Hapjang — An Online Korean Temple for Meditation
Hapjang (합장) is Goyosa, an online temple you can enter straight from a browser on your computer or phone. Everyone online right now shares the same temple grounds, and instead of a chat box you keep each other company through breath and gestures. Below, explore the places on the grounds and the temple practices one by one.
- Enter in your browser (computer or phone) with no install, no sign-up and no payment.
- Many people share one space in real time. Inside the temple grounds you stay together through breath instead of words.
- Try Korean temple practices such as seated meditation, bows, prayer beads, singing bowls, sutra copying, lanterns and ringing the temple bell.
- Choose from Korean (한국어), English, 日本語, 中文, ไทย and Tiếng Việt.
Explore the temple grounds
From the fir-lined path to the Main Buddha Hall, the stone grotto and the Guanyin Seaside Path: the places that really exist on Hapjang's temple grounds, and what you can do in each one.
- Forest Path of All Beings: The Fir Path to GoyosaThe fir-lined forest path and Stream Valley leading to Goyosa's One-Pillar Gate in Hapjang. Walk slowly with others and stack stones on roadside cairns.
- One-Pillar Gate (Iljumun) — First Gate of a Korean TempleThe One-Pillar Gate (Iljumun) is the first gate of a Korean mountain temple. In Hapjang, bow before it and get the first stamp in your Goyosa notebook.
- Hongyegyo: The Stone Arch Bridge of a Korean TempleA hongyegyo is a Korean stone arch or "rainbow bridge." At Goyosa in Hapjang, one crosses the stream just past the One-Pillar Gate.
- Heavenly Kings Gate: The Four Guardians of a TempleThe Heavenly Kings Gate is where the Four Heavenly Kings guard a Korean temple. In Hapjang, pass them on the way to the old ginkgo and inner gate.
- Stone Pagoda Courtyard: Pagoda Circling and IncenseGoyosa's courtyard has a stone pagoda, stone lantern, lotus basin, and incense burner. In Hapjang, circle the pagoda and sweep leaves together.
- Bell Pavilion: The Temple Bell and Four InstrumentsA Korean temple's bell pavilion houses the bell, drum, wooden fish, and cloud gong. In Hapjang you can ring the bell once a day and play all four.
- Lantern Courtyard — Hang a Wish Lantern OnlineHang a wish lantern at the Lantern Courtyard of Goyosa in Hapjang, an online Korean temple. Write up to 40 characters and keep it private or share it.
- Main Buddha Hall (Daeungjeon) — Sit and Bow OnlineThe Main Buddha Hall is the heart of a Korean temple. In Hapjang, sit on one of 312 cushions to breathe, bow, copy sutras and ring a singing bowl.
- Myeongbujeon, Gwaneumjeon, Sansingak — Korean Temple HallsWhat are Myeongbujeon, Gwaneumjeon and Sansingak in a Korean temple? Learn what each small hall honors, then see all three at Goyosa in Hapjang.
- Monks' Quarters (Yosachae) — Bowl Meal and a Cup of TeaThe monks' quarters are where Korean monks eat, sleep and live. In Hapjang, try a mindful bowl meal and share a silent cup of tea with a monk on the porch.
- Slow Forest Trail — Walking Meditation and a Stupa FieldA slow forest walk at Goyosa in Hapjang, an online Korean temple. Try slow walking (pohaeng), loving-kindness on a forest bench, and pass the stupa field.
- Quiet Light Grotto: A Stone Cave Shrine at GoyosaThe Quiet Light Grotto is a stone cave shrine at Goyosa in Hapjang. Walk through the passage into the round chamber, offer incense, and stay quietly.
- Smiling Cliff Buddha: A Buddha Carved into RockA maaebul is a Buddha carved into a rock face. At Goyosa in Hapjang, offer incense and bow before a Smiling Cliff Buddha on an 85 m cliff.
- Koi Pond — Relax Watching Koi at an Online TempleA square pond garden at Goyosa in Hapjang, an online Korean temple. Watch 104 koi from the hexagonal pavilion and wooden bridge, and rub Budai's belly.
- Whispering Bamboo Grove: Shout Your Secret AnonymouslyIn Hapjang's Whispering Bamboo Grove, shout what you can't tell anyone, anonymously. It echoes for about 70 seconds and stays on a board for 1 hour.
- Guanyin Seaside Path — Sit and Watch the Sea OnlineWalk the seaside path at Goyosa in Hapjang, an online Korean temple: pass a Seaside Guanyin statue and a small hermitage, then sit on a sea bench and rest.
