In Ōbaku Zen, the teacher stands as the living embodiment of the Dharma, serving as a concrete example of awakening and correct practice. The teacher’s conduct, presence, and way of engaging with students are themselves regarded as a primary mode of instruction, a direct pointing to Buddha-nature through dialogue, encounters, and carefully chosen responses. As a lineage holder, the teacher preserves and transmits the Dharma through formal ceremonies, including ordination and the conferral of precepts, maintaining continuity with the school’s inherited tradition. This role includes the authority to test and confirm a student’s understanding, so that realization is not left to private interpretation but is brought into a shared, disciplined framework.

At the same time, the teacher functions as a rigorous guide in classical Zen training, especially in meditation and kōan practice. Through personal interviews and tailored instruction, the teacher adjusts methods to the needs and capacities of each student, using skillful means that may range from subtle guidance to more forceful interventions. This guidance is not merely technical; it is meant to cut through confusion and self-deception, allowing the student to encounter Buddha-nature directly. The teacher thus becomes the central reference point for navigating the demanding terrain of Zen practice.

What distinguishes the teacher’s role in Ōbaku is the integration of this Zen rigor with devotional and ritual elements associated with Pure Land practice. The teacher leads communal recitation of sutras and the Buddha’s name, presenting nembutsu not as something separate from meditation, but as a complementary mode of cultivation. By embodying both direct realization and compassionate guidance, the teacher shows how mindfulness of Buddha and faith-filled recitation can harmonize with silent meditation and kōan inquiry. In this way, the teacher stands at the meeting point of sudden insight and gradual cultivation, demonstrating that disciplined Zen training and devotional Pure Land practice can mutually support and deepen one another.