Shunryu Suzuki Roshi (1904-1971) was a lifelong Soto Zen Buddhist priest and one of the most prominent and beloved spiritual teachers of the twentieth century. His life's work was to transmit authentic Zen practice from Japan to the United States, preserving the heart of the teaching and traditional forms while allowing them space to adapt and take root in Western soil. He founded the San Francisco Zen Center, among the oldest and largest Buddhist training places in the West. Suzuki Roshi's teachings were first edited and collected in the influential classic Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind.