Slow Forest Trail — Walking Meditation and a Stupa Field

The Slow Forest Trail is a forest path at Goyosa in Hapjang (합장), the browser-based online temple, made for walking slowly and sitting to rest. Here you can try slow walking (pohaeng) at 0.24 times your normal pace, sit on a forest bench for compassion practice (jabigwan, loving-kindness meditation), and pass a budobat, a field of stupas honoring monks.

Where: A forest path at Goyosa (after the monks' quarters in the guide order)
What you can do: Slow walking, compassion practice on a forest bench
Slow walking: 0.24× normal pace, 3 guidance lines
Compassion practice: 4 stages (yourself → someone close → a stranger → all beings)
Stupa field: Three stupas, a memorial stele on a turtle base

What is pohaeng (slow walking)?

Pohaeng (布行) is what monks do when they get up from seated meditation for a while and walk slowly. It loosens a body stiff from sitting while the mind stays with each step, so you could call it walking practice, a Korean form of walking meditation. Where and how people walk differs from temple to temple, but the core is the same: no hurry, feeling each step as it comes.

What is a budobat (stupa field)?

A budo (浮屠), also called a seungtap (monk's stupa), is a stone monument that holds the relics or remains of a monk after death. A place where several budo stand together is called a budobat, and a memorial stele (tapbi) carved with the monk's life is sometimes set up beside them. The turtle-shaped base under a stele is commonly explained as a wish for it to last a long time. Goyosa's stupa field has three stupas and a memorial stele on a turtle base.

Things to try on the forest trail

Slow walking: walk at 0.24 times your normal pace. Three short guidance lines appear one after another as you walk. → Slow walking
Compassion practice: sit on a forest bench and widen your wish for peace in order: yourself, someone close, a stranger, and all beings. → Loving-kindness meditation
Passing the stupa field: there is nothing to press here. You can stop in front of the stupas and lower your head for a moment if you like.

Where to go after the forest trail

After the forest trail you can visit the Quiet Light Grotto, a stone cave shrine, and the Smiling Cliff Buddha on the path above it. Back the way you came are the monks' quarters, where the monks live.

Try it in Hapjang

Get close to a forest bench and a button to sit appears; once seated, you can follow the 4 stages of compassion practice. On a PC, press E or F to stand up from the bench. Start a [Slow walk] and your pace drops to 0.24 times normal and guidance lines appear, so just keep walking slowly.

Enter the temple

Frequently asked questions

How slow is pohaeng (slow walking)?

Slow walking in Hapjang is 0.24 times your normal walking speed. At about a quarter of the usual pace, it's easy to keep your attention on each step.

What is the difference between a budo and a pagoda?

Pagodas are commonly said to have begun as places to enshrine the Buddha's relics, while a budo is a stone monument holding a monk's relics or remains. That is why budo usually stand apart in a stupa field around the temple, not in front of the Dharma hall.

What order does compassion practice (jabigwan) follow?

You start with yourself and widen your wish for peace to someone close, then a stranger, then all beings. In Hapjang you can follow these 4 stages while sitting on a forest bench.

Last updated 2026-11-07