The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (461 page)

Buddhism in Korea
.

Chinese Buddhism was officially introduced to Korea during the Three Kingdoms period (
c.
350–668) when the country was divided into Kogury
, Paekche, and Silla. The teachings were transmitted first to Kogury
, then to Paekche, both in the 4th cent. CE, and finally spread to Silla in the 6th cent. The new religion allied itself with the court, embraced indigenous
shamanism
and folk religion, gradually penetrating to the populace. Buddhism in Silla contributed to the formation of the
Hwarang Do
, a unique institution which trained young aristocrats in civil and military virtues, through devotion to Mir
k (
Maitreya
Bodhisattva) and observance of Buddhist precepts.
During the unified Silla period (668–935) Buddhism took root and flowered in Korean soil. Many monks went to China and even to India in pursuit of Buddhist truth. The five major schools were formed: Y
lban (Nirv
na), Kyeyul (Vinaya), P
ps
ng (Dharma-nature), Hwa
m (Hua-yen), and P
psang (Consciousness-only). In addition, the nine lineages (Nine Mountains) of
S
n
(Ch'an/Zen) were transmitted from China. However, Hwa
m Buddhism played the crucial role:
W
nhyo
(618–86) and
isang
(625–702) contributed to making Silla Buddhism syncretic and nationalistic, traits which have since been the hallmarks of Korean Buddhism. Faith in Kwan