The stand-alone practice of memorization of dhāraṇīs appears to have increased in recent years, as evidenced by the mass production of small inexpensive books and series of books for copying and chanting dhāraṇīs and mantras.

This essay explores the contemporary use of dhāraṇīs and mantras in South Korean Buddhism, particularly among lay practitioners, through literature and ritual materials. Since the early 2000s, interest in dhāraṇīs has grown alongside the revival of apotropaic practices, with laypeople employing them in devotionals, merit-making, rituals for worldly benefits.