Korean Temple Food

Korean Temple Food
TempleFood_English_3.indd 1 10/07/13 9:10 PM

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What is the Korean Temple Food?
1. You are what you eat .. 8
2. Why temple food? .. 9
3. The spirit and values contained in the temple food .. 10
Monastic Life and Practice of Korean Buddhism

1. Life of mendicancy .. 12
2. Dissemination of Buddhism and geographical expansion .. 13
3. Buddhism and sanctity of labor .. 14
4. Korea’s temple food .. 16
Contents 5. Transmitting the tradition of temple food .. 17
Korean Spirit and Values Contained in Temple Food

T e mpl e F o o d 1. Re-discovering Buddhist life style .. 18
2. The origin of Korean cuisine .. 20
3. The influence of four seasons in temple food .. 21
4. Wisdom of millennium .. 22
5. A vegan diet based on loving-kindness and compassion .. 24
Barugongyang
Baru .. 26
Baru-meal ceremony at temples .. 27
Instructions for barugongyang .. 28
Spirit that guides barugongyang .. 30

Spring
A Spring Song .. 36
Autumn
I ate it for you .. 37
Why are baru bowls handed down
Clean kitchen .. 38
from generation to generation? .. 76
Three virtues and six flavors .. 39
“You rascal! Earn your keep!” .. 77
History of monastic practice and the
Offerings to Buddha .. 78
heritage of food culture .. 40
_ Filial love of Yeongi seunim .. 79
Gondre Namul Bap .. 42 Usage of natural seasonings in
Gomchui Ssambap .. 44 Gimjang .. 110
temples .. 80
_ Traditional cultural heritage cultivated
Dureup-jeon .. 46
Gim-Bugak .. 82 and preserved by Korean Buddhism .. 117
Bangpung Namul Jang-A-Jji .. 48
Gochu Bugak Jorim .. 84 Monastic life and practice of Korean
Prickly Ash Pepper Pancake
Mu-jeon .. 86 Buddhism .. 118
with Chili Paste .. 50
Napa Cabbage Pancakes .. 88 If you have any questions on Korean
U-eong Jorim .. 90 temple food .. 122
Summer
Being content with few desires .. 56 If you would like to experience authentic
Winter taste of Korean Buddhist cuisine .. 123
Practice is made of half farming and
The winter meditation retreat .. 96 If you would like to learn how to cook
half Seon .. 57
Seon monastic life, Korean temple food .. 124
Azure Sky .. 58
Rediscovering food .. 97
Like clear spring water .. 59
Vegetables as medicine .. 98
Wild tea .. 60
Discarded cabbage leaves .. 99
Drinking tea and Seon meditation is _
one and the same .. 61 Kimchi Bean Sprout Porridge .. 100
_
Baek Kimchi .. 102
Potato Pancakes .. 62
Radish Water Kimchi .. 104
Sangchu Daegung Kimchi .. 64
Muwakjaji .. 106
Aehobak Doenjang-Jjigae .. 66
Siraegi-Jjim .. 108
Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaves .. 68
Soybean Noodles .. 70

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Korean
Temple Food
K o r e a n Te m p l e F o o d
W h a t i s t h e K o r e a n B u d d h i s t Te m p l e F o o d ?
Monastic Life and Practice of Korean Buddhism
S p i r i t a n d V a l u e s C o n t a i n e d i n Te m p l e F o o d
Barugongyang, the formal monastic meal ceremony

W h aT i S K o r e a n T e M P L e F o o d ?
1. You are what you eat
“If you want to know who you are, carefully study yourself inside and
out. Study whom you spend time with, what you enjoy doing, what kind of
influence you bring onto others, and what your priorities in life are. This will
lead you to discover your true-self.
˜ Beopjeong seunim (1932-2010, a Korean monk respected for his lifetime practice
of non-possession)
What we eat makes up who we are at the most elemental level. A sheet of paper used to wrap
incense smells like incense; but when the same piece of paper is used to wrap fish, it smells fishy.
Food also has great influence on human being’s mind and body. What to eat and how to eat will
determine the life style and attitude of a person and reveal the truth about our very existence. The
tradition of temple food has been carried down by countless generations of Buddhist monks and
nuns to our time and it beautifully exemplifies the Buddhism’s pursuit of compassion, peace and
enlightenment at its best.

2. Why temple food?
Natural and Temple food has always been an important means of practice for
Korean Buddhist monks and nuns. In its literal sense, it just means the food
healthy meals
consumed at Buddhist temples but a cuisine always carries in it the spirit of
for practitioners of the cultural heritage that gave birth to it. Temple food wholly embodies the sacred
Buddha-dharma depth of spirit that Korean Buddhism has cultivated for over seventeen hundred years.
Temple food categorically bans the consumption of all meat and animal by-products,
but what is less known is that it also shuns the use of five pungent herbs namely green
onion, garlic, allium, wild leeks and asafetida. This completely vegan cuisine has developed
distinctive flavors through creative combinations of ingredients, unique food preservation
techniques and original recipes. It is designed to supply high quality protein from soy beans,
and unsaturated fatty acid from vegetable oil. It is a veritable treasure trove of the endless list of
nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and fibers from a vast variety of vegetables it utilizes. Temple
food has been proven to be medicinally beneficial as well.
Recently, there has been a significant amount of attention drawn to eating healthy food
for the prevention and cure of adult onset conditions. Now more and more people are turning
to the traditional cooking techniques and ingredients carefully preserved at Buddhist temples
for inspiration. Korean temple food has proven its effectiveness well over a millennium. It is
our future newly discovered in times of antiquity, a precious gift of healthy and happy life
that we all desperately seek.
Temple food has been continuously developed and improved throughout the long history
of Korean Buddhism. Every step is equally important and necessary for spiritual practice,
from growing and harvesting food stocks to preparing and cooking them. Monks prepare
food in sincere devotion and mindfulness as the cooked meals are perceived as offerings to
the Buddha. After the offering ceremony, they share the presented food with the whole
congregation. Repeating this ritual allows monks to practice Buddha’s teachings
through their communal tasks. Also, monks always remind themselves to take
a moment and express gratitude for everyone whose hard work made their
meals possible. Therefore, monks only serve themselves the amount of
food they can finish and leave no leftover behind. The act of eating
food is transformed into a spiritual ritual for those who are on
their path to attain the ultimate wisdom.

