He avoided speculating about things that did not concretely exist, or about truth-claims that fell outside the realm of ordinary experience. He focused instead on cultivation in the midst of daily life, finding evidence for one's beliefs, and the need for each person to take the difficult path of self-realization.
李元松早年提倡理性、自力的禪風，不空談不存在或常人無法經驗的玄理，而是傾力在日常生活中修行，走的是對信仰存疑求證、自立自悟的難行道。