The Tassajara Zen Mountain Center is the oldest Japanese Buddhist

Sōtō Sōtō Zen or is the largest of the three traditional sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (the others being Rinzai and Ōbaku). It is the Japanese line of the Chinese Cáodòng school, which was founded during the Tang dynasty by Dòngsh� ...

Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

monastery in the United States. It is on the border of the Ventana Wilderness and within the

Los Padres National Forest Los Padres National Forest is a United States national forest in southern and central California. Administered by the United States Forest Service, Los Padres includes most of the mountainous land along the California coast from Ventura to Mo ...

, southeast of

Carmel-by-the-Sea, California Carmel-by-the-Sea (), often simply called Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and incorporated on October 31, 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel is known for its natural scenery and r ...

. The Center is only accessible over high Chews Ridge via a narrow, steep, one-lane dirt road from Jamesburg. During the winter months the Center can be inaccessible due to snow and rain. Practitioners live and study on site. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the Center is open to day and overnight guests. The natural hot springs have been developed into Japanese-style baths. A steam bath is built over a hot spring in Tassajara Creek. The Center is the first Zen

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

established outside Asia.

History

The name is a corruption of ''Tasajera'', a Spanish-American word derived from an indigenous

Esselen The Esselen are a Native American people belonging to a linguistic group in the hypothetical Hokan language family, who are indigenous to the Santa Lucia Mountains of a region south of the Big Sur River in Big Sur, Monterey County, Califor ...

word, which means ‘place where meat is hung to dry.’" The 126-acre mountain property surrounding the Tassajara Hot Springs was purchased by the

San Francisco Zen Center San Francisco Zen Center (SFZC), is a network of affiliated Sōtō Zen practice and retreat centers in the San Francisco Bay area, comprising City Center or Beginner's Mind Temple, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, and Green Gulch Farm Zen Cente ...

in 1967 for the below-market price of $300,000 from Robert and Anna Beck. They improved the property and renamed it The Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, or Zenshinji (Zen Mind Temple), during Shunryu Suzuki's tenure as its first

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. Th ...

. When it was purchased in 1967, it was the first Zen monastery outside Asia. Tassajara's remote location in the Coastal Range means it is often threatened by

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identi ...

s. In 2008 the

Basin Complex Fire The Basin Complex Fire was a massive wildfire near Big Sur that ignited on June 21, 2008, and was the result of a lightning strike. It eventually grew to , becoming the second-largest wildfire of the 2008 California wildfire season, and burning ...

reached the monastery; some monks stayed and successfully protected it from the fire, after which the San Francisco Zen Center organized a trained group of firefighters to defend its three monasteries, known as "fire monks" after a book about the 2008 events. An external sprinkler system was also installed on buildings, called "dharma rain". The Tassajara Center was threatened by the 2016

Soberanes Fire The Soberanes Fire was a large wildfire that burned 57 homes and killed a bulldozer operator, and cost about $260 million to suppress, making it at the time the most expensive wildfire to fight in United States history. The Soberanes Fire was ...

; it escaped damage but was closed to guests for the remainder of the year.Zen center News
"Because of the ongoing smoky conditions and the risk of fire, we have taken the difficult decision to close the Tassajara 2016 guest season". Retrieved August 9, 2016. In June 2021, the

Willow Fire The Willow Fire was a wildfire that burned in the Ventana Wilderness in Monterey County, California, in the United States as part of the 2021 California wildfire season. The fire started on June 17, 2021, burned , and was fully contained on Jul ...

threatened the monastery.

Calendars and schedules

Practice periods

A practice period (''

ango An , or , is a Japanese term for a three-month period of intense training for students of Zen Buddhism, lasting anywhere from 90 to 100 days. The practice during ango consists of meditation (zazen), study, and work ( samu (作務)). Ango is t ...

'' in Japanese) denotes a period of intensive

monastic Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic ...

practice. During the fall (September–December) and spring (January–April) practice periods, Tassajara is closed to the public. The rigorous schedule is a defining feature. Activity revolves around

zazen ''Zazen'' (literally " seated meditation"; ja, 座禅; , pronounced ) is a meditative discipline that is typically the primary practice of the Zen Buddhist tradition. However, the term is a general one not unique to Zen, and thus technical ...

(

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm ...

), study, and work.

Guest season

After the practice periods, Tassajara is open to the public from mid-April through early September. For students, this period also allows them to earn credits toward the fall and spring practice periods. The guest season, with less rigorous daily schedules, is a cornerstone of Tassajara's economic well-being. The guest program includes a major kitchen operation. Tassajara is renowned for its vegetarian cuisine. Tassajara personnel also founded the Tassajara Bakery in Ashbury Heights and

Greens Restaurant Greens Restaurant is a landmark vegetarian restaurant in the Fort Mason Center in the Marina District, San Francisco, California, overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. Founded by the San Francisco Zen Center in 1979, Greens has been credited in '' ...

Fort Mason Fort Mason, in San Francisco, California originated as a coastal defense site during the American Civil War. The nucleus of the property was owned by John C. Frémont and disputes over compensation by the United States continued into 1968. In 188 ...

in the Marina District in San Francisco. Edward Espe Brown's ''Tassajara Bread Book'', published by Shambhala Publications in 1970 and revised in 1986 and 1995, is often credited as a major catalyst for the popularity of artisanal baking in the United States, while his ''Tassajara Recipe Book'' is the best known of several books of general vegetarian cuisine produced by authors connected with the Center.

Gallery

Image:Tassajara Hot Springs (Menu).jpg Image:Tassajara Kitchen (San Francisco Zen center, SFZC, Soto).jpg Image:Tassajara Dining Hall.jpg Image:Sitting area by office (Tassajara).jpg Image:Napkin Table at Dining Hall (Tassajara).jpg Image:Buddha statue at Tassajara.jpg

References

External links

Official Tassajara Zen Mountain Center website

{{Coord, 36.233611, -121.550314, display=title, type:landmark Buddhist temples in California Buddhist monasteries in the United States San Francisco Zen Center Soto temples Religious buildings and structures in Monterey County, California Buddhism in California Buddhist organizations based in the United States Spiritual retreats Tourist attractions in Monterey County, California Zen centers in California Hot springs of California 1967 establishments in California