W h aT i S K o r e a n T e M P L e F o o d ?
3. Spirit and values contained in temple food
Thanking all Temple food constitutes a cultural core that gives a concrete form to the essential teachings of
Buddhism on its path to healthy living and ultimate enlightenment. It trains human beings on
living beings and how to live harmoniously with nature and take nature's offerings in the spirit of interbeing. As
praying for part of such training, monks formally express gratitude for the generosity of temple patrons as
well as the bounty of nature and everyone's hard work in preparing the meal.
peaceful world.
In temple food, there is a strong emphasis on the importance of not being attached to
food itself. Food is an agent to the goal of producing a pure and healthy vessel to hold and
fulfill Buddha-dharma. It uses seasonal vegetables to satisfy both flavor and nutritional
needs and as a result it comforts both mind and body. Different ingredients are carefully
combined to teach a lesson of peaceful coexistence and the truth of interconnectedness
of all beings.
Temple food reminds us of the circle of life by showing how all humans,
like food, are born from nature and ultimately returns to it. It asks a deep
question to the people of our age: is the modern food culture, which is
solely inspired by greed and desire and thoroughly infiltrated by fast
food and chemical additives, making us happy and healthy?
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M o n a st i c L i f e a n d P r a ct i c e
o f K o r e a n B u d d h i sm
1. Life of mendicancy
In the morning, Buddha reached for his kasaya along with patra and
entered the Sravasti Castle. He visited each house asking for food and
returned to his place to eat the collected meal. After he put back his kasaya
and patra, he washed his feet and sat on his place to meditate.
˜ The Diamond Sutra
The sutras describe in detail how Buddha and his disciples received alms for their daily subsistence. The
practitioners devoted their life entirely to spiritual attainment instead of partaking in food production
and therefore replied on people’s donations to survive. Once a day, the practitioners would visit nearby
villages. Sometimes they formed a single file; other times, they went separate ways to ask for food.
Monks had absolutely no say in what to receive and what not to. There were days when no gift
of food was forthcoming. Then, they simply had to starve.
If a monk was too sick to go out and collect alms, fellow monks would share food with
him. Everyone equally shared the daily collection of donated food which had to be consumed
at once. Eating past noon time was not permitted. Monks were required to live a life of extreme
poverty, with only the minimum of clothing, a begging bowl and a small amount of medicine.
As practitioners of this period depended solely on mendicancy for food, there was no need for a
separate cuisine for monastics.
Still, we can catch some glimpse of future temple food-to-be in the food of Buddhist monastics
of this period. First, it was the food the locals ate every day. The lack of advanced transportation
and food storage technology means that the food was prepared using predominantly fresh
local produce available in the given season.
Second, since people wanted to earn merits and improve their karma by offering
alms to monastics, food for monks must have been prepared and cooked with great
care. Following Buddha’s precept of no killing, vegetables and grains must
have been main ingredients, while too pungent spices would have been
avoided.
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2. Dissemination of Buddhism and
geographical expansion
Diverse As the religious orders following the Buddha’s teaching expanded, the boundary
of the spiritual community needed to be more clearly defined. At the end, any
weather sincere practitioner of Buddhism who stayed and participated in the temple’s
conditions and ceremonies came to be recognized as a member of the community. All the visitors to the
food items temple were provided with minimal but necessary food, clothes, medicine and boarding.
Once a practitioner stepped into the set boundary of a community, he would be
granted same rights and treatments that long time residents of the temple were entitled to.
This tradition of universal brotherhood served as an essential foundation for Buddhism to
become a religion beyond any particular region or a period of time.
This spirit of equality and hospitality, by which all Buddhists were accepted as a family,
facilitated a lively exchange and propagation. It was against this backdrop that Xuanzan went
to study in Nalanda University in India and brought with him numerous invaluable Buddhist
texts to China, and that Hyecho seunim from Silla travelled many kingdoms in India and
wrote his famous book the Records of Travel to Five States of India.
As Buddhism spread to many different regions with distinctive geographical and
climate characteristics, food for Buddhist practitioners started to adapt to local conditions.
For prosperous agricultural regions, a greater variety of ingredients were available. On
the other hands, food supply could be severely limited in desert and mountain areas.
Sometimes, it means bare minimum for survival. However, propagation of Buddhism
continued throughout the world overcoming all these challenges.
As temples grew in size and number, sourcing of food for monastics became
more structured. Some temples continued to follow the practice of alms
collection, but many began to depend on the donation by local sponsors
and laity. The tradition of temple food was finally born as the monks
were allowed to purchase ingredients not banned by the precept
and prepare their own meals.
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3. Buddhism and sanctity of labor
Produce When Buddhism was first introduced in China, the royal court and wealthy
patrons provided for the temples' needs. Construction of Buddhist temples was
grown by monks, undertaken as a national project and enormous land grants from the government and
food prepared sumptuous gifts from the nobles eliminated any need for alms collection.
by monks However, the Chan schools of Buddhism, which emerged in the later period, refused
to follow such trend. The leader behind this movement was Baizhang Huaihai (720 ~ 814).
He was one of Dharma disciples of Mazu Daoyi and he established the pure monastic codes
(or the holy rules of Baizhang) in which communal work was required and the system of
supporting the monastery through working in the fields was established. The so called “Pure
Rules” still remain the most distinctive characteristic of northern Buddhism (or Mahayana).
Monastic communal work was called wulryeok and members of the temple community must
attend the daily services, practice Buddha-dharma and participate in wulryeok.
Baizhang Huaihai faithfully adhered to the principle he himself had established even in
his 90s. Every day, he went out to the field and worked with his plow and a hoe. His students
were worried about the health of their elderly teacher and they decided to hide the teacher's
farming tools. When Baizhang Huaihai noticed that his tools were gone, he realized what
happened and quietly returned to his room.
His students rejoiced thinking their old teacher finally made concession to their
concerns. However, Baizhang Huaihai did not attend the meal service. Because he did
not fulfill his daily work, he refused to eat for the day. The students begged for his
forgiveness and returned the old teacher's tools.
Even during the times when Buddhism was oppressed, Seon Buddhism
continued to receive supports as the monk's humble life style and strong
work ethics inspired respect and trust in lay people. Seon temples
eventually developed a unique temple food which uses vegetables
and crops which monks cultivate and harvest on their own.
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4. Korea's temple food
From the tables of When Buddhism was officially sanctioned as Silla's national religion, Buddhist cuisine
prospered and spread into every corner of the country. According to The Chronicles of the
royal palaces to the
Three Kingdoms, King Beopheung of Silla proclaimed a law in 529 A.D to prohibit slaughtering
general public of animals. The Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms also states that in 599 A.D. King Beop, the
29h King of Baekjae, also ordered all households to release birds and hawks in captivity, burn all
fishing tools and stop slaughtering of animals.
The royal court and ruling class of the Three Kingdoms adopted and encouraged vegetarian
life style and as a result, Buddhism started to deeply influence Korea’s food culture. Scholars
conjecture that the Buddhist cuisine would have flourished during the Goryeo dynasty but
unfortunately no record remains to support this speculation.
Chinese Chan Buddhism, along with its strong work ethics, was introduced to Korea in
the 9th and 10th centuries. The term Chan was transliterated as Seon, and Seon Buddhism
was initially welcomed by the powerful families in rural areas and Seon monasteries settled
deep in the mountains. While resources were scarce and external donations were hard
to come by, Seon Buddhism’s independent way to farm their own supply of food was
essential for survival. In the process, physical labor became more than just one rule in
monastic codes and grew to embody the core value of Seon Buddhism.
Korean temple food evolved around the agricultural products that best suit
the local climate and monks themselves could grow. The Confucian Joseon
dynasty suppressed Buddhism, but it still found its way into ordinary
citizen’s food culture.
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5. Transmitting the tradition
of temple food
Beginning of Who was in charge of the temple kitchen and how was the cuisine transmitted?
Every single member of the temple community was involved in this process, from
Buddhist
cultivating crops and vegetables to actual cooking. It is because all candidates for
practice monkhood start their monastic life by working in the temple's kitchen.
When a person comes to a temple with the intention to be ordained, one must go
through an evaluation period to determine whether he or she is well suited for lifelong
spiritual commitment. They go through a period of apprenticeship called haengja to learn
the lesson of humility. Also called hasim in Korean, this state of mind is the wisdom to know
that all beings are higher and more precious than one’s own self. All haengjas must learn to
renounce their identities from the secular world and redefine their life as a monk.
Haengjas or apprentices start from the most menial tasks in the kitchen, from the
gathering of firewood and the running of small errands. This stage is called bulmokhani. Then
he is assigned to the task of gansang, the work of setting the meals for monks and visitors to the
temple and to chaegong, washing, cutting, steaming and marinating vegetables as side dishes.
Once he becomes sufficiently proficient in chaegong, he is promoted to the job of gaengdu as a
soup chef. As the final stage of his apprenticeship, the haengja would graduate to the position of
gongyangju to be in charge of rice preparation, and therefore the whole kitchen.
Haengja's assignments are important part of their practice. They must wake up earlier than
others in the morning to prepare meals and crack the ice to draw water to wash dishes in the
dead of the winder. Monks often fondly reminisce about the mistakes they made during their
haengja days. At times, rice may get undercooked or burned but senior monks will eat without
complaining because they too have committed similar mistakes. Camaraderie of support and
gratitude among all monks is one of the virtuous hallmarks of Korean Buddhist temples.
However, there are some dishes that require more skilled hands. Some
ingredients are sensitive and flavors easily diminish depending on how they are
handled and there are delicacies served on special occasions. These types of
dishes were often prepared and recipes transmitted by the female members
of the Buddhist order. Their efforts to extract and create the best
possible flavor even from the humblest vegetable while preserving
their nutritional values led to many ingenious fermentation
techniques and food storing methodologies.
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S p i r i t a n d Va l u e s C o n ta i n e d
i n T e mpl e f o o d
1. Happy life
Re-discovering Buddhist temples have been the stubborn guardians of the traditional lifestyle, which
is now being re-recognized as the ideal model of well-being among the people who strive
Buddhist
for healthy and happy life. They realize the Buddhist lifestyle holds the ultimate key for
life style their quest.
First, ingredients are carefully screened, selected and cooked. Vegetarianism is a natural
choice in order to comply with the precept of no killing. Sworn oath of poverty, monks cannot
afford fancy ingredients available in the market, so meals often include the wild plants growing
in the nearby mountains or the vegetables farmed on the temple ground, usually cooked with the
temple’s own fermented soy paste. There’s no room for any meat to cause adult onset conditions,
obesity, or usage of artificial additives such as MSG. This is far better than the organic food for
which people in the city are spending extra money. If temple food is adopted in the kitchens of
lay households, most health problems would be prevented and overcome.
Second, the true secret of the temple food for healthy life lies in the letting go of
attachment and desire. The point is not to be picky about the flavor or nutritional values but
to be sincerely grateful for everyone whose hard work made the meal possible. This attitude
would transform any food into ambrosia of health.
Third is the joy in the experience of eating itself. People often find the modest
temple food extraordinary simply because they just had a good workout from a long
hiking in fresh air. Even plain white rice after a good exercise in empty stomach
would be exceptionally delicious. Throw in fresh, organic vegetable dishes and
it will taste like the best meal one has ever had in his life.
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2. The origin of Korean cuisine
Temples: The simple and modest food culture of the common people has been kept alive in the
temple. During the 500 years of suppression in the Joseon dynasty, Buddhism shared
where the
the pain and suffering of the people in the lowest societal caste. Buddhism survived the
traditional persecution from the state by learning how to live on meager donations from people who
life and culture supported the religion against the law and find food source in the nature. During famine,
people even found ways to eat wild grass and tree barks. These know-hows were then shared
have been with monks in temples. People are often pleasantly surprised when they find seemingly inedible
kept alive or strange ingredients transformed into delicious meals. This is a great example of the wisdom
that Buddhism gained from its long history of survival.
Temple food was established after many lessons gained through time, based on the
appreciation of life for which the food is a vessel and the commitment to the spiritual practice. It
is not the visual attractiveness or rich flavor but rather the devotion and care with which the food
was prepared, as well as 'made from scratch' sauces and fresh, seasonal ingredients that touches
people's heart. It is food for the humble people who work hard with their hands rather than
serving the indulgence of the privileged. Temple food's lineage has been inherited by Koreans'
everyday food culture where local and seasonal ingredients are often utilized.
Much of Korea’s traditional culture has been lost in the 20th century. Destructions of
the war and the changes brought by industrialization signaled an abrupt departure from
the wisdom of the traditional agrarian society. Main food items are mass produced in
factories and sold in large supermarkets. A mother’s own kimchi and soy bean paste
recipes are not being passed onto her daughers. Fortunately, temples still insist
on making their own kimchi as well as fermented sauces, and prepare Korean
vegetarian side dishes of old times. The temples act as a refuge where Korea’s
authentic way of cooking is faithfully kept alive.
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3. The influence of four seasons
in temple food
The sustainable Korea is a geographically blessed country. The country’s peninsula

