ABSTRACT
There were several factors at work. First of all, the opening of Korea to diplomatic and trade contacts with the Western world also meant a lifting of the restrictions against the practitioners of all religions. There could no longer be an official policy of the suppression of religion, including Buddhism, if there were to be sustained contacts with the Western world. Second, the sudden and rapid development of Christianity had a competitive influence on the more progressive elements within the Buddhist order. In time there came to be a movement for Buddhist evangelism and the creation of institutions such as high schools, colleges, hospitals, and student societies in imitation of similar Christian institutions. The third influence was Japan. Japan in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was a state which was as heavily influenced by Buddhism as Korea was by Confucianism. With the absorption of Korea by Japan in 1910, the Japanese sought to implant their institutional form of Buddhism in Korea. Ostensibly done for the reform of Buddhism in Korea, this assistance was unquestionably motivated by political reasons. The Christian Church counted among its members a large number of the young progressive patriots and thus support for Buddhism could become a countervailing force against Christianity. Although many monks fought against this use of Buddhism for purposes of colonial rule, there is no doubt that such assistance was in some measure responsible for the institutional revival of Buddhism.
