Tassajara

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

That's welcome good news.

[Drunk Monk]

Tassajara Fire Crew made up of zen monks defend monastery from the Willow Fire
David Rodriguez
Salinas Californian



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The zen monk expected a pre-dawn knock on his door, but the news on the other side wasn't what he anticipated. 
At first, Finnian Kelley, a member of the Tassajara Fire Crew, thought he'd missed his early morning duty carrying incense around the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. 
Then he heard the word, "fire."  
“I’d been mentally preparing for it for a while, and it was kind of like, ‘Oh, this is it,’" Kelley, 23, said. “It was sooner than we all expected. I figured I’d at least have another few weeks.”
The fire training was motivated by the 2008 Basin Complex fire. The monks are now assessed by firefighters to ensure it is safe that they stay and protect the monastery in case of a fire, according to Sozan Miglioli, president of the San Francisco Zen Center.
Seven Tassajara Fire Crew zen monks have been providing structure defense for the Tassajara Zen Center since the Willow Fire started on June 17. The wildfire is burning in the Los Padres National Forest near Big Sur. 
Over 400 firefighters were called to the incident.


Preparing for the unknown 
Water levels near the monastery are usually higher during the early summer months. Currently, levels this low aren't expected until the fall, Kelley said. 
The Buddhist monks train with professional firefighters. They study fire behavior and make sure their sprinkler system is operational. 
Zen firefighter Kevin Peng described the team of firefighting monks as "small but mighty." In addition to clearing brush and debris from the monastery, the monks utilize a sprinkler system dubbed "dharma rain."
The dozens of sprinkler heads distribute water around the monastery, lowering the temperature of the small areas surrounding the buildings. Even when the surrounding areas are hot and dry, the cool, moist microclimate for the monastery created by the dharma rain sprinkler system helps with overnight moisture recovery, Miglioli said.
The dharma rain sprinkler system runs anywhere from two to 12 hours depending on the temperature of the valley. 
“A big part of our practice here is not knowing, not being in control,” zen firefighter Katy Garrahan said. “I was remembering our training and just a sense of trust in this crew, in this ‘dharma rain’ system. I feel really cared for by our crew leaders here. There was a sense of fear and doubt, but I couldn’t imagine leaving.”


All things end
Located in the Ventana Wilderness inland from Big Sur, The Tassajara Zen Center is the first Soto Zen training monastery on the West Coast, according to [url=https://www.sfzc.org/]the San Francisco Zen Center website. It is one of three practice centers that offer daily meditation, retreats, classes, lectures, and workshops.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 8,000 vacationers and 150 students passed through the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center during any given summer.

Due to the pandemic fewer residents are staying at the monastery. The monastery remains closed but officials are hoping to reopen starting next summer. 
The fire fighting monks are using principles of their zen practice in their efforts to contain the Willow Fire. 
“I think a wildfire is a great example of one of the tenets of Buddhism, which is impermanence,” Kelley said. “That’s the reality we’re faced with all the time... We sit and meditate for hours a day to be able to hold our composure for something like this because we’re accommodating those internal fires every morning when we meditate. So facing something like this, we’ve already been practicing getting out of our own way.”
As of Wednesday evening, the fire is 87% contained and scorched approximately 2,877 acres, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Fire officials strongly believe that the fire will be at 100% containment on July 11. 
“I just want to say how appreciative I am of the firefighters,” Miglioli said. “I really hope that people stay connected to themselves, connected to what’s going on, and connected to the reality of what’s going on in the world right now."
On Friday, all road closures around the Willow Fire were removed. Those locations include Arroyo Seco and Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley Road at Tassajara, and Tassajara at Cachagua Road. All evacuation warnings and orders for the Willow Fire were lifted as of 6 p.m. Monday, with the exception of forest closure areas.
To identify these closure areas you can go to Los Padres National Forest.




David Rodriguez is the education reporter and staff photographer for The Salinas Californian. For any tips or story ideas you can contact him at (831) 269-9363 or drodriguez@thecalifornian.com. Subscribe to support local journalism.

[Greg]

Whew! I should go there some day.

[Drunk Monk]

Whew! I should go there some day.

Only if you like bathing in healing hot springs, dining on scrumptious vegetarian offerings and quietly sitting still for hours...

[Greg]

I'm all about that! Sort of.

I could look for the ghost of Stro!

[King Bob]

I'd like to do that, but probably too rich for my blood. I am disappointed that the monks didn't have robes on, but that's not very practical for firefighting.

[Drunk Monk]

It trips me out that Stro was there. There are so many more things I would’ve connected with him on had I known, but I didn’t discover Tassajara until long after we parted ways.

As for Tassajara, it’s cheaper if you do the work study. That requires you to do a few hours of chores every day and attend the morning and evening sits. You eat with the students, which isn’t as fancy as the guests, but you can also use the baths during the exclusive student times. At least, that’s how it was.

If either of you go, spring for the stage. The road in is intense and has broken many cars.

[thatguy]

If either of you go, spring for the stage. The road in is intense and has broken many cars.

it’s a bit of a trek.  A few months ago we ventured up to see if the road was open (it wasn’t) but we went past the blockade and we’re about a mile from the summit when we decided to give up and try when the road was actually open. 

if you want to see it, a guy I worked with did this video and asked if he could use this Bashi-Bazouks cover of a Number 9 song

[Drunk Monk]

We are absolutely devastated. Stacy has been going to practice there for 42 years. Apart from Shaolin Temple, this is the zendo where I have spent the most time practicing. It is our most sacred refuge. Stacy and Tara are headed there in May in the gap between Tara completing her school work and  her graduation. We can't even wrap my head around the loss. All things are impermanent, but there is so little solace when such beauty leaves...

[thatguy]

Shit!

[Greg]

Any links to a rebuilding fund?

[Drunk Monk]

https://giving.sfzc.org/campaign/783955/donate

[Drunk Monk]

Stacy & Tara head to Tassajara in a few hours. Stacy is doing her annual massage exchange. Tara is just unwinding from her last law school exams and psyching up for Bar review, which is insanely rigorous. 

Ironically, it leave DM & Yuki dog unleashed for the weekend.

[Greg]

I take it Tassajara has rebuilt since the fire?

[Drunk Monk]

Not at all. It'll take some time to rebuild the zendo. But that and part of the library was all that was lost. The guest houses, student dorms, kitchen, workshop halls, pool, and most important, the baths, remain. 

The zanshin practice continues. That's zen. I'm not sure where they've moved to - one of the workshop halls maybe.

I'm very curious to learn what they'll find there.