Shunryu Suzuki

Shunryu Suzuki was a Sōtō Zen monk and teacher who played a crucial role in popularizing Zen Buddhism in the United States.

He founded the San Francisco Zen Center and established Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, the first Buddhist monastery outside Asia.

Suzuki's teachings emphasized the importance of maintaining a beginner's mind and integrating Zen practice into everyday life.

His book, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, compiled from his lectures, has become one of the most influential and widely read texts on Zen Buddhism in the West.

Suzuki's approach to teaching Zen was characterized by its simplicity, directness, and accessibility to Western students.