<b>Saturday</b></p><p><i>Editor's Note: For the next two weeks, Star editor Randy Smith will be traveling with a dozen U.S. journalists in both North and South Korea. The trip, set up through the Gatekeeper Editor's program with the International Reporting Project, provides journalists with a glimpse of countries often in the news but not well covered. Look for regular updates at KansasCity.com</i></p><p>When you're going to stay with Buddhist monks for a few days, you start by getting up early. In our case, we had a nearly three-hour drive to Mount Sorak National Park on the eastern side of the country. It is home to Baekdamsa Temple, founded in 647. </p><p>Our early departure was good medicine: We were scheduled to get up at 3 a.m. on the next day to observe a traditional Buddhist worship service. </p><p>As we approached the temple in the afternoon sunlight, I noticed two things: First, a film crew documenting our every step. And, secondly, hundreds of neatly and individually piled stones on the banks of the river bed that you must cross before entering the Buddhist compound. </p><p>The film crew, I quickly discovered, was from the Buddhist Television Network, which planned to capture our every move for the next 36 hours. Don't be surprised to find our editor's group some late evening when sleeplessness has caused you to start flipping through the TV channels. The setting here is stunning. A dozen wooden structures, looking like they probably did 1,400 years ago, are nestled into this pine forest that is far away from the rest of the world. Autumn has turned the trees brown, but the pines are green and radiate an intoxicating smell. A famous monk once livered here, and it's the first thing that you learn. His name was Manhae Han Young-woon, and he was both a poet and a leader of the Korean independence movement against the Japanese. Your first job upon arrival is to change into traditional Buddhist garb: a pair of green quilted pants and a vest-like shirt. </p><p>Now for some rules: Have good and heartful thinking. Don't make phone calls except on permitted time. Don't be arrogant. Don't talk or laugh loudly. Obey all of the directions from the monks. If you pass by a monk, bow with folded hands. And if you enter a Buddha hall, bow to the image. And, finally, you must be polite to all, and call each other "friend" or Bubwoonim. We were put through three exercises: a tea ceremony, a blindfolded walk through the forest and a breathing exercise to teach us the power of contemplation and fermented tea. As I sat cross-legged and fumbling with the order of my tea pots, a Buddhist nun came over to help. </p><p>She told a story of two Buddhist monks who were walking along in the forest and came upon a pregnant woman who was about to deliver. One monk continued on his journey, but the other stayed to help with the baby, an action against the rules in those days. It turned out, the nun said, that the pregnant woman was actually Buddha, and the monk's actions brought him extreme holiness. The lesson, she said, is that we should always assist each other, and especially be their eyes and ears. On our walk through the woods, one partner was blind-folded and the other was not. The "seeing partner" was instructed to tell everything that he observed, painting a picture of the day and to also safely guide the other down the path. </p><p>When done, we were asked: Have you taken that much time in your life with friends and family members? Buddhism, I discovered, is more about self improvement than on relying on a deity for salvation. Much of the teaching is based on what you can do to turn your life around. I walked down to the riverbed to get some fresh air and to set up my own prayer structure, similar to the hundreds that I'd seen when we first entered the compound.