With the Monks: Tea, Pagoda Circling, and a Wrist Mala
At Goyosa, the temple of the online temple Hapjang (합장), live Pinewind Sunim, Elder Elm Sunim, Windbell Sunim, and Little Monk Bori, and visitors can spend time with them silently, through gestures. You can share a cup of tea on the veranda, follow the elder monk around the pagoda, sweep the courtyard together, walk to the beat of the moktak, and receive a wrist mala once a day. The monks do not hold conversations; they respond with half bows and hand gestures.
- A cup of tea
- About 42 seconds, one person at a time
- Pagoda circling
- Up to three people follow Elder Elm Sunim
- Shared work
- Up to two people beside Pinewind Sunim
- Walk to the moktak
- Up to three people
- Wrist mala
- Once a day, an 18-bead wrist mala
- Words
- None. Half bows and hand gestures
The monks of Goyosa
- Pinewind Sunim: usually found sweeping the courtyard.
- Elder Elm Sunim: an elderly senior monk who circles the Stone Pagoda at set times.
- Windbell Sunim: plays the moktak in the Main Buddha Hall.
- Little Monk Bori: a child monk on the temple grounds from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Goyosa time.
- In winter, the monks wear quilted robes (nubi).
Why stay together without words?
Goyosa is a place for being together through breath instead of words, so inside the temple walls there are no chat bubbles even between visitors. The monks keep the same promise: they don't speak to you, but stay beside you. Just as real mountain temples have periods of silent practice, you can feel someone's company simply by drinking tea and walking together, without any words.
Etiquette around monks
At real temples, too, it is common courtesy to stop and make a half bow when you meet a monk, and to avoid cutting across in front of one. At Goyosa as well, if you make a half bow near a monk, the monk bows back.
Try it in Hapjang
On the veranda of the monks' quarters, you can share a cup of tea (about 42 seconds) with a monk, one person at a time. At Goyosa time 06:30, 15:00, and 15:45, Elder Elm Sunim circles the Stone Pagoda and up to three people can follow him, and beside Pinewind Sunim as he sweeps the courtyard, up to two people can join the shared work. In the Main Buddha Hall, up to three people can walk to the beat of Windbell Sunim's moktak. Once a day, a monk hands you an 18-bead wrist mala. Before a service, a monk gestures toward the Dharma hall, and during the service you can follow along with on-screen subtitles for the Seven-Part Homage (chiljeongnye). All of this works the same in every language.
Frequently asked questions
Can I talk with the monks in Hapjang?
No. The monks don't speak; they stay beside you only through half bows, hand gestures, and actions you do together.
Are the monks in Hapjang real monks?
No. They are on-screen characters who live on Hapjang's temple grounds; no real monks are logged in.
How do I get a wrist mala?
Go to the monk on the veranda of the monks' quarters, and once a day you can receive an 18-bead wrist mala.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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