Keido Les Kaye with Misha Merrill
Keido Les Kaye, a longtime Soto Zen teacher and one of the early American students of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, passed away on September 5, 2006 after a brief period of hospice care at Stanford University. Through more than half a century of practice and teaching, Les helped establish Zen as something that could be lived fully in the midst of ordinary American life—not apart from work, family, responsibility, and relationship, but directly within them.
Keido Roshi began practicing Zen in 1966, after discovering that Suzuki Roshi was teaching in the Bay Area. He became part of the small community at Haiku Zendo in Los Altos, where Suzuki Roshi regularly taught, and in 1971 Suzuki Roshi ordained him as a priest, giving him the Dharma name Kakuzen Keido, translated as “Awakening in Zen, Peaceful Way.”
The book Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind was created from the talks Suzuki Roshi gave on his weekly visits to Haiku Zendo.
Keido Roshi practiced at Tassajara in the early 1970s and later received Dharma transmission from Hoitsu Suzuki Roshi, Shunryu Suzuki’s son and Dharma successor, authorizing him to teach in the Suzuki Roshi lineage.
He went on to found Kannon Do Zen Meditation Center in Mountain View, where he served as spiritual leader and, eventually, abbot. Under his guidance, Kannon Do grew from the earlier Haiku Zendo community into an enduring Soto Zen temple in the heart of Silicon Valley. He served as abbot for approximately forty years before retiring in 2023 and becoming Abbot Emeritus, continuing afterward to meet with students and offer teachings.
He authored many books, including Zen at Work and his final book, I Had a Good Teacher: Practicing Suzuki Roshi’s Way of Zen, published in 2025, which gathered Dharma talks and recollections from a lifetime spent carrying forward what he had received from Suzuki Roshi.
May his teachings and practice continue to benefit all beings.
For more on Keido Les Kaye:
- Les Kaye’s page on Cuke.com
- Kannon Do’s website
- I Had a Good Teacher (SFZC bookstore)
- An interview with Les Kaye in Sangha News Journal
I am deeply saddened to learn of the death of Keido (Les) Kaye. Although he lived a long and richly blessed life, I am stunned by his passing. He was such a dynamic individual; I felt sure that he would live far past 100 years! He was a wonderful friend and Zen mentor to me. I have such fond memories of the times I spent at Kannon-Do, the cozy little center at the end of the narrow street in Mountain View. He nurtured a warm and compassionate community there. (Oh, and he was such a live wire at those beach weekends in Capitola!) I also cherish memories of gatherings at his lovely, serene home in Los Altos. I’ll never forget his beautiful, gracious wife, Mary. She was certainly the soul of tranquility, gentle humor, and tolerance.
Les was a multitalented person who excelled at everything to which he devoted himself. Zen master, company manager, professional author—he had tremendous vitality. His life was full of activity, but he always had time for a quiet, lengthy conversation with anyone who needed his advice and support. It seems to me that he viewed nurturing Zen Buddhist practice in America as his primary mission in life. He accomplished this splendidly (and a lot more)! I’m sure that he received a warm and appreciative welcome from his fellow and sister Bodhisattvas when he entered Buddha’s paradise.
Les and Kannon Do were a big help to me in the Silicon Valley part of my life. I remember his great warmth, his energy, and his dedication to the Dharma.
Les used to bow to each student coming out of the zendo after morning zazen, and when everyone had gathered say “Let’s get a coffee.”
Love you Les!
Les, you were instrumental in helping me achieve and understand my Buddhist practice. I appreciate all the lessons and the time we spent together at Kannon Do… May you rest in peace…