CHO'ONJI - Who we are

WE ARE

from different nations, cultural backgrounds, religious beliefs, and social classes. We are united by a single purpose: to free ourselves and others from the invisible chains that constrain human beings everywhere. We are Cho’onji, Centro Zen de Puerto Rico.

We aspire to start hosting overnight retreats in January 2026 and Zen "Sesshin", in January 2027. No Sesshin has been conducted in Puerto Rico for at least fifteen years. We are building Cho'onji to be a center of serious spiritual training in the middle of San Juan.

First, there is work to do: we must rehab our facilities, grow our practice culture, establish walking trails, and develop gardens.

Will you join us? Together WE ARE very strong.

Who We Are

Cho'onji is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the practice and teaching of Zen Buddhism. We are part of Rinzai Zen International, the community affiliated with Korinji Monastery. We practice under the lineage of Meido Moore Roshi.

Newspaper clipping with founding members

Board of Directors:

Seido Félix A. López Román, President, Board of Directors

Doshin Mauricio Conejo, Board of Directors

María de Lourdes Lara Hernández, Board of Directors

Eshin Alex Marquetti, Administrator and Board of Directors

Julia Rue, Operations and Board of Directors

Gyoshi Sam Taylor, Practice Leader and Board of Directors

Contributing members in leadership:

Kamiko Naly Martinez (Monk)

Daikan Rafael Campo (Monk)

History

Cho'onji was founded by students of Kyozan Joshu Sasaki Roshi in 1982. The founding members of CZPR were Dr. Oscar Moreno, university professor; Marilú Meibers (RIP), artist and journalist; Carlos Pacheco, engineer and martial arts teacher; and Raúl Dávila, Esq.

The property and buildings that the CZPR currently occupies belonged to the Association of Self-Knowledge (ACOPRO), an organization formed by individuals interested in the teachings of Jiddu Krishnamurti. The transaction through which the CZPR acquired this property in 1983 was practically a donation, as ACOPRO only asked that the CZPR take over the payment of its debts. We wish to express here our recognition and eternal gratitude to the members of the ACOPRO Board of Directors and, especially, to Salvador Sendra and his wife Clara Lugo de Sendra, who originally donated this property to ACOPRO.

Sasaki Roshi had begun coming to Puerto Rico once a year since 1979, thanks to the efforts of Dr. Oscar Moreno, and had offered several seven-day retreats of intense meditation (sesshin), which had been held in various locations rented for that purpose. The opportunity granted to us by ACOPRO to acquire such a privileged place as the one we have for practicing Zen in Puerto Rico has been a very fortunate event.

Upon acquiring the property, Sasaki Roshi appointed Reverend Tando Jeff Bower as resident monk and Vice Abbot. Tando lived and worked at the Center until 2001, when he returned to the United States. Sasaki Roshi then appointed Reverend Zengetsu Wanda Stewardson as resident nun and Vice Abbess of the Center. Zengetsu served in that position until October 13, 2006, when she was replaced by Reverend Gentatsu Oscar Pereira. Both Zengetsu and Tando made significant contributions to the operation of the CZPR and the improvement of its physical facilities.

Gentatsu served as Resident Monk and Vice Abbot until February 2007. During his tenure, Gentatsu, who was the first Puerto Rican Vice Abbot of CZPR, also made important contributions to CZPR, imparting a camaraderie and warmth that still prevails and that we still enjoy.

In 2007, Dr. Kigen Raúl Dávila was ordained a monk and appointed Abbot of CZPR. Kigen was later named Osho.

In 2014, Sasaki Roshi passed away at the age of 107. Kigen Osho's health also suffered, and he passed leadership to the current president, Félix López Román. Hurricane Maria in 2017 impacted the Center's infrastructure, and we are currently rehabilitating it.

Traditionally, Zen practice requires leadership from a Roshi with a living lineage, and this component was lacking after Sasaki Roshi's passing. In 2025, the Center's practice was aligned with Meido Moore Roshi and Korinji Monastery in Wisconsin. Cho'onji maintains operational independence. Gyoshi Sam Taylor, an experienced student of Meido Roshi, was empowered to lead the practice. Until December 2025, the Center is piloting the new practice alignment with Meido Roshi.