Kotatsu John Bailes is the Founder and President of One Heart Zen, the Buddhist Chaplain at Wellesley College in Wellesley Massachusetts, and the Guiding Teacher of the Monmouth Zen Circle in Monmouth, NJ.

He trained at the San Francisco Zen Center from 1972 through 1984 and was ordained a Zen Priest by Richard Baker Roshi in 1977.

From 1984 until 2004 he practiced as an ordinary citizen receiving a degree in International Political Economy from Harvard University, developing the Investment Advisory and Securities Division of a regional financial planning firm, marrying the artist Jesa Damora, participating in a sailboat race around the world in 2000 – 01, and becoming a professional sailboat captain.

In 2004 John returned to community dharma practice and received full Dharma Transmission from Zoketsu Norman Fischer.