Harada Daiun Sogaku
Harada Daiun Sogaku
1871 – 1961
Harada Daiun Sogaku was a Soto Zen master who also trained extensively in the Rinzai tradition, integrating koan practice into his Soto teaching in a way that profoundly influenced modern Zen. His combined approach—Soto shikantaza enriched with Rinzai koan study—became the foundation of the Sanbo Kyodan (Three Treasures) school, which has been one of the most important vehicles for the transmission of Zen to the West.
Harada's principal student was Yasutani Hakuun, who formalized this integrated approach and opened it to lay practitioners and non-Buddhists. Through Yasutani and subsequent teachers like Yamada Koun, Harada's vision of a Zen practice that transcended sectarian boundaries and was available to all sincere practitioners regardless of background transformed the landscape of global Zen. His influence extends far beyond his own lineage, having shaped the expectations and aspirations of Zen practitioners worldwide.
Teachings
- proverbDrop Everything
Drop everything—your body, your mind, your opinions, your understanding. When there is nothing left to drop, that is it.
- sermonOn Combining Shikantaza with Koan Practice
In the Soto school they say 'just sitting,' and in the Rinzai school they use koans. But these are not two different things. Shikantaza, when practiced with total devotion, is itself the great koan. And koan practice, when pursued to its depths, becomes nothing other than just sitting with your whole being. The point is not the method but the sincerity. Whether you sit shikantaza or work on Mu, if your practice is wholehearted, you will penetrate to the source. I teach both because both are doorways to the same room.
- sayingInstruction on Sesshin Practice
During sesshin you must throw yourself entirely into practice. Forget about the outside world. Forget about your daily concerns. Each period of zazen is a matter of life and death. When you sit, sit as though your life depends on it—because it does. When you walk in kinhin, walk with the same intensity. Eat, sleep, and breathe with this one purpose: to break through the barrier of the self. If you practice sesshin in this way, even for seven days, transformation is inevitable.
Master Record Sources
1871-1961
Harada Daiun Sogaku
Sanbo-Zen
- datesZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
1871-1961
- nameZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Harada Daiun Sogaku
- schoolZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Sanbo-Zen
- teachersZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Harada Sodo Kakusho (Terebess Harada profile - Data: Dharma transmission from Kodo Harada)
- teachersZen Editorial Overlay - Originals Curation
Dokutan Sosan (Terebess Harada profile - Harada's Rinzai Lineage)