- Worry-Melting Hot Spring — Korean Bathhouse Rest OnlineA hot spring rest area at Goyosa in Hapjang, an online Korean temple. Sit in a warm bath, hot bath or foot bath and sip sikhye side by side with others.
- Campfire Nook: Online Fire Gazing at a Korean TempleHapjang's Campfire Nook is a log-fire spot at Goyosa. Gaze at the fire, roast marshmallows and sweet potatoes, try fire-wheel play, and hear gugak music.
Practices and experiences
Practices handed down in Korean mountain temples, brought to your screen so you can try them slowly. Each page explains the practice and how to do it in Hapjang.
- Simple Breathing Meditation: Inhale 4, Exhale 6The easiest meditation: sit and watch your breath. How to start with a 4-second inhale and 6-second exhale, and breathe with others online in Hapjang.
- How to Bow at a Korean Temple: Hapjang, Half & Full BowHow to join palms (hapjang), do a half bow and a full prostration at a Korean Buddhist temple, when to use each, and how to try them online.
- How to Do 108 Bows and Three Bows (Korean Buddhist)What three bows and 108 bows mean in Korean Buddhism, how to do them step by step, how long they take, and how to bow along online in Hapjang.
- How to Use Buddhist Prayer Beads (108 Mala)How to count a 108-bead mala one bead at a time with your right thumb, why you turn back at the guru bead, and bead materials. Try it online at Hapjang.
- Namu Amitabul & Om Mani Padme Hum: Meaning, How to ChantWhat Namu Amitabul, Gwanseeum Bosal and Om Mani Padme Hum mean, how to chant one per prayer bead, and a wordless option that counts breaths instead.
- How to Use a Singing Bowl: Strike, Rim, and ListenHow to play a singing bowl: strike it once or circle the rim with the mallet, then listen until the sound fades. Try it in Hapjang's Main Buddha Hall.
- Sutra Copying: Trace the 260-Character Heart SutraWhat sutra copying (sagyeong) is and how to do it. Trace the 260 characters of the Heart Sutra stroke by stroke in Hapjang's online Main Buddha Hall.
- Baru Gongyang: Korean Temple Bowl Meal Steps & EtiquetteWhat the Korean temple bowl meal (baru gongyang) means, its order and etiquette with four bowls, and how to try it in six steps in Hapjang.
- Ullyeok: Shared Temple Work, Sweeping Leaves TogetherUllyeok is the shared work of a Korean temple community. What it means, how to sweep mindfully, and sweeping 24 patches of leaves together at Hapjang.
- Wish Cairns: How to Stack a Stone and Make a WishWhy Koreans add a stone to cairns along mountain paths, and how to stack one so it won't topple. Build a shared Wish Cairn with others at Hapjang.
- Ten Oxherding Pictures: Meaning of the Ten Ox ScenesThe Ten Oxherding Pictures show the mind's journey in ten scenes: seeking a lost ox, taming it, and returning to the world. Walk past all ten at Hapjang.
- Pagoda Circling: Which Way to Walk and How (Tapdori)Pagoda circling (tapdori) means walking slowly clockwise with the pagoda on your right. Direction, laps, mindset, and how to do it online at Hapjang.
- Walking Meditation: How to Do Pohaeng, the Slow WalkPohaeng is the slow walking meditation Korean monks do between sitting sessions. Learn how to do it and follow the slow walk on Hapjang's forest trail.
- How to Do Loving-Kindness Meditation: 4 Simple StepsLoving-kindness (metta) meditation sends good wishes to yourself, a loved one, a stranger and all beings. Learn the four steps and try it in Hapjang.
- How to Offer Incense at a Buddhist Temple: Steps & EtiquetteHow to offer incense at a Buddhist temple: light it, wave out the flame, place it with both hands. Its meaning, etiquette, and offering it online.
- Buddhist Candle Offerings and Indeung Lamps: MeaningWhy Buddhists light candles before the Buddha and hang name lamps (indeung) in the hall, and how to light a candle or a lamp in Hapjang's Main Buddha Hall.
- How to Hang a Wish Lantern and What to Write on ItWhat a temple wish lantern means and tips for writing one. Hang a private lantern or a shared one in Hapjang's Lantern Courtyard, an online temple.
- Ringing a Korean Temple Bell: Steps and 28 or 33 StrikesHow to ring a Korean temple bell with a wish, step by step, and why monks strike it 28 times at dawn and 33 at dusk. Ring it once a day at Hapjang.
- Dharma Drum, Wooden Fish, Cloud Gong: Temple InstrumentsThe four instruments of a Korean temple and who each sounds for: Dharma drum, wooden fish, cloud gong and bell. Strike them yourself in Hapjang.
