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{{about|the Zen Buddhist Monastery |the unincorporated community|Tassajara Hot Springs, California|the hot springs|Tassajara Hot Springs}}
{{Short description|Sōtō Zen Buddhist monastery in the United States}}
{{About|the Zen Buddhist Monastery |the unincorporated community|Tassajara Hot Springs, California|the hot springs|Tassajara Hot Springs}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox Buddhist temple
{{Infobox religious building
| name = Tassajara Zen Mountain Center
| img = Tassajara Zendo (San Francisco Zen Center, SFZC, Soto).jpg
| name = Tassajara Zen Mountain Center
| img_size =
| native_name =
| img_capt = [[Zendo]] at Tassajara
| image = Tassajara Zendo (San Francisco Zen Center, SFZC, Soto).jpg
| landscape =
| image_size =
| denomination = [[Soto Zen]]
| alt =
| founded = 1967
| caption = [[Zendo]] at Tassajara
| closed =
| map_type =
| founder = [[Shunryu Suzuki]]
| map_size =
| teacher =
| map_alt =
| director = Kodo Linda Galijan
| map_caption =
| roshi =
| location = 39171 Tassajara Road [[Carmel Valley, CA]] 93924
⚫
| coordinates =
| abbot = [[Jiko Linda Cutts]]<br>Rinso Ed Sattizahn<br> Furyu Nancy Schroeder
| religious_affiliation = [[Buddhism]]
⚫
| priest =
| rinpoche =
| sect =[[Soto Zen]]
| reverend =
| deity =
| address = 39171 Tassajara Road [[Carmel Valley, CA]] 93924
| country = United States
| country = [[United States]]
| functional_status =
| website = [http://sfzc.org/tassajara/ http://sfzc.org/tassajara/]
| website = [http://sfzc.org/tassajara/ http://sfzc.org/tassajara/]
| founded_by = [[Shunryu Suzuki]]
| year_completed = 1967
}}
}}
The '''Tassajara Zen Mountain Center''' in the [[Ventana Wilderness]] area of the [[Los Padres National Forest]], southeast of [[Carmel-by-the-Sea, California]], is the oldest [[Buddhism in Japan|Japanese Buddhist]] [[Sōtō]] [[Zen]] monastery in the [[United States]]. The Center is very isolated, more than {{convert|16|mi}} from the nearest paved road, and only accessible via a narrow, steep, one-lane dirt road. During the winter months, practitioners live alone on site. During the summer months, the Center is opened to day and overnight guests. The hot springs have been developed into Japanese-style baths. It is the first Zen [[monastery]] established outside of Asia.<ref name="sfzc.org">{{cite web|title=History – Tassajara – San Francisco Zen Center|url=http://sfzc.org/tassajara/display.asp?catid=4,35&pageid=2604|accessdate=29 June 2011}}</ref>
The '''Tassajara Zen Mountain Center''' is the oldest [[Buddhism in Japan|Japanese Buddhist]] [[Sōtō]] [[Zen]] monastery in the United States. It is on the border of the [[Ventana Wilderness]] and within the [[Los Padres National Forest]], southeast of [[Carmel-by-the-Sea, California]]. The center is only accessible over {{convert|5082|ft|4=-high|sp=us|adj=mid}} Chews Ridge via a narrow, steep, {{convert|13.7|mi|adj=on}} one-lane dirt road from [[Jamesburg, California|Jamesburg]]. During the winter months the center can be inaccessible due to snow and rain.<ref name="peakbag">{{Cite web |title=Chews Ridge Lookout, California |url=http://www.peakbagging.com/CALookoutPhotos/ChewsRidge.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200615044816/http://www.peakbagging.com/CALookoutPhotos/ChewsRidge.html |archive-date=15 June 2020 |access-date=15 June 2020 |website=www.peakbagging.com}}</ref> Practitioners live and study on site. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the center is open to day and overnight guests. The [[Tassajara Hot Springs|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]] established outside Asia.<ref name="sfzc.org">{{cite web|title=History – Tassajara – San Francisco Zen Center|url=http://sfzc.org/tassajara/display.asp?catid=4,35&pageid=2604|access-date=June 29, 2011|archive-date=May 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511112635/http://www.sfzc.org/tassajara/display.asp?catid=4,35&pageid=2604|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kharebashvili |first=Nia |date=2023-03-15 |title=Tassajara Hot Springs: The Key to The Ultimate Spiritual Restoration |url=https://www.traxplorio.com/tassajara-hot-springs/ |access-date=2023-03-18 |website=Traxplorio |language=en-US}}</ref>