shape makes its three sides to border with the body of an ocean and there
cycle of are four significant seasons in a year. Therefore, agriculture thrived from the
ecosystem early stages of history and people were able to cultivate rice and other grains.
Thanks to an abundant supply of crops, vegetables, and sea food, Korean cuisine
features numerous recipes with diverse ingredients from both the land and the ocean.
Records indicate there are more than hundred twenty ways to categorize different parts
of beef for cooking. The murals in Bangudae petroglyphs (30,000 B.C) show prehistoric
Koreans hunting tigers, deer and even whales. Various kelps and seaweeds were also being
widely used in cooking. In order to store these precious and yet perishable ingredients, people
invented different ways of fermentation as a long term storing technique. Kimchi and jeotgal
(salted and pickled fish) are a signature example of Korea’s superior food preservation techniques.
Against the backdrop of the nation’s history and tradition, Korean temple food fostered
its own unique characteristics as well. Temple food harmonizes Buddha’s teaching with the
outstanding techniques and materials from the traditional Korean cuisine. Temple food focuses on
food’s fundamental role as an agent to help one’s spiritual practice and above all, it must follow strict
vegan diet out of loving-kindness and compassion for all beings.
In the temples where monks farm their own crops, many dishes were created by using seasonal
ingredients. Far from being an industrial agriculture, this is a true example of an ecological farming.
From growing vegetables and grains to preparing, cooking and eating them are all essential parts
of monks’ practice. Also, farming often involved participation from the people in local village.
Temple food demonstrates a great example of sustainable cycle of ecosystem.
The temples located deep in the mountains prepared and stored supplies of preserved food in
advance to endure Korea’s notoriously cold and long winters. Using foodstuff obtained by harming living
beings was strictly banned not on the temple’s premise. Therefore, temples created their own unique
techniques and ingredients that honored Buddha’s teachings. The signature examples of preserved
food in temples included kimchi, fermented soy paste, gochujang (chili paste), many flavoring
agents like soy sauce, and jjangachi (pickled vegetables) made from ailanthus tree and prickly
ash pepper. Each temple invented its own preserved food with locally available vegetables
and other ingredients pickled in vinegar, salt and fermented pastes. Temples manage
to preserve vegetables without using any kind of artificial preservatives and they
are appreciated for its long shelf life and the nutrients they retained. Also,
when fresh supply of vegetables is not available due to weather,
they work as a wonderful nutritional supplement.
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4. Wisdom of millennium
True meaning Barugongyang or baru-meal (formal monastic meal) can be the alternative solution
to save the planet earth for our future. It wastes nothing, and everything is utilized in
of eating
the most environmentally friendly manner, including the water used for dishwashing.
All the materials monks use are from the generous donations of temple’s patrons and
therefore are taken with upmost gratitude. The term ‘patron’ is not only limited to those
who made materialistic or monetary contributions. It includes farmers who raised his crops
and the nature that provided the precious ground, water, sun and rain as well.
Masters of old times stressed to their students that a lazy Buddhist monk will be reborn as
a cow so he can go down to the village and work hard to repay the grace of all his patrons. The
teachers not only taught with their words but led with an example. They themselves went to the
field and carried out their daily tasks with rough hands from years of labor. How could any young
monks stand back and watch while his old teacher is sweeping the temple yard? The wisdom of
millennium is not only in the words of sutra but found in the daily lives of those teachers who
led with their action.
Temple food does not seek strong flavors, elaborate appearances or stimulating smells
appealing to the general masses. The Seon Buddhism’s idea of being in practice includes all
everyday activities. Coming, leaving, sitting, lying down, speaking or keeping silence is all
parts of the practice. Even though food was considered as an instrument to assist one’s
spiritual attainment, it is an integral part of life, therefore of practice. As such, monks did
not take mundane activities lightly and carried them out with great care and piety. Their
sincere approach on practice is mirrored in temple food as well.
When everyone pursues pleasure and materialistic abundance, temple food
leads one’s hands to visit the fundamental meaning of eating. Monks live in the
mountains and intentionally turn their back on modern society’s conveniences.
They live in humble places raising their own food in a natural and organic
way. Perhaps our modern society can finally quench our thirst for
meaning and learn how to live on healthily and happily from
the monks’ simple lifestyle.
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5. Characteristics of temple food
A vegan diet First, eating meat is not allowed. The Brahamajala Sutra stated, “Thou Buddhist shall not
eat any meat. Anyone who consumes meat is going against one’s own Buddha nature of
based on loving-
loving-kindness and compassion and it will chase other living beings away in fear. Therefore,
kindness and all Bodhisattvas shall not consume meat.” All Mahayana Buddhist traditions, including Korean
compassion. Buddhism strictly follow this rule.
Second, use of five pungent herbs is banned. They include garlic, wild leeks, green onion,
Nature’s flavor allium, and asafetida. Asafetida does not grow in Korea and it is a white plant that possesses a strong
infused with smell and flavor similar to garlic. These five herbs intensify the flavors of other ingredients and
increase greed for food. Also, their spicy flavor is believed to stimulate virility and therefore, creates
four seasons.
uncomfortable distraction for those who practice. Lastly, they generate strong body odor and bad
breath which may create inconveniences in communal living environments.
Third, temple food has been carefully engineered to not only provide nutrients but medicinal
benefits as well. Buddhist monks believed that healthy body allows healthy practice. Many
ingredients in temple food can double as medicinal herbs which prevent adult onset conditions.
Over time, monks became familiar with medicinal benefits of each ingredient and applied
them to create balanced diet.
Four, only natural seasonings are used. No chemical additives are allowed and natural
flavoring agents such as kelp, mushroom, wild sesame seeds and raw soy bean powder
help improve nutritional balance and deliver simple and clean taste.
Five, dishes are made with ingredients that follow the nature’s seasonal cycle.
These seasonal fares draw mostly on what is available at that time of the year and
therefore not expensive to purchase. For certain ingredients that are essential
throughout the year, they are preserved well in advance and in a sense,
each temple has its own unique temple food culture.
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B a r u g o n g ya n g
What is barugongyang,
the formal monastic
meal ceremony?
During the formal monastic meal ceremonies at Korean
Buddhist temples, a set of wooden bowls called baru are
used to serve food. The ceremony is named baru-meal
or barugongyang after the bowls. The bowls come in a
set of four to five and each piece is slightly smaller than
the previous one so that they can all fit into the biggest
bowl for convenient storage and portability. Eosibaru (or
Buddha-baru) is the largest bowl exclusively reserved to
hold rice and the second largest bowl is gook-baru
(or Bodhisattva-baru) for soup. They are followed
by cheonsu-baru (or Sravaka-baru) along with
banchan-baru (or Pratyeka-baru). When there
are five pieces of baru bowls, the smallest
bowl is called shishikbaru and used to
offer meals to beings in hell, hungry
ghosts and asuras, but it is
seldom used.
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Baru-meal ceremony at temples
Monks usually eat very quietly in a solemn atmosphere. Once a bite is in your
mouth, you have to chew it with your mouth firmly closed so that it cannot be seen.
You cannot spit out food or make any noise before you swallow. This does not mean
that you should not chew well. Chew enough, but quietly. You cannot make any noise
with your chopsticks’ or bowls, either.
The whole process of dining is very hygienic. Everybody has their own personal
bowls, and washes them themselves. The spoon and chopsticks are kept in their own
cloth pocket. There is a wrapping cloth and wiping towel for bowls to whisk away dust
too. The wiping cloth is washed every few days; it has to be clean all the time. There are
baru bowls that are inherited over several generations because they are kept so well.
The older the baru bowls are, the more prestigious they are considered.
˜ Diary of a Korean Seon Monk, by Jiheo seunim, describing the life at a Korean Seon monastery during the 1970s
Barugongyang, or baru-meal is a simple way of eating. Rice, soup, side dish and water are each
placed in a set of four bowls in different sizes. Paring just right amount of food from salty side
dishes to go nicely with the rice can be a bit tricky to achieve. One must carefully consider how
much of rice and side dish to serve oneself so the right amount of both foods can be eaten till
the end. The key to baru-meal is taking only what one needs.
Baru-meal is one of the most environment friendly ways of eating because it does
not produce any left-over. Even the water that everyone rinses off their baru bowls
with is clean. There is no room for bacteria to grow because the bowls are washed
immediately after each meal. The bowls and other utensils are disinfected
under the sun on a regular basis which is more sanitary than using wet
towels to dry excessive water.
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Instructions for
barugongyang
1. After the bamboo clapper is struck three times, join the palms
in front of the chest and bow; then unwrap the baru bowls.
2. Arrange the four bowls on the baru mat.
3. When the bamboo clapper is struck once, the assigned monks
will pass the food in the following order: water, rice, soup, and
assorted side dishes of vegetables and greens. Rinse all the baru
bowls in the order of size with water that was initially served.
Save it in cheonsu bowl for later use.
4. When the bamboo clapper is struck once again, hold and raise
the rice bowl high in the air with two hands and chant the “Meal
Offering Verse.”
5. As a symbolic gesture of sharing food with all hungry beings,
each monk sets aside a small portion of rice, which is gathered in
a communal bowl.
6.When the bamboo clapper is struck three times, eating finally
begins. Practice harmonious eating by keeping pace with others
and remain silent. Leave a piece of kimchi to wipe any leftover
food in the bowl at the end.
7.When the bamboo clapper is struck two times, pass the
drinking water around.
28

8. When the bamboo clapper is struck once, pour a sip of water
and hold the last piece of kimchi against the baru bowl and spin
the bowl slowly to wipe away any leftover food inside. When
wiping is done, eat the piece of kimchi and drink the remaining
water from the cleaned bowl.
9. When the bamboo clapper is struck once, use the water
saved earlier in the water bowl to rinse the bowls again. When
an assigned monk comes to collect waste water, pour it into
the communal bucket carefully so as to retain any particles of
leftover food at the bottom of the bowl. One should drink the
residual water and food particles.
10. When the bamboo clapper is struck once, chant the “Verse
for Ending the Meals”. After drying the bowls, spoon and
chopsticks with baru-towel, neatly wrap the bowls as before.
11. When the bamboo clapper is struck once, conclude
barugongyang.
12. When the bamboo clapper is struck once, rise and stack the
baru bowls on the self. Then, form two lines and half bow to
each other at another three counts of bamboo clapper.
29

Spirit that guides barugongyang
Equality
Regardless of one’s rank or status, all members of the community equally share
and eat the same diet.
Cleanliness
Keeping one’s own baru bowls clean and only serving how much one can eat at once
describes the definition of clean barugongyang. Monks gracefully go through the steps of
baru-meal at the sound of bamboo clapper, like refreshing breeze blowing from the virgin
forest in the mountain.
Honorable poverty
Once the food is served, even a tiny speck of seasoning cannot be left behind. Individual should
drink a small amount of water used to wash the inside of the bowl at the end of the meal.
Afterwards, used baru bowls are once again rinsed clean in a bowl of water called cheonsumul,
named after the Bodhisattva of Thousand Hands and her dharani, because the water is so clean
that it mirros the ceiling where the dharani is painted over.
Community
A sense of community is once again confirmed by enjoying the meals that were made in
the same pot at the same time. A Great Council meeting often follows barugongyang to
discuss both big and small affairs around the temple in a democratic setting.
Virtuous deeds
A vow to accumulate merits is made when monks take a moment to
express their deep gratitude for the people whose hard work produced
their meal. Monks also vow to continue their commitment and
dedication to save all beings.
30

31

We know how to nurture hunger by eating, but
We forget to learn Buddha-dharma to nurture our foolish mind.
vigilance Against one’s Self

by Yeoun seumin from the Goryeo period
32

A baru filled with Buddha’s compassion
33

Spring
Gondre Namul Bap
Gomchui Ssambap
Dureup-jeon
Bangpung Namul Jang-A-Jji

with Chili Paste
34

35

A Spring Song
Wandering into a deep vally with the cane at hand,
Spring is onto me in solitude.
Returning home with my sleeves filled with sweet scents of flowers,
A little butterfly keeps me a company.
Hwanseong Jian (1664~1729, Seon Master from the mid Joseon period)
36

I ate it for you
Jinmuk seunim (1562 – 1633) was a greate master
from the mid Joseon dynasty. He had an elder sister
whose interest was sorely on using her brother’s
status for receiving special treatments at the temple.
Despite her brother’s repeated plea, she did not
bother with practice and said that since she was the
blood relative of a great master, she too would reach
enlightenment through that connectin.
Finally, his patience wore off. One day, Jinmuk
seunim served a meal only for himself and left his
sister to starve. When the sister discovered what had
happened, she angrily confronted her brother. Jin
Muk seunim replied, “I ate the meal for you too.
Didn’t it make you full as well?” The sister repented
her foolishness and practiced hard since then.
37

Clean Kitchen
The temple’s kitchen must be clean and be located on the south
or west side of the monastery. It shall be well ventilated with a clean
supply of water. There must be a working space with clean oil for cooking,
a seven day supply of oil, and bottles of flour, lime and salt. It shall have bowls of
vegetables, honey, potatoes, grains, black pepper and ginger.
vinaya
38

Three virtues and six flavors
All male laities prepared a declious meal for Buddha and his
disciples… The prepared dishes featured all six of bitter, sour, sweet,
spicy, salty and bland flavors. They all satisfied three virtues of being
soft, pure and in compliance with Buddha-Dharma.
˜ The Nirvana Sutra
Softness and lighteness

Satisfying the criterion of ‘softness and lightness’ means turning fibrous, tough or hard
ingredients into something pliable and easy on the stomach. Ingredients that already come in
soft texture or liquid form are not considered ‘soft and light’. Foods with strong flavors may
upset or irritate monk’s stomach. Temple food must be of mild flavors and easily digested.
Purity
Many people live in close proximity in communal setting at temples. Therefore, sanitation
was viewed as an important priority. Managing both food and the facility clean is important,
and the cleaning drainage and ventilation system are installed with great care. Temple food
avoids food stocks grown through genetic manipulation or with artificial ferterlizer for
mass-production and instead uses organic ingredients that were grown naturally in clean
environment.
Compliance with Buddha-Dharma

It means following the precepts from Buddha’s teachings and respecting nature’s
order while cultivating, prepping and cooking meals. In other words, it can be
described as maintaining a balance. Creating a meal with proper amount
of seasoning and making only the appropriate amount of food for
each occasion without any exccessive food left behind are great
examples of the compliance with Buddha-Dharma.
39
TempleFood_English_3.indd 39
The sustainable 10/07/13 9:10 PM
When your knees are frozen like ice,
do not think about resting in warmth
When your stomach is pierced by pain of hunger,
do not think of eating.
Balsim suhaeng jang (An Essay on Arising the Aspiration for Enlightenment),
by Wonhyo (617 – 686, Buddhist Master from the silla period)
History of In the areas where monks depended on mendicancy for survival, they walked to nearby villages and asked for
alms in the morning. Monks were not allowed to ask for any specific type of food. Therefore, they received
monastic
what people ate in their normal diet every day. Because of this direct correlation, famine in local village or
practice and having a bumper year had a significant impact on what and how much of alms were available. The northern
the heritage of Buddhism (or Mahayana) did not practice mendicancy. However, they too depended on donations of local
food culture produce and other goods from patrons. Without advanced means of transportation, the donations would
often be the goods that were in season and locally available.
As Seon Buddhism firmly established labor as an inviolable part of practice, the monastic community
developed self-reliance regarding the supply of goods. Plowing up the ground to planting seeds and harvesting
the fruits of their labor were all completed by way of wulryeok. This independent effort led to a deep and
sincere gratitude and understanding for everyone involved in producing and distributing everything
that they consume. In this way, monastics had an opportunity to grow a sense of interconnectedness
and compassion for all the suffering and joy of the mundane people in nearby villages.
In a traditional Buddhist community, life is rather simple. Community members are able
to observe the simple steps that bring what they eat, sleep under and wear to their persons.
On the other hand, a modern day Buddhist community is forced to join a seemingly
inexplicable worldwide capitalistic network. Under many circumstances, a tangled
chain of production and distribution on goods would blind Buddhist monks.
They are no longer able to identify and therefore be responsible for their
40

relationship with food, electricity, and other goods that they use for temple operation. Getting excluded from
such relationship eliminates the chance of acting responsible through participation. Such changes make it even
more difficult to fulfill the ideal way of practice.
While the waves of drastic changes sweep through the society, Korea’s Buddhist temples still insist on
sustaining their traditional, and essentially agrarian, lifestyle. It is to live in the world where time slows down,
intentionally turning away from modern civilization and accepting any inconveniences that may rise in
return. Against the mundane world’s quick run towards industrialism, electricity and petroleum, temples still
relies on firewood and lights candle lamps. This tenaciy has caught many people’s attention and some are
convinced that this is the ideal alternative for the new civilization.
Elders extend the strict discipline of the temple life to the younger monks who grew up in the midst of
modern society’s convenience. The wise teachers will always treat even the smallest donation with upmost
respect and sincerity. They would share many examples of how a famous teacher once ran over twenty
miles to salvage a single leaf of lettuce that fell into the valley. Younger monks are trained to spot and
pick up even a single grain of rice so as to cultivate a sense of gratitude for their patrons. Monks
enact their beliefs during baru-meal ceremonies when they learn how to avoid unnecessary greed
by taking only what they can finish at once and leaving no leftover behind.
Buddhism is a religion deeply rooted in ‘practice.’ Practice is not limited to meditation
or praying. Rather, it includes all the moments that make up our daily lives. In this
sense, eating is one of the most fundamental subjects of our practice.
41

