Shunryu Suzuki’s relationships with other Zen masters were grounded in the formal structures of Sōtō Zen lineage and in a characteristically modest, unassuming style. He was ordained and trained within the Sōtō school, receiving dharma transmission from Gyokujun So-on, and thus stood firmly in an established Japanese temple system. Within that context he was known more as a conscientious, quiet temple priest than as a reformer or polemicist. His stance toward senior and contemporary teachers in Japan remained conventionally respectful, staying within the mainstream of institutional Sōtō Zen rather than challenging it. This traditional orientation shaped the way he later related to other Zen masters both in Japan and in the West.

After coming to America, his connections with other Zen teachers were marked by mutual respect and a clear sense of distinct paths. He acknowledged earlier pioneers such as Nyogen Senzaki as important predecessors in bringing Zen to Western students, while maintaining his own emphasis on Sōtō practice. In relation to figures such as Haku’un Yasutani, whose approach drew strongly on kōan-centered methods, Suzuki held to the simpler “just sitting” (shikantaza) style characteristic of his lineage. Encounters with other Japanese priests and Zen-influenced teachers in America tended to be cordial but not tightly coordinated; each teacher largely worked with their own communities, with Suzuki focusing on the practice life that formed around him.

Within his own community, Suzuki stood as a traditional root teacher whose authority rested less on dramatic gestures and more on steady presence. He transmitted dharma to Richard Baker, appointing him as his successor at San Francisco Zen Center and thereby extending the Sōtō lineage in America. His relationships with students and successors were framed by the same qualities that shaped his relations with other masters: humility, integrity, and a commitment to ordinary daily practice rather than to spectacular experiences. Other Zen masters, even when employing different methods, often regarded him with respect for this quiet consistency. In this way, his relationships with fellow teachers reflected a broader vision of Zen as something lived faithfully within one’s own practice and lineage, while honoring the parallel efforts of others.