- Bamboo Grove Shout: Say It Like "The King Has Donkey Ears"A place to tell the bamboo what you couldn't tell anyone, as in the Korean folktale. How to shout anonymously and hear the echo in Hapjang's bamboo grove.
- With the Monks: Tea, Pagoda Circling, and a Wrist MalaSpend time with Hapjang's monks through gesture, not words: a cup of tea, pagoda circling, shared work, walking to the moktak, and a daily wrist mala.
- Korean Temple Service (Yebul): Seven Bows of ChiljeongnyeHow dawn and evening services flow at a Korean temple and what the seven-bow Chiljeongnye means. Follow the bows to a monk's moktak in Hapjang.
Guides
Answers to common questions from people new to meditation, curious about Korean temple stays, or simply looking for a moment of quiet rest.
- What Is Hapjang? An Online Korean Temple in Your BrowserHapjang is Goyosa, a free online temple in your browser, with no sign-up. Up to 5,000 people rest on one temple ground, sharing breath, not chat.
- How to Enter Hapjang: Controls for PC and PhoneHow to start Hapjang: press [Enter], pick a name and clothing, then walk with WASD on PC or a touch pad on phones. Plus how to change quality and language.
- Meditation for Beginners: Where to Start and How LongNew to meditation? Start by noticing your breath for 3–5 minutes. Posture, what to do when your mind wanders, and how to breathe with others in Hapjang.
- Temple Stay at Home: An Online Korean TemplestayA Korean temple stay is living a temple's day: services, bowl meals, 108 bows, meditation. What you can and can't try at home in Hapjang's online temple.
- Korean Temple Layout: From the Gate to the Main Buddha HallHow a Korean mountain temple is laid out: the One-Pillar Gate, Heavenly Kings Gate and Gate of Non-Duality, then the main hall, as you walk it in Hapjang.
- Korean Temple Etiquette: What to Know Before You VisitAt a Korean temple, keep quiet, use the main hall's side doors and greet monks with palms together and a half bow. Temple etiquette, also seen in Hapjang.
- Together Without Words: Being With Others in HapjangThere's no chat on Hapjang's temple grounds. How to keep others company with half bows, breathing together, and the shared courtyard, incense and cairns.
- A Day at Goyosa: Service Times, Bells, Monks and Night SkyA day at Goyosa in Hapjang lasts about 17 real minutes. Drum at 03:12 and 17:12, bell 28 and 33 strikes, services, the elder monk's walk, fireflies, stars.
- Goyosa's Forest, Animals, Seasons and WeatherGoyosa in Hapjang is ringed by about 3,400 trees of 14 Korean mountain species and home to 26 animals. How to choose the season and weather you see.
- A 5- or 10-Minute Break: How to Rest Your Mind QuicklyFive minutes at work, ten before bed. Short ways to breathe, walk and simply watch at Hapjang, Goyosa, an online temple you open in your browser.
- When It Feels Too Hard: Where to Get Help Right NowToo hard to bear alone? Reach out now. US: call or text 988. UK & Ireland: Samaritans 116 123. Australia: 13 11 14. Korea: 109. Or your emergency number.
- Goyosa Notebook: How to Collect All 8 Temple StampsHapjang's Goyosa notebook marks eight temple stay moments with a red stamp: 門 拜 香 誦 鉢 掃 經 鐘. Where to find each stamp and how to receive it.
Frequently asked questions
What is Hapjang?
Hapjang is Goyosa, an online temple you enter in your browser. Everyone online right now shares a 3D temple ground modeled on Korean mountain temples, and you stay together through breath and gestures instead of words.
Do I need to sign up or pay?
No. There is no sign-up, login or payment. Open hapjang.com in a browser on your computer or phone and press [Enter].
How many people can be there at once?
Hapjang (합장) has one shared temple ground where up to 5,000 people can stay together. People near you appear as detailed figures (up to 48 on a computer, 32 on a phone), and everyone else appears as a nameless silhouette.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. You can enter from a phone browser with nothing to install. Press and drag in the lower left of the screen to bring up a movement pad, or tap the ground where you want to walk. It can be heavy on some devices; if it runs slowly, add ?q=low to the address to enter at lower quality.
Which languages are available?
Six: Korean (한국어), English, 日本語 (Japanese), 中文 (Simplified Chinese), ไทย (Thai) and Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese). Choose one on the first screen or in the menu, or add something like ?lang=en to the address.
Why can't I talk inside the temple grounds?
Following the custom of moving quietly in a mountain temple, there are no speech bubbles inside the temple walls; you keep each other company with half bows and by breathing together. Outside the temple gate you can exchange short messages of up to 140 characters with people within 22 m, and those messages are not stored.