韓國近現代佛教的變革過程大致可以分為近代時期和現代時期兩個階段。近代時期提倡保持僧人傳統的曹溪宗與帶妻僧團太古宗進行了一場辯論,這場運動的結果使得太古宗的勢力被大幅減弱,曹溪宗成為韓國第一大佛教宗團。到了現代時期,基督教、天主教積極參與社會福祉建設,通過服務社會而進行宗教傳播。韓國佛教宗團因為保守的思想和不積極的應對導致信徒數量大減,為了應對這種變化趨勢,佛教界開始借鑒海外佛教的傳播經驗。星雲大師早在1975年就前往韓國訪問交流,以後數次應邀前往,大師的人間佛教思想對韓國現代佛教的發展起到了非常大的參考和借鑒作用。首爾佛光山是韓國國內第一個外來佛教團體建立的道場,在首爾佛光山道場建立之後很多年,才陸續有泰國、緬甸、斯里蘭卡、蒙古的佛教團體在韓國建立各自的道場。可以說佛光山引領了外來宗教團體在韓國建立道場之風。韓國自古以來傳承的中國儒家文化成為其本土文化的主導,影響到社會的方方面面,佛教團體也不例外。而外來的佛教思想與本土的主流意識產生了一些矛盾與不調和,如何能讓人間佛教思想在韓國開花結果,比起外部,更需要韓國佛教內部的反思。
The reform process of modern Korean Buddhism can be roughly divided into two stages: the early modern period and the modern period. In the early modern period, The Jogye Order, who advocated keeping the traditions of the deaf, had a debate with The Taego Order. The results of this movement caused The Taego Order to be greatly weakened The Jogye Order became the largest Buddhist corps in Korea. In the modern era, Christianity and Catholicism actively participated in the construction of social welfare and conducted religious communication by serving the society. Because of the conservative thinking and the lack of active response, the Korean Buddhist corps caused a significant decrease in the number of believers. To cope with this trend, the Buddhist world began to learn from the experience of spreading Buddhism overseas. Master Hsing Yun traveled to South Korea as early as 1975. The master's human ideology of Buddhism has played an important role in the development of modern Buddhism in Korea. Seoul Fo Guang Shan is the first Buddhist temple established by a foreign Buddhist group in Korea. Many years after the establishment of the Fo Guang Shan in Seoul, Buddhist groups such as Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, and Mongolia began to establish their temples in Korea. Chinese Confucian culture affects all aspects of Korean society, and Buddhism is no exception. How can humanistic Buddhism cherish its results in Korea, and it requires more reflection from within Korean Buddhism than from the outside.