Shodo Harada Roshi’s teaching revolves around direct, experiential realization of one’s true nature through rigorous, traditional Zen practice. At the heart of this is wholehearted zazen, seated meditation undertaken with great intensity and precision in posture, breathing, and mental attitude. This disciplined sitting is not presented as a mere technique, but as the fundamental gateway to awakening, cutting through ego and discursive thought. Alongside zazen, intensive sesshin—periods of concentrated retreat—serve to deepen this one-pointed commitment, allowing practitioners to devote themselves entirely to the work of seeing their true nature.

A second major strand of his teaching is rigorous koan practice, the sustained engagement with traditional Zen paradoxes and questions. These koans are not treated as intellectual puzzles, but as tools to break through habitual patterns of thinking and to realize kensho, direct insight into one’s original nature. In this way, conceptual frameworks are undermined so that unconditioned awareness, sometimes expressed as one’s “original face,” can reveal itself. The emphasis consistently falls on experience rather than theory, on realization rather than speculation.

Equally central is the insistence that such realization must permeate every aspect of daily life. Practice is not confined to the meditation hall; it extends into work, relationships, and ordinary activities, so that each moment becomes an occasion for clarity and awareness. This “one-pointed” engagement means throwing oneself completely into whatever is at hand, whether sitting, working, or interacting with others, so that no separation remains between practice and life. Enlightenment, in this vision, is not a distant ideal but the natural state that becomes evident as illusions about the self drop away.

From this perspective, authentic Zen practice naturally flowers as compassionate conduct. As realization deepens, it is expected to manifest as responsibility, service, and care for all beings, rather than remaining an abstract or private attainment. The teacher–student relationship also plays a crucial role, providing direct guidance so that this demanding path does not become distorted by self-deception or mere intellectual understanding. In sum, Shodo Harada Roshi’s focus lies in unwavering, disciplined practice that leads to direct insight, and in embodying that insight through a life of clarity, integrity, and compassion.