Board of Directors

Board Mission and Vision Statement

In the Resource Sphere of All-Enriching Wisdom, the ZCLA Board of Directors oversees all the taking care of all governance, legal, and fiduciary matters. We uphold the Zen Center’s Mandala, Mission, Vision, Core Values, Core Practices, and Sangha Sutra. We maintain a place for practice, rooted in our Bodhisattva lineage, and nurture the widest possible view. To view the ZCLA Bylaws, click here.

---

Born in Nepal, Etsugen studied engineering in Japan, the Netherlands and the US.  He is currently the CEO of Calsoft Systems, an IT consulting company that he started with his wife Gyokuren.  He is the teacher and advisor of the Management Philosophy Study Group, a non-profit for business-owners.  He is leading sitting groups for business owners bi-weekly on Sundays and Mondays.  Etsugen is also the Founder and President of Mitra Path, Inc., a non-profit to help women and minorities start small businesses.  Etsugen enjoys hiking and travelling in his spare time.

---

Earth-Mirror has led numerous environmental campaigns in the United States, including the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign. He is currently a senior advisor to a climate advocacy funder. A practitioner at Zen Center of Los Angeles since 1997, he is exploring pathways that integrate Zen Buddhist practice and environmental action. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife Christy and his son Walden.

Marley Jakuan Dowling
Jakuan has been delighted to find all the mistakes it’s possible to make in each and every service position she’s tried at ZCLA since 2008. For most of her life, she’s been a writer and investigative journalist. She has two adult sons, Luke and Matthew, and a husband, Kevin.

---

Diane True-Joy first came to ZCLA at the end of 1998 and received Jukai as part of the class of 2005. She has been a member, then Steward of the Brown Green Circle; a member of the Tenzo Circle, and the Facing Whiteness Circle and Co-founded the Encountering the Sutras study group. She works as a Landscape Architect.

---

Muso has practiced at ZCLA since 1999. She became a member of the board during a crucial time in the stabilization of Zen Center and then became president, an office which she held for the 15 years.  Muso has been dedicated to trauma healing, violence prevention, gender and social justice through her 40 years as Executive Director/CEO of Peace Over Violence, a non-profit based in Los Angeles. She is grateful to the teachers, the teachings and all the sangha at ZCLA who have been friends and guides along her journey. Muso lives in Los Angeles with her wife Reigen. In her spare time she likes to read and sometimes write poetry and loves spending time with her granddaughter Rain Justice.

---

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Gensha has been a Dharma practitioner for 30 years in a range of Buddhist traditions and received Jukai in 2022 at ZCLA. He is a clinical psychologist in private practice, an aspiring Buddhist chaplain, and co-director of Mindful USC, a service of the University of Southern California’s Provost Office that offers free mindfulness and self-compassion training to all members of the USC community. He lives with his wife and twins in mid-city Los Angeles.

---

Dharma-Joy first came to ZCLA in October 1999.  He has served in a variety of positions over time, including on the Executive Circle, as a member of the Board of Directors for 10+ years, Corporate Secretary and Treasurer.  He is now Abbot and Head Priest/Preceptor.  Dharma-Joy received a bachelor’s degree in international affairs from Georgetown University, a master’s degree in Middle East Studies from Harvard University, and a law degree from the University of Virginia.  He served as the managing partner and then the general counsel of a law firm in Century City for 20 years.  He and his husband reside at the Zen Center. In his “spare” time, he is an (un)professional DJ, a dog dad, and a cat servant.

---