Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj (1897-1981)

John Daido Loori, Roshi, was the abbot of Zen Mountain Monastery in Mount Tremper, New York. He was the founder of the Mountains and Rivers Order of Zen Buddhism and the CEO of Dharma Communications. In 1986, he received dharma transmission from Taizan Maezumi, and in 1994, he received a dendokyoshi certificate from the Soto school of Japan. He received dharma transmission in the Harada-Yasutani and Inzan lineages of Rinzai Zen in 1997. Loori was the author of 27 books and was also an exhibited photographer.

His most famous and widely translated book is I Am That, which achieved international success in 1973 with its first English translation. Maharaj continued to receive and teach visitors in his home until his death in 1981 at the age of 84.