42

Gondre Namul Bap (Rice with Gondre Greens)
Ingredients
180 grams Gondre namul or greens, 2 cups rice,
2 cups milky water left after rinsing rice (or water mixed with flour),
½
1 tbsp. perilla seed oil, tbsp. sesame seed oil, ¼ tbsp. salt, 1 tbsp. soy sauce
Directions
1. Thaw the frozen Gondre namul, which has been kept in the freezer after having been boiled.
Cut into 5 cm pieces.
2. Rinse the rice and soak in water.
3. Put the perilla seed oil, Gondre namul, water, and soy sauce into a skillet. Roast them on medium heat while
stirring with your hands.
4. Place the rice, water, sesame seed oil and salt into an earthen pot (or a pan).
5. When the rice is boiling, open the lid and stir with a spatula. Add the Gondre namul and continue cooking
the rice.
Gondre namul’s scientific name is Cirsium setidens. A perennial, it sprouts in early spring from roots that
survived the winter. The herb is edible uncooked until June, after which the stalks become too tough to eat. In
that case the vegetables should be soaked in water and boiled just enough to be softened. Dried and preserved,
the spring herb is enjoyed year round not only at temples but in common households.
When Korea was experiencing a time of economic hardship, there used to be a period called ‘Boritgogae’,
literally meaning the ‘Barley hill’ – the spring cessation for farmers, when there were no crops between
planting season and the barley harvest. In those days, Gondre namul, which was abundant in the fields
and mountains, served as a good substitute and appeased people’s hunger. People cooked rice, porridge,
stew or seasoned dishes with the herb to supplement their diets during food shortages. Unlike other
greens, Gondre namul does not cause any physical problems, nor did people get ever tired of it,
even when it was eaten at every meal. Rich in nutrients, including protein, calcium, minerals,
vitamins and yet low in calories, Gondre namul is valued these days as a good dish for
preventing age-related diseases as well as for weight-loss. This nutritious plant also
helps with constipation and lowers high blood pressure.
43

44

Gomchui SSambap
Ingredients
20 grams groundsel (gomchui), 2 cups uncooked rice presoaked in water,
1 tbsp. soybean paste,½tbsp. grain syrup, a pinch of salt
Directions
1. Cook presoaked rice in a rice cooker or in a pot.
2. Boil groundsel in water, rinse in cold water and drain. Separate leaves from stems.
Cut stems into small pieces and drain excess water.
3. Make ssamjang (paste sauce) with soy bean paste, grain syrup and sesame seed oil.
4. In a large bowl, mix cooked rice, salt, sesame seed oil and cut groundsel stems.
Make the mixture into small size of rice balls.
5. Place the boiled groundsel leaf flat and put the rice ball. Place a dab of ssamjang on top
and wrap rice ball with the leaf.
Grown in the mountainous regions of Korea, leopard plant leaves can be easily gathered
and cooked in Buddhist temples. The Korean name ‘Gomchui’ originates from the habits of
bears (‘gom’ in Korean) - when bears awaken from hibernation, they first begin to search
for the plant to nourish their weakened bodies. Eaten raw, the plant boasts a unique
fragrance. It also can be seasoned for side-dishes or else made into jang-a-jji for long
preservation. It has excellent medicinal qualities, and aids in blood circulation
and pain relief enough to be used in herbal medicine. It also contains six
times more vitamin C than lettuce does, along with other useful
ingredients such as calcium.
45

46

Dureup-jeon (Fatsia shoot Pancakes)
IngredIents
120 grams edible fatsia shoots (Dureup), 2 tbsp. flour, ¼cup water,
⅔ tbsp. soy sauce, perilla seed oil
For dipping sauce: Use chili pepper paste and the fermented juice of Korean Schisandra (Omija)
dIrectIons
1. Blanch the prepared shoots and drain.
2. Mix flour, water and soy sauce to make batter.
3. Dip the shoots in the batter to coat them.
4. Put the perilla seed oil in the heated skillet and cook the shoots.
5. Serve them with dipping sauce.
Fatsia shoots (or buds of aralia elater) are called

the ‘King of Greens’ thanks to their rich flavor and
nutrients. Its fragrant yet bitter taste stimulates the
appetite. The saponin in the shoots is as high-quality as
that in red ginseng and strengthens the immune system.
Other nutrients include vitamins (especially vitamin A),
protein, and calcium, as well as medicinal ingredients that are
good for diabetes.
47

48

Bangpung Namul Jang-A-Jji
Ingredients
230 grams Bangpung namul (Umbelliferae), 1 ⅓ cups of soy sauce, 1 cup of water,
¼ cup of fermented Japanese apricot juice, 2 tbsp. organic brown sugar
2 tbsp. double-fortified vinegar, 20 grams ginger
Directions
1. Skin and slice the ginger
2. Mix the two kinds of soy sauce, water, fermented Japanese apricot juice, sugar and vinegar in a pan.
Add the ginger slices and bring it to a boil.
3. Prepare and clean the Bangpung namul then drain.
4. Mix the boiled soy sauce from step 2 with the drained greens and ferment the mixture for about one
week (Be sure to turn it over once every 3 or 4 days.)
Jang-a-jji is a traditional food preservation technique which allows seasonal vegetables or leftover
greens to be preserved for a long period of time. First, dehydrate or salt the vegetables to reduce the water
content, then put them in soybean paste, chili pepper paste, or soy sauce for preservation.
Depending on the ingredients used, it is referred to as soy sauce jang-a-jji, soybean paste jang-a-jji
or chili pepper paste jang-a-jji. The most common method is to put fresh vegetables into soybean
paste. The ingredients are sometimes then moved to the chili pepper paste.
In general, sesame leaves, bean leaves, shoots of a Chinese-berry trees (Gajuk namul, Cedrela
sinensis), radishes and chili peppers are preserved in soybean paste, while salt-pickled radishes or
cucumbers are, after being dehydrated, kept in soybean or chili pepper paste. Jang-a-jji is very
high in salt content, so it is usually served in small quantities and seasoned with sesame
seed oil, roasted sesame seeds, chili pepper paste, sugar, and so on.
49

50

with Chili Pepper Paste
Ingredients
50 grams prickly ash, 20 grams gochujang, 60 grams soybean paste,
70 grams potatoes, 2 red peppers, 2 green peppers, 38 grams flour,
5 grams pepper powder, 30 grams buckwheat powder, 100 grams water,
1 gram sugar, cooking oil
Directions
1. Wash prickly ash peppers, drain and finely chop them.
2. Peel potatoes and finely chop them.
3. Wash red and green pepper and finely chop them.
4. In a large bowl mix above ingredients with gochujang (chili pepper paste),
soy bean paste, flour, chili pepper powder, buckwheat powder and water
to make a pancake batter.
5. In a heated pan, put oil and place pancake batter in 2 inch diameters.
Cook both sides until they turn golden brown.
51

Taking in food should be done only to cure or prevent the weakening of the body
while aiming to achieve ultimate knowledge.
Bojo Jinul
(1158 - 1210, an eminence Seon Master from the Goryo Dynasty)
52

Do not attach either to flavors or fragrances.
53

Summer
Potato Pancakes
Sangchu Daegung Kimchi
Aehobak Doenjang–Jjigae
Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaves
Soybean Noodles
54

55

Seon Master Seoung Cheol’s tattered robe
(Picture cour tesy of White Lotus Buddhist Culture Foundation)
Being content with few desires
A tattered robe will cure a monk’s desire for clothes and mendicancy will cure
a monk’s desire for food. A place under a tree will cure a monk’s desire for
bed, and peaceful mind and body will cure a monk’s desire for the mundane
world. Curing the four desires with four medicines shall be known as a holy
practice. This is a way of being ‘content with few desires. It means not
surrendering to attachments, and this means that one does not have
any regret even when the result may seem smaller than expected.
˜ The Nirvana Sutra
56

Practice is made of half farming and half seon
Work hard Baizhang Huaihai’s Pure Rules emphasized that Chan practice is not separate from hard work
in the field. For Korean Seon Buddhism, the teaching evolved into a spirit of ‘half farming and
and share half Seon’, meaning hard work during the day should be followed by meditative practice at night.
with neighbors During the Japanese occupation, Manam seunim presided at the Baekyang-sa Temple as
the abbot for many decades. He was highly respected for leading his community by example and
maintaining a humble life, always in strict compliance with the Pure Rules of sangha. He would always
rise early, don his formal robe and preside over the morning meditation and practice.
He also managed the temple affairs and finances in a more self-sufficient way. Instead of relying
entirely on the donation from the laity, he encouraged his monks to work and create monetary gain to
fund the renovation of the temple. Monastics raised bees to collect honey, made bamboo baskets and
mats, and fired wood to make charcoal. Beakyang-sa was one of the least affluent temples in the nation
but it would always spearhead the efforts to help local villages during difficult times. When famine
struck, Venerable Manam would share the temple’s food with locals and the monks in temple would
eat porridge made of wild grass to empathize and share their compassion with the community.
Manam seunim exercised his compassion in a disciplined and wise manner. He provided
his assistance for those in need in exchange for their help with temple’s chores, such as farming
in the field or planting fruit trees in the mountains. He regularly hired locals to mend the
ponds located on the temple ground and paid them in grains. He would pay them for their
labor so the people could have a sense of earning an honest living. Manam seunim also
expanded into the area of social welfare by eastablishing a shelter for the elderly near
his temple. Also, he built a school to educate students so that they could fight for
the country’s independence. When Korea finally became liberated from Japan’s
rule, the Korean Buddhist order humbly asked Manam seunim to become
its Supreme Patriarch.
57

Azure sky
When chanting from the temple abruptly ends,
The sky turns crystal clear.
Jung Jisang
(? ~ 1135. A poet from the Goryeo Dynasty)
58

Like clear spring water
The temples often roost deep in the valleys of beautiful mountains. Bountiful supply of clean water wells up
all year round. It quenches a thirst of both the Buddhist practitioners and lay people who visit the temple.
For easier access, members of the temple constructed a waterway into their establishment. Water flows
into a large stone tub and when the tub is full, overflows out. It was carved out of a large piece of
rock and hence called seokjo. When water stops flowing, residues like small particles of sand
will drown to the bottom, making the water even cleaner. In some temples, two or three
seokjos are placed in a cascade to work as a natural water filtration system.
This ancient work of science has multiple functionalities; from washing
vegetables and dishes to acting as a firefighting water in case the
temple is on fire.
59

Wild tea Early in a dawn when morning dew is still fresh on young
tea leaves, monks pick tea leaves one by one by hand. The
traditional Korean tea making technique is called gujeunggupo,
which means tea is steamed nine times and roasted nine times before
being served. The first and the last roasting of tea in particular determine
the quality of finished product. Roast excessively, tea is tainted with metal-
like odor; if prematurely removed from fire, its fragrance lacks depth.
Tea making is a long and difficult process and only a small amount of
tea gets produced in the end. Because of this reason, tea is a symbol of precious
offering. It is presented before Buddha as an offering and monks drink tea to help
with their practice or entertain guests. A cup of tea warms up many hearts.
A rich forest of tea trees near a temple is an indication of a temple’s long history,
grown from the seeds planted by the monks of ancient times. As time passed by,
the trees became a part of wild nature, but trees still sprout new shoots very spring
without fail.
60