==History==
==History==


The name is a corruption of ''Tasajera'', a Spanish-American word derived from an indigenous [[Esselen language|Esselen]] word, which means ‘place where meat is hung to dry.’"<ref>{{cite book|last=Gudde|first=Erwin G.|title=California Place Names: the Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names|year=2004|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley, Calif.|isbn=978-0-520-24217-3|edition=fourth}}</ref><ref name="Fullwood"/>
The name is a corruption of ''Tasajera'', a Spanish-American word derived from an indigenous [[Esselen language|Esselen]] word, which means "place where meat is hung to dry".<ref>{{cite book|author=Erwin G. Gudde |title=California Place Names: the Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names|year=2004|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley, Calif.|isbn=978-0-520-24217-3|edition=4th}}</ref><ref name="Fullwood"/>


The 126-acre mountain property surrounding the [[Tassajara Hot Springs]] was purchased by the [[San Francisco Zen Center]] in 1967 for the below-market price<ref name=beckinterview>{{cite web|title=INterview with Robert Beck|accessdate=29 June 2011|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20090215060338/http://cuke.com/Cucumber%20Project/interviews/beck.html|archivedate=February 15, 2009|date=February 19, 2002|url=http://cuke.com/Cucumber%20Project/interviews/beck.html}}</ref> of $300,000<ref name="Fullwood"/> from Robert and Anna Beck.<ref name="ChadwickBeck"/> They improved the property and renamed it The Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, or Zenshinji (Zen Mind Temple),<ref name="Crews"/> during [[Shunryu Suzuki]]'s tenure as its first [[abbot]].<ref name="ChadwickBeck"/> When it was purchased in 1967, it was the first Zen monastery outside of Asia.<ref name="sfzc.org"/>
The 126-acre mountain property surrounding the [[Tassajara Hot Springs]] was purchased by the [[San Francisco Zen Center]] in 1967 for the below-market price<ref name=beckinterview>{{cite web|title=Interview with Robert Beck|access-date=June 29, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215060338/http://cuke.com/Cucumber%20Project/interviews/beck.html|archive-date=February 15, 2009|date=February 19, 2002|url=http://cuke.com/Cucumber%20Project/interviews/beck.html}}</ref> of $300,000<ref name="Fullwood"/> from Robert and Anna Beck.<ref name="ChadwickBeck"/> They improved the property and renamed it The Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, or Zenshinji (Zen Mind Temple),<ref name="Crews"/> during [[Shunryu Suzuki]]'s tenure as its first [[abbot]].<ref name="ChadwickBeck"/> When it was purchased in 1967, it was the first Zen monastery outside Asia.<ref name="sfzc.org"/>


