Dr. John L. Aguilar, Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at Arizona State University was literally a modern Renaissance man, having been an accomplished concert violinist; a prolific and talented painter, whose works are included in many private and public collections; and a brilliant student of philosophy, from Buddhism to Nietzsche to Aldous Huxley, with whom he had a fortuitous personal friendship. 

A deeply devoted practitioner of Zen meditation, he studied with several distinguished teachers from Shunryu Suzuki to Joshu Sasaki, and was a founding member of Sunrise Sangha in Phoenix. He was a quiet and compassionate philanthropist, helping to support, throughout his life, some of the poor rural communities in Mexico where he did his early PhD studies. 

Genuinely modest, he would say, like Joko Beck (another of his Zen teachers), that there was Nothing Special about his life. He never spoke ill of another human being and loved any feral cat he encountered. He was a great teacher and inspiration to all who were privileged to know him. 

He possessed a profound philosophical curiosity, often spending long hours in thoughtful conversation with his beloved wife, Dr. Luz Maria Aguilar. Their bond was one of deep love and shared intellect, and she, his steadfast companion, survives him.