Drinking tea and Seon meditation
is one and the same
Work hard All dharmas are not two; Seon meditation and drinking tea are no different.
and share ˜ Choui Euisun (1786~1866. Eminent Master from the late Joseon Period)
with neighbors Tea and Buddhism were introduced to Korea hand in hand during the Three Kingdoms
period. In the beginning, tea was an expensive imported commodity only for the royals
and high ranking monks but eventually, tea trees were planted and tea was made available
for general public too. During the Goryeo period, also known as the Golden age of
Buddhism, the art of tea achieved a level of sophistication that rivaled Chinese tea art
where tea originated from. This cultural heritage of tea art flourished and reached its
height in the late Joseon period largely thanks to the contributions by the eminent
master Choui Euisun.
Often credited for rediscovering and rejuvenating the art of tea in Korea, Choui
Euisun is also widely admired as prolific poet and highly accomplished painter and
calligrapher. He entered pari-nirvana at Daeheung-sa temple’s Ilji-am Hermitage in Haenam,
Korea. To honor this great teacher, only the monks with deep appreciation and knowledge on tea
are appointed to the abbotship of Ilji-am Hermitage to this date.
Choui seunim composed a gatha (or stanza) about tea titled Dongdasong, which literally means the
gatha on the tea produced in the Eastern Land (Korea was often referred to as the Eastern Land). He
composed the gatha as a reply when a scholar named Hong Hyeonju asked him about drinking tea.
Dongdasong cites three reasons why tea drinking is highly recommended:
First, tea is immensely beneficial to body like a great a medicine.
Second, tea of Korea possesses great flavors and medicinal values equal to that of China, even
when compared to the legendary tea from Luan or Mengshan.
Third, art of tea encompasses a path that can lead to a sublime and supreme state of being.
In his Treatise on Tea, Choui seunim explains, “A person can easily reach the ultimate
enlightenment if he drinks the true tea made with the true water endowed with eight
virtues, because a sublime experience of tea drinking allows one to identify the
substance and the spirit inhabiting it and purify the coarse and defiled.” Choui
seunim attributed the most exalted praise to tea as he equated art of
tea with the state of paramita where one achieves the perfect
freedom from all attachments.
61

62

Potato Pancakes
Ingredients
6 potatoes, 2 tbsp. salt, water¼ cup,
cooking oil made with 1 tbsp. perilla seed oil and 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
Directions
1. Grate peeled potatoes. Drain excess starch water from grated potatoes with clean cloth.
Keep the excess starch water to make the pancake batter.
2. Make the batter with grated potatoes, starch water and salt.
3. In a heated pan, put oil and place pancake batters in small circles.
Cook both sides until they turn golden brown.
For temple kitchens, summer is potato season. The The well-

farmed potatoes, grown in the hot red soil, are steamed, roasted,
boiled down in soy sauce, and so on. A skilled cook can create
innumerable dishes with potatoes. Potato pancakes is one
dish especially favored by monastics. Here is the temple-style
recipe for making them tastier: separate the liquid from the
potato purée and mix again with the purée before cooking,
which creates an interesting chewy texture. The smiles on the
practitioners’ faces reward the cook’s extra hard work.
63

64

Sangchu Daegung Kimchi (Lettuce Stalk Kimchi)
Ingredients
300 grams lettuce stalks, 2 tbsp. flour, 1 tbsp. sweet (glutinous) rice flour,
½
2 tbsp. ginger juice, cup chili pepper powder, 3 red chili peppers, 3 green chili peppers, 4 tbsp. salt
Directions
1. Clean the lettuce with its overly grown stalks. When the stalks are too hard, peel them a bit and gently beat
until tender.
2. Make a watery porridge with flour and sweet rice flour, then let it cool.
3. Cut the chili peppers vertically into halves and remove the seeds. Slice them into thick sticks.
4. Put the chili pepper powder and ginger juice into the cool porridge. Make it slightly salty..
5. Gently combine the lettuce and chili peppers with the mixture from step 4. Place it in a container with a rock on
the top to press the contents down.
When lettuce stalks get thick, housewives typically think

that the lettuce is done with its life, and throw the vegetable
away to plant others. Yet frugal monks and nuns have found
how to best utilize these withering vegetables based on their
‘total consumption’ philosophy. With some additional
effort they have turned seemingly useless parts of
vegetables into delicious pancakes or kimchi. These
days housewives are learning from this monastic
wisdom and adapting it to their everyday
cooking.
65

66

Aehobak Doenjang –Jjigae
(soybean Paste stew with Zucchini)
IngredIents
1 zucchini, 5 green chili peppers,
3 dried shiitake mushrooms, 3 tbsp. soybean paste,
1 sheet of dried kelp, 1 tbsp. shiitake mushroom powder
½ tbsp. chili pepper powder, 3 cups of water
dIrectIons
1. Wash the dried shiitake mushrooms in running water and cut into chunks.
Put them in a pan with water and dried kelp, and bring to a boil.
2. Chop the green chili peppers. Scoop up the zucchini with a spoon, mix with the soybean paste and
shiitake mushroom powder and set aside.
3. When the broth boils, remove the dried kelp. Put the soybean paste-mixed zucchini into the pan and
boil until the zucchini is cooked. Add green chili peppers and chili pepper powder and boil once again.
Zucchini is widely loved in temples and household kitchens. While zucchini has enjoyed
popularity with a variety of recipes, pumpkin has been grown less often and, as a result, has had
fewer chances to be cooked. With its unique qualities protecting digestive organs and enhancing
vitality, zucchini is good as both baby food and diets for the elderly. Not to mention for
practitioners!
67

68

Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaves
Ingredients
2 lotus leaves, 4 cups glutinous rice, 4 dates, 1 tbsp. pine nut,
12 gingko nuts, 4 chestnuts, salt water
Directions
1. Wash glutinous rice, soak in water and steam.
2. Cut lotus leaves into half.
3. Season the steamed glutinous rice with salt.
4. Place a single serving of seasoned glutinous rice ball on the lotus leaf. Place dates,
pine nuts, gingko nuts, and chestnuts around and wrap the leaf into a bun.
5. Place the buns in a steamer and steam until cooked.
Simple as they look, it takes a lot of time and effort to make the rice wrapped
in lotus leaves. A tip for fully appreciating this mysterious temple dish: Use your
imagination... what will be there waiting for you inside the wrapped leaves?
69

70

Soybean Noodles
Ingredients
1 cup soy bean, a bag of dried thick noodles,
5 cherry tomatoes, ½ cucumbers, 2 tbsp. salt and water
Directions
1. Wash soy beans and boil in water.
2. Drain and cool the boiled soy beans. Place the beans in a blender with 5 cups of water and grind
until they turn into smooth liquid form. This will serve as the broth.
3. Once bean broth is prepared, boil noodles in a pot. Thicker noodles are recommended for best taste.
4. Pour a cup of cold water when the noodle boils over. Noodle is ready after it almost boils over twice.
Rinse the noodle in cold water and drain excess water.
5. Place the noodle in a bowl and pour the bean broth. Top it off with tomato and sliced cucumber.
Bean broth taste best when served cold. Add couple of ice cubes if necessary. Season with salt.
A special dish that makes practitioners smile

Korea has a suitable climate and geological conditions for growing rice, the staple food of the Korean
people. On the other hand, wheat production is quite limited. Noodles have therefore always been
treated as a special food, served only on special occasions. In the monasteries, which have relatively
simple, monotonous diets, noodles are welcomed by all members and it is said that the special menu
makes even the monks and nuns smile and their mouths water. From this story noodles get the
nickname ‘monastic smile’.
Noodles are usually prepared for lunch. While anchovies or chicken are typically used to
make the broth, at temples, where meat is forbidden, shiitake mushrooms, kelp, and the
dried shoots of the Chinese-berry tree are used. The clear and light broth goes with
the noodle’s simple taste, creating a very unique noodle culture.
71

Where has this food come from?
My virtues are so few that I am hardly worthy to receive it.
I will take it as medicine to get rid of greed in my mind and
to maintain my physical being in order to achieve enlightenment.
pre-meal Chant
72

Nature’s unconditional grace
73

Autumn
Gim-Bugak
Gochu Bugak Jorim
Mu-jeon
Napa Cabbage Pancakes
U-eong Jorim
74

75

Why are baru bowls handed down
from generation to generation?
Being ordained means that one lets go of worldly possessions. The path of
non-possession allows monks only three sets of monastic robes and baru bowls
for collecting alms. Since the robe and baru bowls constitute the entirety of a monk’s
possession, inheriting the robe and baru bowls the teacher used has a special meaning
in northern Buddhism. By handing down his robes and baru bowls, the teacher is
symbolically transmitting the whole essence of his enlightenment to the chosen disciple.
76

“You rascal! Earn your keep!”
˜ Seongcheol seunim (1912-1933, Eminent Seon master of modern day Korea)
The monks who fell asleep during Seon meditation at Haein-sa temple were subject
to roaring reprimands from Seongcheol seunim. His thunderous voice reverberated
through the valleys of Mt. Gaya Mountain, scolding monks for their disgrace of repaying
the generosity of patrons with lax practice.
He left many legacies and stories. He is famous for meditating for eight years without ever
lying down and surrounding the temple with barbed wire fence to prevent the rush of visitors from
distracting the monks from practice. Only those who had completed their 3,000 prostrations were given an
audience with him. When he was invited to become the Supreme Patriarch of the Jogye Order, he sent a simple
note with a message ‘A mountain is a mountain and water is water.’ His gesture was received as a loud wake up call
for the people in modern day who are deeply attached to fame and power.
77

Offerings to Buddha
In Buddhism, providing alms for monastics is considered a noble act of

nurturing life. Buddhist practitioners are destined to save sentient beings.
Patrons believe providing food to support such goal will earn them great
merits in return. Making an offering for Buddha who is known to be the most
outstanding practitioner carries especially great virtues.
On the Buddhist temple’ alter, people make offerings with food and other
goods that come from the bottom of their heart. A farmer would offer his first
harvest and a tea maker would bring his first batch of the year. Making offerings
to Buddha represents everyone’s earnest wish to save all sentient beings from
hunger and the merits earned from their good deed will return to reward
them in the end.
The definition of offering has expanded to include meals eaten at
temples. Studying the reason behind such change reveals the essence
of Mahayana Buddhism. “I am a future Buddha. I will become a
Buddha one day. Inside of me lies my precious Buddha nature.
When I call my meal an offering, it becomes the offering for
Buddha. Therefore, I must practice with a great zeal.”
78

Filial love of Yeongi seunim
Act of offering continuing ceaselessly

for a thousand years
At Hwaeom-sa temple, a pagoda of filial love was erected to express
Yeongi seunim’s great love for his mother. The stone statue was built during
the Unified Silla period in the mid 8th to 9th century and is registered as the
National Treasure of Korea. The pagoda is constructed with a two-tier platform
with the three story body standing on top of it. In the upper platform, a statue of a
figurine with lotus flower stands and four lions guard each of the corners. The figure
is known to be the mother of Yeongi seunim, the founder of Hwaeom-sa temple.
The statue demonstrates magnificent beauty of Buddhist art in many ways. On the
bottom of platform, beautiful heavenly beings playing instruments and making offerings
are intricately engraved. Each of the four sides of the pagoda depicts the figures of the
Humane King, the Four Maharajas, Brahma-deva and Sakra Devanam Indra.
Across the statue stands a small stone lantern. A statue of a kneeled monk has
a bowl of offering in his hands and has a lantern on his back. This portrays Yeongi
seunim offering a cup of tea for his mother. The statue displays his deep gratitude
for his mother that even shouldering a stone lantern and offering a cup of tea for
thousand years are not enough to repay her love.
the three story Pagoda at

Hwaeomsa temple
(Korea’s national treasure
from the 6th century)
79

The ban on meat and five pungent
herbs in temple posed a great obstacle on concocting
creative flavors and fragrances. Korean monastics solved this challenge
by inventing a variety of natural seasonings and sauces. There are no written
records with standardized recipes on making such seasonings. However, each temple’s own
original know-hows and recipes have been carried down through oral traditions from a teacher to
students, featuring many distinctive cuisine styles different from one another.
Korean Buddhist temples all have a wide variety of fermented pastes and basic condiments made of
natural ingredients that are constantly combined to create salty, sweet, spicy and sour flavors such as soy sauce,
soy bean paste, gochujang (chili paste), fruits, and dried mushroom powder. Some quite innovative items are
utilized to produce extra nuttiness, tasty broth and delicious aromas.
Aged soy sauce .. Boil glutinous rice, black beans, brown kelp and shitake mushrooms in a pot. Simmer for a long
time and take out the ingredients leaving only the broth. Season with soy sauce and bring it to boil. Add starch syrup and
boil again. Let the sauce cool off and store in a container.
Tofu Paste .. Smash tofu in clean cloth to extract excessive moisture. Place the tofu
Usage of in a large mortar, add salt and grind with wooden stick. Add a good amount of salt for
preservation. Put the paste inside a clean linen bag and bury it in soy bean paste. Allow
natural tofu to soak up the salty flavor. Take it out and add sesame seeds, sesame oil, and chili
seasonings powder. Place the newly seasoned tofu paste back in the linen bag and put it back in soy
in temples paste. Leave it for about a month; when the color of the paste turns yellow, it may be
served.
Jaepi-jang: paste made of prickle ash tree leaves .. Mix prickle ash tree leaves with
soy bean paste and place it in clay pot for two days. Paste can be served after two days.
Tojang.. Paste made by mixing and fermenting the left over soy beans paste blocks after making soy
sauce with extra soybean paste and brine. Another way to make tojang is by storing the soy bean
paste only made with fermented soy bean paste blocks at a room temperature.
Makjang.. This paste is made from ground fermented soy bean blocks, boiled with salt water or
by mixing cooked barley with fermented soy bean power boiled with salt water. A generous amount
of water is added and the paste would be placed under the sun to expedite the fermentation
process. The paste is made with starch such as barley and wheat and therefore, it is a popular
paste in southern parts of Korea where such grains are easily available.
Powder from the rind of prickle ash tree fruits ..

Finely ground powder made from the rind of prickle ash
trees fruits. It replaces garlic when
80

temples make kimchi. Because of its strong
aroma, only a small amount is used at a time. This
versatile ingredient is used to make jangajji (vegetables pickled in salt
or soy sauce), soy bean paste soup or even rice cakes.
Raw soy bean powder .. Dried beans ground into powder and used when making
mugwort and kimchi soups.
Korean mint leaf .. Dried leaves are used for making soups or stews.
Dried kelp powder .. Finely grind dried brown kelp into powder. The powder can be brewed and drunk as a tea or
added to slowly cooked dishes.
Perilla seed powder .. Finely ground perilla seeds are used as to season vegetables, herbs and soups.
Perilla seeds soaked in water and ground .. Perilla seeds soaked in water and ground. Run through a
strainer to extract liquid and use it to season vegetable stir fries or to enhance the flavor of soups.
Ginger powder Dried ginger powder can be used for all year round.
Powder made of pine needles .. Pine needles contain a nutrition called turpentine. Finley ground
pine needle powder can be added to any dishes for extra nutrition and as a natural food coloring agent.
Ginkgo nut powder .. Ginkgo has been used for a long time as an ingredient of traditional Korean
medicine. It is known to reduce coughing from chronic bronchitis and asthma. Also, the powder can be mixed
with buckwheat power or flour to make pancakes.
Shiitake mushroom powder .. Dried shitake mushrooms can be ground into fine powder and used for virtually
every dish. It is a signature seasoning in Korean temple food and brings out the deep flavor from vegetables and stocks.
Chinese pepper powder .. The powder of Chinese peppers has strong sterilizing properties and is used instead of green
onion and garlic in temple food. Because of its strong flavor, it is only used in a small amount. It is also known to restore
appetite during hot summers.
Pine pollen powder .. The powder has medicinal properties similar to those of pine needles. It can be eaten
as it is or mixed with honey as a dashik (sweet snacks accompanying tea). During the summer, the powder
is combined with plum tea to prevent heat stroke.
Prickly pear powder .. Prickly pear has long been used by the traditional Korean
doctors. The powder is also used as a coloring agent to dye food in a delicate
purple shade. It contains as much calcium as milk and a great
source of vitamin C.
81

82

Gim-Bugak
(Laver Bugak)
Ingredients
30 sheets of laver (gim, nori), 100 grams glutinous rice powder, 3 tbsp. sesame seeds,
dried kelp stock, 2 cups of water, pinch of salt
Directions
1. Put the glutinous rice powder, dried kelp stock, and 2 cups of water into a pan.
Season with salt and cook into a thick porridge.
2. Thinly apply the cooled porridge to a sheet of laver and place another on top of it. Apply the
porridge again on the second sheet, sprinkling the sesame seeds on top. Place on a tray and let dry.
3. Cut the laver into bite-size pieces before it becomes too hard.
4. Deep-fry the pieces after they have been dried well.
Frying and Bugak

Bugak is different from ordinary frying in that the ingredients are spread with glutinous rice
porridge and then dried, instead of being coated with a batter, before they are fried in the
pan. Both frying and bugak are wise solutions to supplement the insufficient fat which is
often found in vegetarian diets. It requires a great deal of time and effort to apply the
glutinous rice porridge to each sheet of laver and let it dry. Yet the dried bugak
weighs only a little and is handy for the practitioners who are on the move,
traveling about to learn from different masters and check their practice.
83

84

Gochu Bugak Jorim (Chili Pepper Bugak Side Dish)
Ingredients
80 grams chili pepper bugak (glutinous rice porridge-coated fried chili peppers)
For seasoning sauce: 2 tbsp. soy sauce (jinganjang: thick and dark soy sauce),
soy sauce (jipganjang: clear and brown soy sauce), 1 tbsp. fermented Japanese apricot juice,
1 tbsp. grain syrup, 1 tbsp. chili pepper paste (gochujang), 1 tbsp. chili pepper powder,
1 tbsp. brown sugar, 1 tbsp. sesame seeds, 1 tbsp. sesame seed powder
Directions
1. Deep-fry chili pepper bugak.
2. Put both kinds of soy sauce, fermented Japanese apricot juice and grain syrup into a skillet
and boil, stirring over low heat. While boiling, add chili pepper paste, chili pepper powder
and brown sugar. When the mixture has boiled down, put sesame seeds, sesame seed powder
and chili pepper bugak into skillet, and mix all together.
Chili pepper bugak itself can be served as a side dish. Cooking it again to make
another dish can be cumbersome, but the taste of the food proves that it was worth
so much effort. The crispy texture goes well with the sweet and spicy taste of the
seasoning sauce.
85

86

Mu-jeon (radish Pancakes)
IngredIents
½ radish, 1 tbsp. soy sauce, 1 tbsp. perilla seed oil
For cooking oil: Mix 3 tbsp. perilla seed oil and 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
For batter: Mix ½ cup flour, 1 tbsp. rice powder, 1 tbsp. starch, ⅓ cup water, pinch of salt
dIrectIons
1. Wash the radish and slice into thick, wide pieces.
2. Put perilla seed oil and soy sauce into a pan, then neatly place the radish slices in the pan.
Pour water to cover, close the lid and boil down over medium heat.
3. Blend flour, rice powder, starch, water and salt to make batter.
4. Dip the radish in the batter to coat it.
5. Put oil in the heated pan and toast the batter-coated radishes until they become a lovely shade of brown.
It was winter. In a snow-covered mountain temple, there was nothing left to cook except salted
radishes. The monk in charge of preparing meals was in trouble. He tried to bring some variety to the
one and only food item they had. At breakfast, they had cubes of radish, at lunch julienned radish, and
at dinner, the whole half of a radish was served. The kitchen monk’s creative efforts went on: one time
the white vegetable was served with red chili pepper powder sprinkled on it. The practitioners now
became curious about what would be next, which made meal times an exhibition of radish culinary
arts, created by a very devoted monk.
87

88

Napa Cabbage Pancakes
IngredIents
4 leaves of Napa cabbage
Cooking oil: 3 tbsp. perilla oil, 3 tbsp. cooking oil
Pancake batter: ½ cup flour, 1 tbsp. rice powder,
1 tbsp. starch, ⅓ cup water, a pinch of salt.
dIrectIons
1. Wash the Napa cabbage leaves.
2. If the cabbage leaf has a thick and tough portion, pound gently with
a wooden roller. Cut the leaves in smaller pieces so it can be cooked
in a pan.
3. Mix ingredients into a pancake batter.
Coat the cabbage leaf in a batter.
4. In a heated pan, put oil and place the batter coated leaf.
Cook both sides until it turns light golden brown.
When roasting pancakes, low heat should be applied for an extended time so that the heat
spreads evenly throughout the pan. If one uses high heat, the vegetable pancakes will become burnt
on the outside while the insides will remain uncooked. The frying pan therefore plays a very
important role in the cooking process and should be well maintained. The more suitable it is
for cooking, the easier it is to fry the pancakes. All things considered, the thick and heavy
lid of a cauldron is best for cooking pancakes. It is common in temples that community
members sometimes have jeon (Korean pancakes) as a snack while working.
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90

U-eong Jorim (Burdock Side Dish)
Ingredients
400 grams burdock roots
For seasoning sauce: 10 dried shiitake mushrooms, 10 sheets of dried kelp,
3 tbsp. soy sauce, 2 cups of water, 2 tbsp. grain syrup
Directions
1. Peel and arrange the burdock roots neatly.
Cut them into 1 cm long cylinder-shaped pieces.
2. Put all ingredients for seasoning sauce into a pan except for grain syrup and
bring to a boil.
3. Add burdock roots to the sauce and season with water.
4. Cook for about 20 minutes over medium heat. When the sauce has boiled
down, put the grain syrup and continue to cook.
Burdock is the root of a biennial plant that belongs to the

chrysanthemum family. Its crispy texture and unique fragrance make
the root one of the most attractive ingredients. In the Orient, the root
has been used as a medicine for a long time thanks to its beneficial
qualities. Rich in fiber, it promotes intestinal digestion and is
effective for preventing various adult diseases.
91

Heonsikdae
In the corner of the temple’s yard,
few grains of rice are placed on top of a small stone altar.
During barugongyang, monks took small bites of their food
to share with squirrels and birds.
All sentient beings share together.
92

Clear mind after desires and
defilements are washed away.
93

Winter
Kimchi Bean Sprout Porridge
Baek Kimchi
Radish Water Kimchi
동안거
M u w a k수행
jaji
Siraegi-Jjim
“선객은 모름지기“三不足”
을 운명처럼 받아들여야 하는 것이 불문율로 되어있다.
식부족(食不足) 의부족(依不足) 수부족(睡不足)이 바로 그것이다.”
「 선방일기 」
지허스님은 말한다.“선방의 하루 급식량은 주식이 일인당 세 홉(한 홉은 한 되의 10분의 1로 약 180g에 해당

한다.) 이다. 아침에는 조죽(朝粥)이라 하여 죽을 먹고 점심에는 오공(午供)이라 하여 쌀밥을 먹고 저녁
에는 약석(藥石)이라 하여 잡곡밥을 약간 먹는다. 부식은 채소류가 위주고 가끔 특식으로 콩을
원료로 한 두부와 김과 미역이 보름달을 보듯 맛볼 수 있다.”
수행은 욕망과의 싸움이다. 먹을 것과 옷과 잠이 절대적으로 부족한 수행의
길은 각오를 단단히 하지 않고서는 견뎌낼 수 없다.
94

95

The winter meditation retreat
“It is an unwritten rule of seon monks to accept as their fate the three Lacks –
lack of food, lack of clothing and lack of sleep”
˜ Diary of a Korean Seon Monk
Jiheo seunim wrote: “A Seon monk eats about three hops (2 ½ cups) of grain a day. For breakfast porridge,
for lunch streamed rice and for dinner a small amount of rice with mixed grains. Side dishes are mainly
vegetables, and once in a while, tofu made of soy beans and brown seaweed are served as special
dishes.” Monastic practice is like waging a fight against desire. The road of practice will
bring challenges of limited food, clothing and too little sleep. Therefore, one
must have a strong commitment and dedication.
96

Three Do not eat until you are full. To study, stay healthy and practice, leave
a little room in your stomach. Teachers in meditation halls often remind the
Golden students of this wisdom.
Rules of In Seon Monastery, the Three Golden Rules for successful Seon meditation
Seon have been handed down for many generations: Keep your head cool, your feet warm
monastic life and your stomach partially empty – eat no more than eighty percent full.
Staying healthy is important for continuing practice. Another advice with a similar
meaning is soyokjijok, which means to have more satisfaction by having less desire.
Buddhism is a teaching on the world of supra-mundane level, which means it urges us to
renounce the cravings and desires we all pursue otherwise. When others in the mundane world
rush to fulfill their never-ending greed, Buddhism advises to take a moment and ask ourselves
whether desire really will return us to happiness and wholeness.
Rediscovering “Small matters accumulate into big matters. A small and hidden thing contains in it a
food sprout of something large and clear. Therefore, a noble person must behave carefully
from the beginning and a holy man shall always be aware.”
˜ Seonrim bohun (the Precious Lessons of Seon Forest)
Investigating the condition of one’s body reveals the habits and desires that have created current
health condition. Small routines regarding eating, sleeping and managing daily life later result
in big differences.
Temple food’s ban on five pungent herbs has contributed to the creation of natural and
simple tastes which the temple food is famous for. Absence of artificial flavors wholly and
clearly reflects the food maker’s diligence and honest endeavor. In addition, it is easy on
stomach and designed to help the practitioners to focus on their training.
Body is a vessel for the mind. Following the vegetarian lifestyle allows one
to obey the Buddhist precept of no killing. One can attain good health while
saving lives. Both caring for health through vegetarian lifestyle and
caring for spiritual health through practice led to make Buddhism
one of the most peaceful religions in the world.
97

Vegetables as medicine
One day, Manjusuri Bodhisattva asked young Sudhana to bring back some plants and
instructed him, “Bring back some plants that are not medicinal.”
Young Sudhana searched all day but returned with nothing in his hands.
“Every plant in this mountain is nothing but medicinal.”
Manjusuri Bodhisattva asked again, “Bring back plants that are medicinal.”
Young Sudhana bent down and picked a single blade of grass and offered it to his teacher.
Manjusuri Bodhisattva raised the grass in front of maha-sangha and said, “This medicine
can kill or save lives.”
Hwadu No. 65, from the Collection of the evaluation and hymns of the Seon gate
98

Discarded cabbage leaves
After finishing my gimjang task, I found the josil seunim

(The spiritual leader of Seon monastery) alone, working hard at the discarded leaf
pile. He was picking out still-edible leaves...
You should not waste food under any circumstances. You do not want to
disrespect the times and energy people took to prepare it, especially when it is done
for others.” What more could I do than keep sorting leaves with him?
When Truth is spoken, there is nothing to do but listen.
˜ Diary of a Korean Seon Monk, by Jiheo seunim, describing the life at a Korean Seon monastery
during the 1970s
Temple food aspires to the spirit of “complete consumption,” which means to eat every part of given
ingredient. It is to prevent the wasting of food and also to extract maximum amount of nutrition from
the food.
Rice is eaten without fully husked, so brown rice is used instead of white rice. After washing brown
rice, the same water is used as a water base for soy bean soup. It is often encouraged to eat fruits without
peeling the rind or skin. The same idea applies to the use of the water from boiling shitake mushroom
or other vegetables as a stock base when making soup or watery kimchi. Even before the modern
nutritional science confirmed that a great deal of foods’ nutrients is concentrated in rinds or skins,
Korean Buddhist monastics have been practicing this wisdom for long time.
The highlight of temple food’s spirit of ‘complete consumption’ is discarded cabbage
leaves. People often discard the outer leaves of cabbage thinking they are inedible and a
waste but Monastics thought of a way to put even those to good use. They believe it is
the least they can do to honor and repay for the plant’s sacrifice. During winters, it
is common to see a line of dried discarded cabbage leaves hanging under the
roof of temples and houses in Korea’s countryside.
99

100

Kimchi Bean Sprout Porridge
IngredIents
1 cup germinated brown rice, 200 grams bean sprouts,
50 grams well-fermented kimchi, ½ cup kimchi broth, 4 cup water
dIrectIons
1. Soak germinated brown rice in water for more than 3 hours
2. Cut the bean and tail part of the bean sprout and wash under cold water. Dice kimchi into small pieces.
3. Pour soaked germinated brown rice into boiling water. When rice starts to boil, add bean sprout, diced
kimchi and kimchi broth.
4. Turn down the heat, stir well and continued to cook for short period of time. Kimchi should still maintain
crunch texture for best taste. Season with salt before serving.
porridge For morning

Once, when Ven. Danha (Chinese master, 738-823 C.E.) had been a novice monk for 2 years, Master
Seokdu (石頭) told his disciples: “Cut the clumps of grass in front of the Buddha Hall tomorrow morning
after having your breakfast porridge.” Early the next morning, all the novice monks gathered after
having had their watery porridge. They were holding sickles and hoes, but Ven. Danha brought a
shaving knife and water and kneeled before his teacher. Master Seokdu laughed and shaved his
disciple’s head.
A study found that Korean temple food has as many as 60 types of porridge. It showed that
Buddhist monks and nuns have utilized all the materials available around temples by cooking
them into porridge. The report also made it clear that porridge serves as a common,
ordinary meal for monastics, producing awakened masters. Porridge is said to have 10
merits; watery porridge can save grains and is also good for digestion.
101

102

Baek Kimchi (White Napa Cabbage Kimchi)
Ingredients
2 pears, ½ Napa cabbage, 200 grams water dropwort, 4 chestnuts, ½ radish,
½ ½
carrot, ginger, salt
For water kimchi liquid:½ tbsp. salt, 1 cup of water, 3 cups of pear juice
Directions
1. Remove the outer leaves of the Napa cabbage and cut it into 4 pieces.
Soak them in salt water for half a day.
2. When the cabbage has been salted, rinse and drain.
3. Finely slice the radish and cut the water dropwort into 3 cm pieces.
4. Julienne the chestnuts. Cut the carrot by spinning it and cut the sliced carrot into 3 cm match-
shaped sticks.
5. Combine the prepared vegetables and minced ginger to make fillings
6. Stuff the salted Napa cabbage with the filling.
7. Hollow out the core of the pears.
8. Stuff the pear with the filled cabbage. Place the kimchi into a container and add the prepared
water kimchi liquid. Let ferment for about 5 days and then preserve in the refrigerator.
9. Before serving, cut the pear horizontally into 1/3 pieces and arrange nicely in a dish.
103

104

Radish Water Kimchi
Ingredients
2 Korean radishes, 2 pieces of ginger,
½ cup chili pepper seeds, 50 grams codium,
20 chili peppers, 1 Korean pear, 1 apple
Directions
1. Select small size Korean radishes that are dense when touched.
Thoroughly wash them and do not peel the rinds off.
Marinate in salt and store at room temperature for 3 days.
2. Peel off ginger and julienne into strips.
3. Take out the seeds in a pear and apple.
Cut into big chunks and set aside.
4. In a cloth bag, place ginger, chili pepper seeds, pear and apple
chunks. Place the bag in the bottom of the Korean terra cotta jar or
in a glass jar. Add radish leaves and stems, codium and chili peppers.
5. Finally add the soaked radish on top. Pour salt water made from
the excessive salt from 1. and additional water into the jar.
In winter, the thin ice on the radish water kimchi feels

refreshing for Korean people. Kimchi juice is very versatile;
it can be used as both noodle broth and seasoning for other
dishes, etc.
105

106

Muwakjaji (Simmered Radish Side Dish)
Ingredients
½ radish, 3 dried shiitake mushrooms, 3 sheets of dried kelp, 2 dried chili peppers,
2 pieces of ginger, ⅓ carrot, 2 jujubes, 2 tbsp. perilla seed oil, 3 tbsp. chili pepper powder,
pinch of salt, 2 tbsp. soy sauce
Directions
1. Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in lukewarm water.
2. Clean the radish and cut with the skin intact.
3. Peel the carrot and cut into bite-sized pieces.
4. Peel the ginger and cut into thin slices.
5. Cut the dried chili peppers vertically into halves and remove the seeds.
Cut each of them into 3~4 pieces.
6. Get rid of the dirt from the kelp and cut into pieces.
Rinse the jujubes in the water and remove the seeds.
7. Cut the soaked shiitake mushrooms into 3~4 pieces each. Set the water aside.
8. Put oil in the heated pan. When it begins to simmer, add the radish and roast.
9. When the oil evenly permeates the radish, add the rest of the ingredients along with red chili pepper
powderand roast until the chili pepper powder are fully absorbed in the radish.
10. Mix the mineral water and soy sauce in proper proportions and pour it on top of the other
ingredients. Simmer for about 30~40 minutes until it fully boils down. One tip: If you want
to serve the dish with an elegant look, be sure not to stir the ingredients until the radishes are
completely softened.
107

108108

Siraegi-Jjim (Dried Radish Greens Side Dish)
Ingredients
30 grams dried radish greens (siraegi), 5 dried shiitake mushrooms, 5 sheets of dried kelp,
2 green chili peppers, 1 red chili pepper, small amount of perilla seed oil, water
For siraegi seasoning: 1 tbsp. soybean paste, 1 tbsp. perilla seed oil
For main seasoning: 1 tbsp. chili pepper powder, 1 tbsp. chili pepper paste, 1 tbsp. soybean paste,
1 tbsp. bean purée, 1 cup of kelp-mushroom stock
For perilla purée: 1 tbsp. perilla seed powder, 1 cup of kelp-mushroom stock
Directions
1. Put 6 cups of water, kelp and dried shiitake mushrooms into a pan. Boil for about 7 minutes and take out the
kelp and shiitake mushrooms. Now the kelp-mushroom stock is done.
2. Cut the shiitake mushrooms into thick slices and julienne the chili peppers.
3. Allow the dried radish greens to boil enough to be softened, drain and cut it into 5 cm long pieces. Add the
shiitake mushrooms from step 2, the soybean paste and perilla seed oil and mix all together. Let the mixture sit.
4. Combine kelp-mushroom stock, chili pepper powder, chili pepper paste and soybean paste to make the seasoning.
5. Mix kelp-mushroom stock and perilla seed powder to make a purée.
6. Put perilla seed oil, 2 tbsp. of water, the seasoned siraegi and shiitake mushrooms and roast all together. Add the
main seasoning to the pan and bring it a boil.
7. When it boils, add bean purée and perilla seed purée. Continue to boil once again over low heat.
The Five Virtues of Soybean Paste

1. Unchanged mind: It never loses its flavor when mixed with other ingredients
2. Unpolluted mind: It never spoils during long preservation
3. Buddha mind: It removes fishy and fatty smells.
4. Gentle mind: It mellows spicy flavors.
5. Communicating mind: It makes harmony with any kind of food.
“Fermented soybean paste is a miraculous food; it has not only more fiber than vegetables but
also anti-cancer ingredients and cell-repairing abilities. With these medicinal functions, it cures
constipation, pancreatic cancer and high blood pressure.” [Doctoral thesis by Gyuhak Lee, Vice Director
of American Mercy Medical Group Cancer Center] The various substances in fermented soybean paste,
including Linoleic acid, are functional in preventing carcinogens. There are 100 billion
enzymes per 100 grams of soybean, which soften human skin and enhance
the digestion coefficient by up to 85%.
109

