Tetsuho Chris Kolon. After reading Tassajara Cooking by Ed Brown and The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh in the early 80s, Christopher began his formal Zen practice at the Berkeley Zen Center in 1982. By the late 80s life had intervened (work, career, family - "the full catastrophe" as Zorba said) and he left practice, returning to it in 2003. A student of Shoho Michael Newhall, Roshi and Nenzen Pamela Brown Sensei, Christopher considers Jikoji his home sangha. Tetsuhō Christopher was ordained as a zen priest in July 2024 by Nenzen Pamela Brown Roshi, and was Shuso, or head student, during Jikoji’s 2025 winter practice period, culminating in his Shuso ceremony in March 2025. He resides in Graz, Austria.