Korean Seon emerges historically as the Korean reception and transformation of Chinese Chan, first taking root when monks traveled to Tang China and returned with meditative teachings centered on direct realization. During the Unified Silla period, these teachings crystallized into the so‑called Nine Mountain Seon schools, founded by masters who had trained in lineages such as the Hongzhou school of Mazu Daoyi and the Caodong/Jogye tradition. This early phase is marked by a diversity of styles and lineages, yet unified by an emphasis on contemplative practice over scholasticism. The image that appears is of a tradition born in the mountains, shaped by encounters with Chinese masters, and then re‑planted in Korean soil in multiple, regionally distinct communities.

Under the Goryeo dynasty, Seon did not remain a marginal movement but gradually came to occupy the center of Korean Buddhist life. A key figure here is Jinul, whose synthesis of meditative practice and doctrinal study gave Korean Seon a distinctive character. His articulation of “sudden enlightenment, gradual cultivation” and the harmony of meditation and wisdom provided a framework that could embrace both direct insight and disciplined training. In this period, Seon integrated with existing doctrinal currents rather than simply opposing them, and the Jogye tradition emerged as the principal institutional embodiment of this synthesis. The growing use of hwadu, or critical‑phrase contemplation, further defined the inner method of practice.

The subsequent Joseon period brought harsh external conditions, as state patronage shifted to Neo‑Confucianism and Buddhism was pushed to the margins. Monasteries were closed or relocated to remote mountains, and monastics were socially and politically constrained. Yet within this adversity, Seon practice persisted in secluded communities, preserving lineages and refining a life centered on meditation and ethical discipline. Figures such as Hyujeong helped to revitalize Seon, emphasizing the unified cultivation of morality, concentration, and wisdom, and even engaging in the defense of the country, which lent the tradition a renewed moral authority. Over time, the various Seon schools were consolidated, and the Jogye and Taego lineages came to stand as primary institutional heirs of the older mountain schools.

In the modern era, Korean Seon has undergone both revival and reinterpretation while retaining its core contemplative orientation. The challenges of colonial rule, social change, and internal reform movements led to renewed efforts to clarify practice and restore monastic discipline. Within this context, Seon communities placed particular emphasis on intensive meditation retreats and hwadu practice as the heart of the path. The Jogye Order, in particular, emerged as the largest Seon institution, continuing to transmit the teachings shaped by Jinul and later masters. Through these historical turns, Korean Seon can be seen as a tradition that repeatedly returns to the well of direct meditative insight, while continually re‑negotiating its place within shifting cultural and political landscapes.