When you visit a temple for the first time, you might pause for a moment outside the Dharma hall. No one tells you which door to use, where to stand once you go in, or how many times to bow.
In fact, Dharma hall etiquette is easy once you know a few things. Enter through a side door, join your palms and bow, then make three prostrations on a cushion. Once you understand the meaning behind each movement, your body will remember it.
Templeday recreates a Dharma hall in a mountain temple in the forest in 3D, where you can join your palms and make prostrations. Other visitors in the same hall appear with you, so you can experience its atmosphere without being alone.
Dharma Hall Etiquette to Know Before Your First Temple Visit
Temple etiquette is a way to express through your body your respect for the Buddha and those who practice there. Rather than memorizing the steps, understanding why you do them makes it easy to follow along naturally.
Use a Side Door Instead of the Middle Door
The door in the very center of the Dharma hall’s front is called the eoganmun, or central door. Since it leads straight to the front of the Buddha, worshippers avoid it and enter through one of the doors on either side. Take off your shoes and arrange them neatly so they’re easy to put on when you leave.
Inside the hall, leave the central space directly in front of the Buddha statue, known as the eogan, clear as well. If you need to cross in front of it, keep your palms together, bow slightly, and pass quietly.
Joining Your Palms and the Half Bow Are Basic Temple Greetings
Joining your palms means bringing both hands together neatly in front of your chest. It expresses gathering your scattered thoughts into one and showing respect to another person. Bowing from the waist with your palms together is called a half bow.
The half bow is the greeting used most often at temples. When entering or leaving the Dharma hall, before and after a full prostration, or when you encounter a monk or another worshipper on the temple grounds, you join your palms and lower your head and upper body instead of speaking.
Make Three Prostrations on a Cushion, Touching Five Points to the Ground
When you enter the Dharma hall, you make three full prostrations to the Buddha. This is called sambae, or three prostrations. It signifies taking refuge in the Three Jewels: the Buddha, his teachings, and the monks who follow those teachings.
A full prostration is done in the five-point bow, touching both knees, both elbows, and your forehead to the floor. It signifies lowering yourself to the lowest place and letting go of pride. While prostrated, turning your palms upward beside your ears signifies holding up the Buddha’s feet.
During the third prostration, add a final bow called godurye before getting up. While still prostrated, briefly lift your head and join your palms, then touch your forehead to the floor again. It is also called yuwonbanbae. When you finish the prostrations, stand and conclude with a half bow.
The Sounds of the Temple Each Have Their Own Meaning
At the time of the Buddhist service, temples sound the temple bell, Dharma drum, wooden fish, and cloud gong in sequence. These four instruments are known as the four dharma instruments, and each sound reaches a different place. The bell is said to sound for beings in hell beneath the earth, the Dharma drum for animals on the earth, the wooden fish for beings in the water, and the cloud gong for creatures flying in the sky.
The moktak is a small handheld version of the wooden fish, carved from wood. Since fish are thought never to close their eyes, it reminds practitioners to stay awake and alert at all times. Wind chimes hanging from the eaves of the Dharma hall also have fish ornaments, sharing the same teaching whenever the wind blows.
The Painting Behind the Buddha Is a Buddhist Hanging Scroll
The large painting hanging on the wall behind the Buddha statue is called a hubultaenghwa, or Buddhist hanging scroll. It often depicts the Buddha teaching, surrounded by bodhisattvas, disciples, and guardian deities. The Buddha statue and the hanging scroll together are considered to complete the Dharma hall as a place of worship.
| Movement or Sound | When | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Palms together | When greeting or praying | Gather scattered thoughts into one and show respect to others |
| Half bow | When entering or leaving the Dharma hall, or meeting someone on the temple grounds | A basic greeting made by bowing with your palms together |
| Three prostrations | When paying respects to the Buddha in the Dharma hall | Take refuge in the Three Jewels through the five-point bow and humble yourself |
| Final bow | Before rising from the last prostration | Express your respect once more, as if it were not yet enough |
| Temple bell | Morning and evening services | Its sound offers salvation even to beings in hell |
| Wooden fish and moktak | Services and chanting | For beings in the water, and a reminder to stay awake in your practice |
| Wind chimes | When the wind blows | Their clear sound awakens the mind of someone practicing |
You can do all the movements in the table without making a sound. If you feel awkward about speaking to someone at a temple you’re visiting for the first time, one half bow with your palms together is all the greeting you need.
