韩国佛教主要是经由中国而传入的。禅宗是中国化佛教的代表宗派，形成于唐朝。后逐渐发展成为五家七宗，达到禅宗的全盛。在中国禅宗的发展过程中，其思想就不断传入韩国，以致在韩国新罗末高丽初，形成了韩国佛教史上所谓的“九山禅门”，即迦智山禅门、闍崛山禅门、狮子山禅门、圣住山禅门、凤林山禅门、曦阳山禅门、桐里山禅门、须弥山禅门、实相山禅门。

在法脉上，九山禅门中实相山门、迦智山门、桐里山门、圣住山门、闍崛山门、狮子山门、凤林山门等七个禅门都继承于马祖道一的洪州系禅法，只有须弥山门传曹洞宗系禅法、曦阳山门传北宗禅和临济宗系禅法。

在思想理论上，九山禅学思想多倾向于“即心即佛”、“平常心是道”的洪州禅法。第一，倡导无念无修与任运，如道义国师直契南宗禅法要义，称其所传禅法为“任运之宗”，强调在日常生活中直指人心、见性成佛，这种于日常生活而不离佛道，突出的是无念无修、随缘任运；第二，平常心是道，如在九山禅门中，道允禅师、折中禅师、无染禅师、梵日禅师等人都曾入华在马祖洪州宗处学法受心印，从而将洪州禅的“平常心是道”传入韩国；第三，有舌无舌土思想，如圣住山禅门无染禅师针对于禅与教的区别和认识，提出了有舌土无舌土思想，即认为禅是无舌土，是佛教的正传门，而教（华严）是有舌土，是佛教的应机门。

在与中国禅学思想相比较上，九山禅学既有对中国禅学思想的继承，也有对中国禅学思想的发展或相对于中国禅学思想而表现出的不同。首先，就继承而言，九山禅学更多地是接受和继承中国的禅学法统，从而建立山门，弘扬禅法；其次，就不同而言，九山禅学思想又呈现了出入华严、禅教判释、真归祖师等特点。

Korean buddhist mainly through China and incoming. Zen is a representative of the sinicization of Buddhism sect, formed in the tang dynasty. Gradually developed into five after seven to zen Buddhism itself.In the process of the development of the Chinese zen Buddhism, the ideas have been introduced to South Korea, so that at the end of the Korean ghost at the beginning of koryo, formed the South Korea doctrines on the so-called "nine mountain lots", namely intellectual mountain lots and JueShan lots, lots of sierra leone, which st mountain lots, feng forest lots, the sunrise in the yangshan lots, tung shan mountain lots lots, XuMiShan lots and reality.

In vein, seven of the nine mountain lots lots are inherited in the ma-zhu a zen HongZhou department law, only XuMi the gate pass (yangshan gate pass of zen, the sunrise in the chan sect and in the north of zen.

In the thought theory, nine mountain zen thoughts tend to "the heart is Buddha", "common heart is tao" HongZhou zen method.First, without read without repair and transport, such as moral buddhist straight gist southern chan sect, calls his preaching buddhist law "Ren Yunzhi zong", emphasize pointing to the heart, see in our daily life ponder, this in the daily life, from Buddhism and Taoism；Second, common heart is the way, as in nine mountain lots, the zen master, Jackson, no compromise is allowed dye the zen master, Jackson and others have been blessed day into China at Ma Zuhong state cases research method by the koan, thereby HongZhou zen's "common heart is the way" into the South Korea；Third, tongue with the tongue is the soil of ideas, such as mount st live dye lots without Jackson on the difference between the zen and teach and understanding, proposed the idea to have no tongue tongue soil soil, soil that zen is no tongue, is the Buddhism of the door, and teaching (yan) soil, there is a tongue it should be the machine of Buddhism.