I discovered that it is necessary, absolutely necessary, to believe in nothing. That is, we have to believe in something which has no form and no color--something which exists before all forms and colors appear... No matter what god or doctrine you believe in, if you become attached to it, your belief will be based more or less on a self-centered idea.

T. Suzuki
Shunryu Suzuki (鈴木 俊隆 Suzuki Shunryū dharma name Shōgaku Shunryū 祥岳俊隆 often called Suzuki Roshi) (born May 18 1904 Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan; died December 4 1971 in San Francisco CA USA) was a Sōtō Zen monk and teacher who helped popularize Zen Buddhism in the United States and is renowned for founding the first Buddhist monastery outside Asia (Tassajara Zen Mountain Center). Suzuki founded San Francisco Zen Center which along with its affiliate temples comprises one of the most influential Zen organizations in the United States.