Gimjang
In late fall, kimchi The wonju seunim (the monk in charge of the financial affairs of a monastery)
and two strong, young monks left for Gangneung to get the spices. After gathering
is prepared in bulk
radishes and cabbages from the field, the rest of the monks got busy with the tasks
in advance of the they were assigned.
coldest months of The middle-aged monks washed radishes and salted down the cabbages and
the elderly monks sorted dried radish leaves. The younger monks dug holes in the
winter season ground to bury the earthenware pots full of seasoned radishes and cabbages. Everyone
worked hard and from time to time snacked on boiled potatoes and cabbage roots.
The day was short and the weather was very cold. It was a typical October day in
Sangwon-sa Temple.
˜ Diary of a Korean Seon Monk, by Jiheo seunim, describing the life at a Korean Seon
monastery during the 1970s
The dissemination of Buddhism led Koreans to avoid eating all types of meats and instead, to
follow a vegetable based diet. This has even changed Koreans’ physical conditions. Over the years,
Koreans’ vegetarian lifestyle has made their body to adapt to vegetarianism and now Koreans
have longest intestines in the world suited for digesting a large amount of fiber from vegetables.
One of the signature vegetarian dishes in Korea is kimchi. It is made with highly
developed fermentation technique and has evolved into numerous forms based on the
region and climate conditions. Kimchi made in preparation for winter is designed to
last for all year round and sometimes even longer, but other types of kimchi made in
the rest of the seasons use all sorts of seasonal vegetables and display distinctive
characteristics based on each region of Korea. Kimchi tastes most delicious
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when it is freshly made or after it had been fermented fully. Earthenware pots for kimchi
are buried in the ground and a roof is placed over to provide shade in order to maintain
the optimal temperature for fermentation process.
Kimchi has different names based on its age. Geotjeori is a type of fresh kimchi made
to eat right away. On the other hand, mukeunji is kimchi made with a minimal amount of
seasonings to preserve and eat for an extended period of time. Kimchi is the most common
Korean dish but it is not easy to make. Delicious kimchi requires the maker’s careful hands and
keen skills. However, it also entails a harmonious ensemble between the vegetables that grew
under different climates with pure water from mountains.
Kimchi is the most important side dish for temples as well. According to the research
conducted by the scholars who specialize in temple food, there are over 48 types of kimchi
made in Korean Buddhist temples. Ingredients for kimchi are far more diverse than the
ones used in regular Korean households, including Napa cabbage, radish, Korean cabbage,
eggplant, mustard greens, water dropwort and bell flower.
Gimjang is a special activity to make an annual supply of Kimchi. It is one of the large
winter events for temples in Korea. Unlike the kimchi eaten by lay people, temple’s kimchi
has a uniquely refreshing and distinctively simple taste because it does not use fish sauce,
green onion or garlic. Instead of five pungent herbs of green onion, garlic or leeks,
temples use ginger, mustard greens, water dropwort, codium, carrots and pears.
Aside from these ingredients, soy sauces made of the temple’s original recipe
transform the temple kimchi even more savory fare. Those soy sauces are
often flavored with pepper, mushroom, brown kelp, and licorice.
113

Empty Abundance
Sitting alone in an empty room
Everything is ample and abundant.
Even when compared to when it is totally full,
Precisely because it is completely empty.
If anything,
It is even more abundant.
From Beopjeong seunim’s empty Abundance
114

Pure mind in empty baru.
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116

Traditional cultural heritage cultivated
and preserved by Korean Buddhism
The Korean peninsula is located in the northeastern part of Asia between China and Japan. The
country has developed its own language and culture since early days in history. Korea continuously
exchanged with China and had a great influence on the formation of the ancient Japanese culture.
Introduction of Buddhism in Korea in 372 A.D through Goguryo during the Three Kingdoms
Period was one of the most important events in Korean history. Baekje and Silla followed the example
of Goguryo and competitively opened its doors for Buddhism and received significant influence on
the wide horizon of lifestyle, philosophy, culture and art.
On one end of the social spectrum, Buddhism was worshiped by the royal family and aristocrats
as a national religion. This resulted in many of the stunningly beautiful and spectacularly brilliant
cultural assets for Korea; for the other end of the spectrum, Buddhism lives within the lives of common
people and has become the fundamental basis of their lifestyle. South Korea has a population of
50 million and about 10 million of them identify themselves as Buddhists, which make it the
single largest religion in the country. Over 60% of Korea’s state-designated cultural properties
are Buddhist related. On a global level, many of Buddhist cultural sites and assets including
Seokguram, Bulguk-sa Temple, Tripitaka Koreana at Haein-sa Temple and Gyeongju Historic
Areas were officially registered as UNESCO’s World Heritage.
Over 1,700 years, Buddhist spirit and culture has been deeply rooted in the lives
of Korean people. In fact, it has been formed and existed as one of the nation’s most
fundamental cultural identities and a great force of influence. The cycle of life on
birth, growth and death cannot be properly honored without Buddhism. Also, the
way of life encompassing all human activities including working, playing and
eating has been most significantly influenced by Buddhism and carried
through living culture.
117

Monastic Life and Practice
of Korean Buddhism
What is a temple?
Temple is a sacred shrine where the Buddha is venerated and his teachings are practiced. It is where
the three treasures of Buddha, his teachings, and the Buddhist monastic order reside. The devotees
of the Buddhist order renounce their former lives in the mundane world and are reborn as monks to
attain purity and enlightenment. The daily tasks in temples are a continuation of spiritual practice and
purification through sanctity of labor and serving of others.
Pre-dawn chanting
Dawn is a time of silence when all things are still asleep. Inside the stillness, living things slowly but surely
arise for the day. The calm, breezeless air meets sunshine and warms up and gets ready for a new day. The
darkness is still deep but pregnant with a tingle of excitement for the approaching sunrise.
The day at the temple starts at early predawn hours of 3 a.m. A monk arises before all others and gets
dressed to walk and chant around the temple ground while he strikes his moktak (wooden gong).
Soon, the great bell at the pavilion chimes gracefully to announce the arrival of a new day. The
sound of great bell gently carries Buddha’s blessing through every corner of the mountain and
wakes living beings. The predawn chanting purifies Bodhi-mandala of monks so sacred spirit
can inhibit everyone’s mind.
118

Early morning service
After the predawn chanting, temple’s congregation attends the early morning service in the Buddha Hall.
They thank for the infinite grace of the Buddha, Bodhisattvas and great teachers. In the ceremony, all vow
to gain enlightenment and help save all beings from suffering in the world of samsara. The monks of Seon
Monastery start their meditation practice right away at the sound of a bamboo clapper named jukbi after
predawn chanting. After the early morning service, the monks attending the Buddhist seminary go to the Main
Hall and read sutras. Through the sacred ceremony of predawn chanting and early morning service, a temple
finally becomes the pure land where no affliction or suffering exists. Everyone who enters the temple ground
gains peace and comfort. Through diligent practice, one gets a step closer to enlightenment.
Morning meal and the Great Council

Monks follow a strict daily schedule. After they attend the early morning service, they continue to meditate or
study sutras until it is time for the morning meal. Everyone gathers in the assembly room to share breakfast.
After the morning meal, a Great Council meeting takes place to discuss and decide on important matters
in a democratic manner. During this gathering, decisions are made on ulryeok or community work.
Agreed upon tasks are carried out as the community’s morning activity. They often include cleaning
the areas on the temple ground or working in the field. If there is no particular communal work,
each monk is free to spend the time on studying, practicing or completing any task at one’s will.
119

Late morning service
After the morning meal and ulryeok, the second service of the day starts at 10:30 am in
the Buddha Hall. The sutra illustrates how Buddha only collected alms once a day and did
not eat past noon. Therefore, food offerings to the Buddha are made at this time of the day
and only a bowl of clean water is offered before Buddha during the early morning and evening
services.
Food offering to the Buddha is called maji. In general, a bowl filled with cooked or raw rice
will be presented. On special occasions, the altar may be laid with rice cake, fruits and other vegetable
dishes when offerings were received from the temples’ patrons. Of course, the community eats all the
food together after ceremony is over. Maji means a delicious meal prepared with care and because it is an
offering for the Buddha, it must be done with extra sincerity and mindfulness. When carrying the maji
bowl, one must lift the bowl above the shoulder to show respect.
Evening service
After the evening meal at 5 pm, the evening service follows at 7 pm or at 6 pm during the winter when
the sun sets early. The great bell once again rings to declare the beginning of the ceremony. During the
service, one must prostrate seven times. Unlike the early morning service where a cup of tea is offered
in the beginning, the evening service starts with the offering of Five Kinds of Incense with a Great Vow
instead. When the ceremony is concluded, monks return to their rooms to continue with their hwadu*
investigation or peruse sutras.
*Hwadu: A critical phrase that is to be constantly investigated throughout one’s waking moments as
well as during meditation
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If you have any questions on
Korean temple food:
Department of Buddhist Monastic Cuisine,

Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism
cultural corps of Korean Buddhism has a department specializing on temple

food, dedicated to the advancement of Korean cuisine through research,
restoration and documentation of the historic values and traditional culture of
Korean temple food. our work and research is aimed to create diverse contents
on culture and tourism of Korea’s temple food. our doors are always open to
those who are interested in temple food. We welcome your inquiries and
look forward to assisting you!
Address: 56, Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu, seoul 4F, Korea

telephone: +82 2 2031 2000
www.koreatemplefood.com
122

If you would like to experience
authentic taste of Korean Buddhist cuisine:
Barugongyang
Korean Buddhist Temple Food Restaurant
taste of nature: temple food
Barugongyang specializes in authentic and healthy Korean temple food

for people with a deep appreciation for healthy life.
during your visit at Barugongyang, you can relax and take a moment to discover the food,
explore new ﬂavors, and enjoy the whole experience in a relaxed and peaceful setting.
We believe that our food contains the entire universe.
We look forward to sharing the experience with you!
Address: 56, Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu, seoul 4F, Korea

telephone: +82 2 733 2081. reservation required
www.baru.or.kr
123

If you would like to learn
how to cook Korean temple food:
Hyangjeoksegye
The culinary institute for Korean Temple Food
operated by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism’s
Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism
Hyangjeoksegye is the ofﬁcial culinary institute for Korean temple food operated by the
Jogye order of Korean Buddhism’s cultural corps of Korean Buddhism.
the institute’s 2,300 square feet, state of the art facility offers series of classes for anyone
who wishes to learn temple food in a friendly and step-by-step setting. classes are offered
throughout the year and may accommodate up to 30 people at a time.
Address: 319-11 sinjeong6-dong,Yangcheon-gu, seoul, 158 -076, Korea

telephone: +82 2 2655 2776
124

Published by .. The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism’s Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism
Publisher .. Venerable Jungsan, Director of Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism
Publication date .. May 20, 2013
Design .. Dabo Design
Printing .. Jogye Order Publication
Address .. 56, Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 4F, Korea
Telephone .. +82 2 2031 2000 Fax .. +82 2 732 9928
No. 010110-14-2013-091
*Copyright for this book belongs to the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism’s Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism.
No part of this book may be copied or used in any form without the permission in writing from the publisher.
Not for sale

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Korean Temple Food

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Korean Temple Food

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Monastic Life and Practice of Korean Buddhism

Korean Spirit and Values Contained in Temple Food

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Monastic Life and Practice of Korean Buddhism

Barugongyang, the formal monastic meal ceremony

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1. You are what you eat

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3. Spirit and values contained in temple food

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3. Buddhism and sanctity of labor

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4. Korea's temple food

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2. The origin of Korean cuisine

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The sustainable Korea is a geographically blessed country. The country’s peninsula

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5. Characteristics of temple food

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Spirit that guides barugongyang

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vigilance Against one’s Self

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Bangpung Namul Jang-A-Jji

Prickly Ash Pepper Pancake

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Softness and lighteness

Compliance with Buddha-Dharma

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Fatsia shoots (or buds of aralia elater) are called

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