In Shodo Harada Roshi’s Rinzai Zen tradition, lineage and transmission function as the living thread that connects present practice with the awakening of Shakyamuni Buddha. Lineage is not merely a historical record but an affirmation that the teachings being offered arise from an unbroken chain of realization, extending through Bodhidharma, the Chinese Chan patriarchs, and the Japanese Zen masters. Harada Roshi stands in the Myoshinji branch of Rinzai Zen, receiving dharma transmission from Yamada Mumon Roshi, and thus his teaching is grounded in this verified continuity. This continuity is regarded as a safeguard against idiosyncratic or diluted interpretations, affirming that what is being transmitted is the classic Rinzai understanding and method.

Transmission itself, in this context, is far more than a ceremonial bestowal of status. Dharma transmission (shiho or inka shomei) is understood as the formal recognition that a student has directly realized their true nature to the same depth as the teacher, and can therefore carry the tradition forward. Such recognition presupposes long years of rigorous training, including zazen, koan practice, and the testing of insight through intimate teacher-student dialogue. The one who receives transmission is thereby entrusted with the authority—and the burden—of guiding others, preserving both the spirit and the rigor of the lineage.

Within Harada Roshi’s tradition, this process also serves to protect the integrity of the Rinzai koan curriculum and its style of guidance. Lineage and transmission ensure that the standards by which realization is verified do not become lax, and that the subtlety of the methods is not lost through casual modification. At the same time, the deepest meaning of lineage is not confined to documents or temple affiliations; it is the embodied continuity of awakened mind expressed in conduct, teaching, and communal life. Those who stand in this lineage are accountable both to the ancestors and to future generations, charged with making the ancient wisdom genuinely alive while maintaining its essential clarity and depth.