Shodo Harada Roshi presents mind and body as fundamentally non-dual, not as two separate substances that must later be joined, but as a single, unified field of functioning. What is conventionally called “mind” and “body” are understood as different expressions of one reality, inseparable in both practice and realization. In this view, enlightenment is not a purely mental event detached from physical experience; it encompasses the totality of one’s being. The ordinary tendency to think of a mind housed in a body is treated as a conceptual habit rather than an accurate description of lived experience.

This non-dual understanding is made concrete through zazen and other forms of disciplined practice. Harada Roshi emphasizes that posture, breath, and mental clarity are not three separate domains but one integrated activity. A stable, upright posture and harmonized breathing are said to directly clarify the mind, while a scattered posture supports a scattered mental state. The breath functions as a living bridge between what is usually labeled “mental” and “physical,” allowing practitioners to experience their essential oneness rather than a split between inner and outer.

Harada Roshi’s approach extends beyond the meditation cushion into all daily activities. Standing, walking, working, eating, and bowing are treated as expressions of the same unified mind–body reality, and wholehearted engagement in each task is regarded as Zen in action. Confusion appears as a kind of inner division—thoughts going one way while the body goes another—whereas awakening manifests as complete alignment of body, breath, and mind in each moment. In this sense, the body is not a mere support for spiritual life but a primary doorway through which the original, limitless mind is revealed.

Within this framework, physical tension and mental attachment are seen as closely related aspects of the same underlying condition, and releasing bodily rigidity can open the way to mental freedom. True practice, therefore, involves the whole person: thoughts, emotions, sensations, posture, and breath all participate equally in the path of awakening. When the attempt to control or separate mind and body is relinquished, what remains is a natural state of unified awareness, in which realization is not abstract but fully embodied in the simplest acts of everyday life.