Baru Gongyang: Korean Temple Bowl Meal Steps & Etiquette
Baru gongyang is the Korean temple way of eating: monks take only as much as they can finish into their own bowls (baru), eat in silence, and at the end rinse the bowls with water and drink that water too. Usually rice, soup, side dishes and clear water are kept in four bowls, and the meal runs: unfold, receive, eat, wipe and drink, rinse, put away. In the big room of the monks' quarters in the online temple Hapjang (합장), you can follow a six-step bowl meal made for first-timers.
- Where
- Big room of the monks' quarters
- Bowls
- 4 (rice · soup · side dishes · clear water)
- Steps
- 6 steps, begun with three claps of the jukbi (bamboo clapper)
- Time
- A few minutes, one gesture at a time at your own pace
- What you need
- Nothing
What the bowl meal means
The baru descends from the bowls wandering practitioners once used to receive alms. It carries two ideas together: equality, since everyone receives the same food in the same bowls, and frugality, since nothing is left over. Many temples recite a short verse before eating (the Five Contemplations) to reflect on all the work that brought the food. Details of the procedure and where each bowl goes differ a little from temple to temple.
Why drink the rinsing water?
After eating, you keep one piece of kimchi or pickled radish to wipe the bowls clean, then drink that water. This is commonly explained as not wanting to waste even a single flake of chili. The final rinsing water (cheonsumul) is collected separately, and many temples teach that it should be left clear.
Common first-timer mistakes
- Taking too much because you're hungry. Take only what you can finish.
- Clinking spoons against bowls. Lifting and setting things down slowly makes it quieter.
- Trying to finish faster than the person next to you. Keeping pace with the group is part of the meal.
Steps of the bowl meal
- Unfold the bowls At the sound of the bamboo clapper, untie the cloth and set the four bowls out in their places.
- Receive food Receive clear water, rice, soup and side dishes in turn, taking only what you can finish. The order differs a little between temples.
- Eat with gratitude Think of all the hands that brought the food, and eat slowly without making noise.
- Wipe and drink Wipe the bowls with the piece of side dish you saved, pour in water to rinse, and drink that water.
- Rinse with clear water Rinse the bowls again with the clear water and pour it into the separate collecting bowl.
- Put the bowls away Nest the bowls neatly, wrap them in the cloth, and put your palms together.
Try it in Hapjang
Go to a bowl seat in the big room of the monks' quarters and the meal begins with three claps of the bamboo clapper. Tap the bowls to move through six gestures at your own pace: Unfold bowls, Receive food, Eat with gratitude, Rinse and drink, Rinse with clear water, and Put the bowls away. Between 5 and 9 a.m. Goyosa time it becomes the Morning bowl meal. When you finish, the 鉢 stamp is added to your notebook.
Frequently asked questions
Why do monks drink the water they wash their bowls with?
It's commonly explained as coming from the wish not to waste even a little food. They drink the water used to wipe the bowls with a piece of side dish, and only the final rinsing water is collected separately.
How many bowls are used?
Usually four: for rice, soup, side dishes and clear water. The number and placement can vary by temple or ceremony.
Is the bowl meal hard for a first-time temple stay guest?
Usually a monk or guide walks you through the order. Practicing the steps once beforehand makes it less confusing.
Related pages
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 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.
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