Venerable Dae-An
Director of Kum-Dang Korean Temple Food Culture Institute
Korean temple food is eaten at Buddhist temples throughout Korea and is specifically designed to support the meditation practice of the monks and nuns. At Korean temples, food preparation has long been considered a part of everyday practice; from ancient times, practitioners would assist in every part of the process, even cultivating the crops that would be used as the basic ingredients in daily meals. Temple food differs from that which is commonly consumed in society in that even a droplet of water is seen to contain the grace of the Buddha. Temple food was founded on the premise of absolute equality, as the four bowls, “Baru” in Korean, represent not only complete equanimity of mind, but also economy of consumption. Therefore, the word for “meal” at a Korean temple is also the word for an offering. This offering is food which is intended to help monks attain enlightenment and make their minds clear. Meat and other animal products are avoided, as well as vegetables with strong odors, such as onions, garlic, leeks, and chives, along with artificial flavorings and seasonings.
Korean Temple food has been modernized in the last decade. The best example would be “Balwoogongyang”, the Korean Temple food restaurant. The Korean Buddhist Jogye Order operates three restaurants in Seoul to spread not only the food, but also Korean tradition and culture. 65% of Korean cultural assets originated from Buddhist culture.
(Presented in the 2012 Asian Food Heritage Forum: Harmonizing Culture , Technology and Industry, 20-21 August 2012, Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok, organized by Institute of Thai Studies, Institute of Asian Studies, Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Chulalongkorn University, Chinese Dietary Culture Institute, Zhejiang Gongshang University, and Ministry of Culture, Thailand)