Buddhism arrived in Korea in 372 C.E. At that time, shamanism — a religion based on nature worship and the belief in a world of gods, demons, and ancestral spirits — was the native religion. Buddhism would eventually blend in with this shamanism to create Korean Buddhism. Shamanism promoted a belief in three gods: the god of the mountains, the hermit god, and the god of the seven stars. Korean Buddhism blended the belief in these gods into the teachings of the Buddha, and Korean Buddhism blossomed.

Pure Land and Son (Korean Zen or Chan) also found their way to Korea and took root there. Son emphasized meditation practice over text study, and eventually nine different Son schools emerged in Korea, which were called the Nine Schools of Son.

Today about half the population of Korea is Buddhist, though Buddhism has deep roots in the community and many others incorporate Buddhist practices into their lives, regardless of religious affiliation.