Some Evacuate, Some Stay, as Fire Draws Nearer to Tassajara Zen Mountain Center
Over the past several days California wildfires have threatened to consume Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, the oldest Buddhist monastery in the Western Hemisphere. After most guests and residents evacuated on June 25, a crew of 22 monks stayed behind to fight the fires and save the Tassajara facilities.
Last night, a decision was made to evacuate everyone. However, when the evacuees reached a Forest Service check point and were told that they would not be able to return if they left, five turned around and went back to Tassajara.
Fire has crossed the road, so these five are on their own. They intend to keep the sprinkler system on but not to try to fight the fire. According to today's San Jose Mercury News, the fire has crept to within a mile and a half of the monastery.
See also this story about the "Zen of Firefighting" in the San Francisco Chronicle, written before the partial evacuation.
Comments
In the eighty’s myself and a few of the local Sikhs from Carmel Valley went to The Zen Center at at Tassajara Hot Springs to help rebuild after floods had damaged some of the out buildings. We were able to provide much needed skills while having a good time. Let it never be said that Zen monks, not to mention the head roshis, don’t know how to have good time. We had a shared respect and like minded sense of awareness and humor that made working together a spirtual as well as a material project.