An Analysis of Research Trends in Buddhist Counseling in South Korea Over the Past Decade: Focused on Domestic Academic Journal Articles Published Since 2016
Tae-kyung An
Humanities and Meditation Research Institute June 30, 2026 DOI: 10.60140/mche.2026.4.1.47 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Randomized Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | South Korean academic journal articles on Buddhist counseling published from 2016 to 2025 |
| Topics | Buddhism |
| Key findings | Reviews five research trajectories in South Korean Buddhist counseling and notes a predominance of literature reviews and exploratory studies, with a lack of effect validation, program development, randomized controlled trials, and longitudinal follow-up studies. Proposes integrating empirical methods from counseling psychology while maintaining Buddhist scholarly identity. |
Abstract
This study aims to analyze research trends in Buddhist counseling-related academic journal articles published in South Korea from 2016 to 2025 and to propose directions for future research. To this end, articles identifiable through domestic academic search services - including KCI, RISS, DBpia, eArticle, and KOAJ - as well as open internet searches were reviewed for publications from 2016 onward. Initial database searches identified 87 articles; after excluding 76 articles that lacked sufficient bibliographic information or were not directly related to Buddhist counseling, 11 articles were selected as the final analysis corpus. The scope of analysis was limited to studies for which the title, author, publication year, journal, volume and issue, page range, abstract, or publicly available bibliographic information could be verified. The findings indicate that recent domestic Buddhist counseling research has followed five broad trajectories: first, the establishment of methodological foundations for Buddhist counseling; second, the reinterpretation of Buddhist doctrines and practice concepts within a counseling framework; third, the qualities and education of Buddhist counselors; fourth, the application of Buddhist counseling to specific populations and presenting problems such as depression, adolescents, the elderly, and bereavement; and fifth, expansion into AI chatbot and non-face-to-face counseling environments. Notably, Buddhist counseling is developing in the direction of integrating Buddhist concepts – including dependent origination, non-self, compassion, the Four Noble Truths, karma, self-compassion, and mindfulness - into the understanding of client suffering and the process of healing. However, a large proportion of studies remain concentrated in literature reviews and exploratory research, with effect validation studies, program development studies, randomized controlled trials, and longitudinal follow-up studies still insufficient. Accordingly, future Buddhist counseling research needs to actively combine empirical research methods from counseling psychology while maintaining its Buddhist scholarly identity.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on buddhism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, and Zen Meditation for Depression, Anxiety, Pain, and Psychological Distress | 2012 | Review | |
| Measuring mindfulness | 2011 | Review | |
| The Influence of Buddhist Meditation Traditions on the Autonomic System and Attention | 2015 | Review | |
| Seeking the Sacred with Psychoactive Substances | 2014 | Review | |
| Positive Psychology and Buddhism | 2023 | Review |