Spiritual Directors and Faculty

The Order’s spiritual direction is shared by Rev. Sensei Jorge Koho Mello and Rev. Sensei Jitsujo Gauthier.

The Zen Peacemakers is governed by Five Buddha Family Seatholders: Jorge Koho Mello, Jitsujo Gauthier, Iris Dotan Katz, Martin Pradel, and Geoff Shoun O’Keeffe.

It also includes senior teachers and practitioners who joined the Zen Peacemaker Order years ago, many of whom worked directly with Roshi Bernie Glassman. This group has shepherded the revitalization of ZPO and will serve as faculty, delivering talks and teachings to members.

Koho-Eiheiji-2

Jorge Koho Mello, Sensei

ZPO Spiritual Director

Jorge Koho Mello Sensei is Brazilian, serving as a social and environmental educator and activist on regenerative culture for many years. His primary focus has been on the practical aspects of socially engaged spirituality, a simpler lifestyle, and solidarity economics. Therapist with a systemic approach while, serves as a facilitator at the "Gaia Education" Program. He is ordained in the Soto Zen tradition by Coen Souza Rōshi (2008, Brazil), Shusso by Junnyu Kuroda Rōshi (2019, Japan), and Sensei at ZPO by Barbara Salaam Wegmüller Rōshi (2018, Switzerland). Koho have experiences as Street Retreat leader (authorized by Genro Roshi) and as participant/buddhist officiant at Auschwitz-Birkenau BW retreat. He currently practices with orientations of Tenkei Coppens Rōshi (Holland) and coordinates Zürich Zen Center with his wife, Marge Daien Oppliger.

Jitsujo Headshot
Rev. Jitsujo T. Gauthier
ZPO Spiritual Director

Rev. Jitsujo T. Gauthier is a Zen priest, preceptor, and resident currently living at the Zen Center of Los Angeles where she serves in many capacities. She is a Co-Spiritual Director and one of Five Seat-Holders for the Zen Peacemaker Order, a member of the Buddhist Ministry Working Group, and an instructor for Buddhist Healthy Boundaries course. She works at the University of the West as an Associate Professor and Chair of Buddhist Chaplaincy teaching courses including Buddhist Homiletics, Spiritual Care, Spiritual Leadership, and Engaged Compassion for Master and Doctorate programs. Over the years she has taken Buddhist chaplaincy students outside the classroom to engage with unhoused, healthcare, and temple communities, as well as sought innovative ways to entice her fellow Zen practitioners to practice outside the temple gates, i.e., street rituals.

ZPO LEADERSHIP

FIVE BUDDHA FAMILIES

The Five Buddha Families is a Buddhist teaching that suggests the view of existence as a mandala, a composite of five main energies or ‘families’ of Buddhas. Each family is unique, indispensable and complements the others. Each aspect of reality, every animal, person, thought/word/deed, conflict, action can be viewed as a composite of the five, each in different balances and levels of constraint or liberation, delusion or realization. When viewed holistically, realized and unrealized potential energies can be discerned and invoked through practice of chants, prayer or visualization or other creative means. The chart below lays out the basic characteristics of the five Buddha Families. The Five Buddha Families is a fundamental teaching in Zen Peacemakers activities. Founder Zen Master Bernie Glassman developed Bearing Witness retreats as well as social enterprises such as Greyston, based on these teachings, ever reaching to a finer articulation of the needs of those he served.

(click names below)

Ratna
Vajra
Buddha
Padma
Karma