Robert Aitken (Philadelphia, 1917) was moved to Hawaii in 1922, where he studied in college. During World War II, Guam was captured and taken to Japan. He then worked as a teacher and to various social organizations. It is one of the most venerable American Zen teachers and retired teacher of the Diamond Sangha, a Zen-Buddhist society he founded in Honolulu in 1959 is also the author of books on Zen Buddhism, among which are Taking the Path of Zen, Mind of Clover and Original Dwelling Place.