What You Can Try in Templeday’s Dharma Hall
Walk Up the Stone Steps from the Courtyard to the Dharma Hall
When you open the app, you start in a mountain temple courtyard covered with fallen leaves. Tap where you want to go and you’ll walk there, or use the joystick in the lower left to walk around yourself. The temple bell rings once as you enter, and you can hear the moktak, birds, and a stream in the distance.
Climb the stone steps and enter the Dharma hall to see the Buddha statue, the hanging scroll behind it, and lanterns. Drag the screen to look around inside the hall, or gaze through the windows at the misty pine forest.
Join Your Palms While Standing, or Sit on a Cushion and Make Prostrations
When you want to greet people in the Dharma hall, tap the button to join your palms while standing. A message appears at the top of the screen for others in the same hall: “○○ greeted everyone with palms together.” Like the half bow described earlier, it’s a greeting offered without words.
Walk to a cushion and you’ll sit down there, and a button to make prostrations will appear. Tap it to continue making prostrations slowly until you stop; a singing bowl rings with each bow. You can also see visitors on the cushions beside you making their prostrations.
Choose a Dharma Hall That Isn’t Crowded
Each Dharma hall has a set visitor limit, so it never gets too crowded. Tap the hall name at the upper left to see the list of halls and how many people are in each one. Choose another hall to enter again from its courtyard.
When you enter, you’re automatically given a nature-inspired name such as “Quiet Mountain Bird” or “Leisurely Pine Needle.” There’s no need to sign up or choose a name. Tap another visitor to see their name.
Adjust the Mountain Temple Sounds to Suit You
In the settings at the upper right, you can adjust the volume of nature sounds, chanting, and sound effects separately. You can turn up just the birds and stream and rest, or turn up the chanting and immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the Dharma hall.
What We Kept in Mind While Making Templeday
The Buddha statue in the Dharma hall was created using 3D data of a Goryeo-era gilt-bronze seated Buddha made available by the National Museum of Korea. The hanging scroll behind the statue is a Joseon-era Buddhist painting held by the Samcheok City Museum, and the Amitabha paintings on either side are also in the collection of the National Museum of Korea. All are cultural heritage resources made publicly available for anyone to use with attribution.
The sounds also come from real temples. The temple bell heard as you enter the Dharma hall was recorded at Manbongsa Temple, and the chanting in the hall was recorded at Gakwonsa Temple. Only the singing bowl heard during prostrations was synthesized rather than recorded.
We deliberately left out chat. Just as you might greet someone you meet for the first time at a real Dharma hall with palms together and a half bow, we wanted people to feel each other’s presence in the app through nothing more than joining their palms and making prostrations.
Who We Recommend It For
- Anyone who wants to get familiar with Dharma hall etiquette before a Templestay or temple visit
- Anyone who wants to sit somewhere quiet and rest their mind for a few minutes during a busy day
- Anyone who finds meditating alone lonely and wants to be with someone without speaking
- Anyone who wants to rest with the sound of the temple bell, chanting, and nature in a mountain temple
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it work without an internet connection?
No. The app lets you share a Dharma hall with other visitors, so you need an internet connection.
Do I need to sign up?
No. When you open the app, you start right away in the mountain temple courtyard, and you’re automatically given a name.
Can I talk with other visitors?
No. There’s no chat. Instead, when you greet others with palms together, they receive a notification in the hall, and you can see each other making prostrations.
Is it okay if I’m not Buddhist?
Yes. It’s a place where anyone can relax in the atmosphere and sounds of a temple. If you’ve been curious about temple etiquette, you can also use it to try the practices beforehand.
Can I enter the same Dharma hall as a friend?
Yes. You can choose a hall at the upper left, so just select the same hall name to enter together.