Within Korean Seon, the teacher or master (seonsa, sunim) is regarded as indispensable because the path is understood as something transmitted and verified in living relationship rather than grasped through doctrine alone. The master’s central task is to point directly to mind-nature, awakening students to their inherent Buddha-nature beyond conceptual thought. This is not done primarily through elaborate explanations, but through concise, often paradoxical exchanges that unsettle habitual patterns of understanding. The teacher thus functions as a kind of living mirror, reflecting the student’s delusion and latent clarity in equal measure.

A distinctive feature of Korean Seon is the emphasis on hwadu practice, the concentrated inquiry into a critical phrase of a gong’an or koan. The master assigns a hwadu suited to the student’s capacity, instructs how to sustain it, and then continually assesses the student’s engagement with it. Through private interviews and direct questioning, the teacher tests whether the student has genuinely penetrated the hwadu or is still circling it conceptually. This process can take the form of rapid, probing dialogue—sometimes described as a kind of “Dharma combat”—designed to cut through intellectualization and bring forth an authentic response from the depths of mind.

Beyond this, the Seon master embodies the teaching in conduct, speech, and presence, offering a living example of the Dharma rather than a merely theoretical one. By overseeing meditation retreats, daily practice, and temple life, the teacher creates and maintains the disciplined environment in which insight can ripen. Dharma talks, guidance on posture and attitude, and corrections of subtle errors in practice all serve to support the student’s gradual maturation. At the same time, the master holds the authority to confirm or deny claims of realization, authenticating genuine insight and, when appropriate, transmitting the Dharma so that the lineage of awakening continues unbroken.