This program provides students who belong to the College of Buddhist Studies with accommodations and meals in overseas Buddhist temples when they go abroad for language study as long as they agree with the condition to attend to the temple they are staying in. Jung Dong-hyun, the section chief of the College of Buddhist Studies, mentioned, “In order to be fully provided with this program, students need to register for full-weekdays language institutes through overseas education center in Dongguk University for the sake of smooth process of visa issuance.”
While selecting students for the program was done in this February, the section chief Jung said that even though their original plan was to pick one student, they decided to accept all the students who applied for it in the decision that they all had great enthusiasm. The aspects that they considered important in the selection were not only students’ grades but also their experiences in both school and outdoor activities in terms of Buddhist temples.
Currently, the College of Buddhist Studies is making contact with one overseas temple named Jeongbeopsa Temple in Austrailia, which is affiliated to the Jogye Order. The section chief Jung said that “Since it is the first time we are carrying out this program as well as an overseas business, we are trying to do it in a stable and secure manner.” He added, “We will keep receiving feedbacks about the program and invigorate it to carry it forward in the future as well.”
Bang Jun-hyuk, the team leader of the College of Buddhist Studies, said, “Through this program, I hope that students feel more close to Buddhism. Also, it would be great if students receive opportunities to gain a lot of opportunities in diverse fields such as culture and language, which can even help them in the future when they enter the job market.”