volunteers will help us grow apples and vegetables and do landscaping. In addition to farming, we pick flowers and wild vegetables in spring, summer, and autumn wherever possible and make them into food. We plough and garden throughout the year, except during winter. If the weather permits, we spend time outdoors. Otherwise, we clean indoors.
In addition, volunteers help us with cleaning and organizing the dormitories and kitchen, such as washing dishes, scrubbing floors, cleaning the kitchen, chopping vegetables, and how to preserve them traditionally. We were also responsible for cleaning around the center. The least popular job in the kitchen is washing dishes, so we will have volunteers take turns washing dishes. If room permits, we would like more volunteers to share the workload. Apart from ploughing and gardening, there is a lot of work in the kitchen. This is because nearly 40 meditators stay here every day.
April, May and June are spring months. Spring focuses on farming, gardening, and tree planting. Spring is also the season for picking mountain fruits and vegetables. Farming and gardening are still our main outdoor activities in July and August as part of the agricultural harvest season, so you can eat many crops we grow in March and April.
July and August are summer. Summer has a charm that spring, autumn, and winter don't have. Most people don't like hot and humid weather, so I'll be honest and say that August is the hottest season of the year. But summer is still a very important season for farming. Of course, we're glad you still want to come in July and August. If you don't mind summer's sweltering heat and humidity, you are welcome to join us and listen to the wonderful cicadas.
September, October, and November are the main harvest seasons or autumn. Autumn is also the season for planting vegetables that can survive the winter. Autumn is a colorful season when the hills are filled with different levels of various colors. Autumn is also the main season for making many pickled and fermented Korean foods. You will experience how Koreans pickle and ferment different vegetables in many ways.
Because this is a fairly large meditation site with many meditators every day, the combination of meditation and volunteering makes it a great place to meditate. We need people who are interested in meditation and willing to serve. For your information, the volunteer work will be laborious and repetitive.
Healthy, natural food, fresh mountain air, and, of course, above all, meditation are the main purpose of our existence. The meditation center is open all day. We hope everyone here will learn at least the basic meditation methods.
****However, Volunteers are expected to stay at the meditation center for at least two weeks to gain experience in meditation and service. We encourage volunteers who wish to join us to stay at the center for at least two weeks.
****Before entering Korea, please be sure to check whether you need to apply for obtain a Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA)
Languages spoken
Korean: Fluent
Malay: Fluent
Chinese (Mandarin): Fluent
English: Intermediate
Spanish: Beginner
French: Beginner
Accommodation
According to the Meditation Center rules, every volunteer has each own single rooms ( with attached bathroom or shared bathroom depend on the condition) . However, if there are special circumstances, such as a sudden influx of applicants during an Intensive Meditation Camp, the volunteers will have to move room from one to another room. Depending on your plans, we will let you know if one of your planned days coincides with the Intensive Meditation Camp.
The Meditation Center is different from a traditional monastery. The Meditation Center values all-day meditation, and maintaining the motivation to meditate all day is something we take into consideration.
The food here has vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. If you are a vegetarian, you can skip it as it is a buffet.
What else ...
Our center helps people learn meditation and stay in the nature of Korea. We don't charge like other places that offer a temple stay program.
We welcome the people who love to learn meditation. We charge nothing, but we welcome the volunteer to join us in the center's daily work and help us manage this place together.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
5 hours a day, 5 days a week, two days off
Feedback (4)
I really liked the community life with the monks who were… read more
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I really liked the community life with the monks who were… read more
Community. Healing. Challenging (in a good way). These are the words that can sum up my time during my stay. In regards to details...
Community- This meditation campus is very community focused and centered. The monks were all so friendly and helpful. Even when there were a few language barriers here… read more
