Shodo Harada Roshi is presented as a Japanese Rinzai Zen master, born in 1940 in Nara Prefecture, whose life has been shaped by rigorous traditional training. From an early age he entered monastic life and began formal Zen practice, eventually becoming a monk in his youth and devoting himself to intensive practice in the Rinzai tradition. His path unfolds within the Hakuin school, a stream of Zen known for its demanding discipline and emphasis on direct realization through practice rather than conceptual understanding.

Central to his formation is his long and concentrated training under Yamada Mumon Roshi, a major Rinzai master and abbot of Shofukuji in Kobe. Under Yamada Mumon’s guidance, he undertook the full koan curriculum characteristic of the Hakuin lineage, engaging the classic Rinzai method of using koans to cut through delusion and self-centered views. This training was not merely academic or ceremonial; it involved years of sesshin, strict monastic schedules, and the continual testing of insight in the dokusan interview room.

Having completed this demanding course of koan study, Shodo Harada Roshi received dharma transmission—described as inka shomei, the formal seal of succession—from Yamada Mumon Roshi. This transmission authorized him to function as an independent Rinzai teacher within the Hakuin–Shofukuji lineage, bearing responsibility for carrying forward both its outer forms and its inner spirit. His teaching style, as described, reflects this inheritance: a strong emphasis on zazen, rigorous training, and the integration of meditative awareness into every facet of daily life.

In time he was appointed abbot of Sogenji monastery in Okayama, a traditional Rinzai training monastery that he has guided for many years. From this base he has fostered an international training environment, establishing related practice centers such as Tahoma Sogenji in the United States and other affiliated groups abroad. Through these efforts, his own training under Yamada Mumon Roshi and within the Hakuin lineage becomes not merely a personal history but a living bridge, connecting classical Japanese Rinzai practice with earnest practitioners across cultures who seek to realize the same unadorned clarity of mind.