Tassajara's remote location in the [[California Coastal Range|Coastal Range]] means it is often threatened by [[wildfire]]s. In 2008 the [[Basin Complex Fire]] reached the monastery; five monks stayed<ref>{{cite news |author=Matthai Kuruvila |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Tassajara-monks-practice-Zen-of-firefighting-3277372.php |title=Tassajara monks practice Zen of firefighting |newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=February 11, 2012 |orig-year=July 10, 2008 |access-date=June 25, 2021 }}</ref> in spite of evacuation orders<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-09-27 |title=Letter from Robert Thomas, President: 7/17/2008 - Tassajara - San Francisco Zen Center |url=https://www.sfzc.org/tassajara/display.asp?catid=4&pageid=1237 |access-date=2024-10-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927143717/https://www.sfzc.org/tassajara/display.asp?catid=4&pageid=1237 |archive-date=September 27, 2011 }}</ref> 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".<ref name=Soberanes>{{cite news |author=Don Lattin |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/travel/centralcoasting/article/Fighting-fire-with-Zen-at-Tassajara-10630948.php |title=Fighting fire with Zen at Tassajara |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |date=November 23, 2016 |access-date=June 25, 2021 }}</ref><ref name=KQED>{{cite news |author=Lakshmi Sarah |url=https://www.kqed.org/news/11878787/fire-monks-prepared-to-defend-tassajara-zen-center-as-willow-fire-threatens |title='Fire Monks' Prepared to Defend Tassajara Zen Center as Willow Fire Threatens |publisher=[[KQED Inc.|KQED]] News |date=June 21, 2021 |access-date=June 25, 2021 }}</ref><ref name=AP>{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/article/ca-state-wire-california-wildfires-fires-5992a65eaf55151db98ece550da08992 |title='Fire monks' ready to defend monastery from Big Sur blaze |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |date=June 22, 2021 |access-date=June 25, 2021 }}<!-- Also in The Guardian, June 23: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/23/firefighting-monks-monastery-california-big-sur-fire --></ref> The Tassajara Center was threatened by the 2016 [[Soberanes Fire]]; it escaped damage<ref name=Soberanes/> but was closed to guests for the remainder of the year.<ref>[http://sfzc.org/tassajara/ 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.</ref> In June 2021, the [[Willow Fire]] threatened the monastery.<ref name=KQED/><ref name=AP/>
Tassajara is threatened by the 2016 [[Soberanes Fire]], but has escaped damage. The Center is closed to guests for the remainder of 2016. <ref>[http://sfzc.org/tassajara/ 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". Accessed 9/8/2016 </ref>


==Calendars and schedules==
==Calendars and schedules==
===Practice periods===
===Practice periods===
A practice period (''[[ango]]'' in [[Japanese language|Japanese]]) denotes a period of intensive [[Monastery|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]] ([[meditation]]), study, and work.<ref name="Guidelines"/>
A practice period (''[[ango]]'' in Japanese) denotes a period of intensive [[Monastery|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]] ([[meditation]]), study, and work.<ref name="Guidelines"/>


===Guest season===
===Guest season===
⚫
[[Image:Lunch spread at Tassajara Hot Springs.jpg|thumb|Lunch buffet at the Center]]
After the practice periods, Tassajara is open to the public from mid-April through early September.<ref name="SummerGuidelines"/> 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,<ref name="SummerPractice"/> is a cornerstone of Tassajara's economic well-being.<ref name="Crews"/>
After the practice periods, Tassajara is open to the public from mid-April through early September.<ref name="SummerGuidelines"/> 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,<ref name="SummerPractice"/> is a cornerstone of Tassajara's economic well-being.<ref name="Crews"/>


The guest program includes a major kitchen operation. Tassajara is renowned for its [[vegetarian]] cuisine.<ref name="Liddle"/><ref name="Hansen"/> Tassajara [[Human resources|personnel]] also founded the Tassajara Bakery in [[Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco, California|Ashbury Heights]]<ref name="Sinton"/> and [[Greens Restaurant]] at [[Fort Mason]] in the [[Marina District, San Francisco, California|Marina District]]<ref name="Hansen"/> in [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]]. [[Edward Espe Brown]]'s ''Tassajara Bread Book'',<ref name="Hodgman"/> published by [[Shambhala Publications]] in 1970 and revised in 1986 and 1995,<ref name="Breadbook"/> is often credited as a major catalyst for the popularity of artisanal baking in the United States, while his ''Tassajara Recipe Book''<ref name="Recipebook"/> is the best known of several books of general vegetarian cuisine produced by authors connected with the Center.
The guest program includes a major kitchen operation. Tassajara is renowned for its vegetarian cuisine.<ref name="Liddle"/><ref name="Hansen"/> Tassajara personnel also founded the Tassajara Bakery in [[Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco, California|Ashbury Heights]]<ref name="Sinton"/> and [[Greens Restaurant]] at [[Fort Mason]] in the [[Marina District, San Francisco, California|Marina District]]<ref name="Hansen"/> in San Francisco. [[Edward Espe Brown]]'s ''Tassajara Bread Book'',<ref name="Hodgman"/> published by [[Shambhala Publications]] in 1970 and revised in 1986 and 1995,<ref name="Breadbook"/> is often credited as a major catalyst for the popularity of artisanal baking in the United States, while his ''Tassajara Recipe Book''<ref name="Recipebook"/> is the best known of several books of general vegetarian cuisine produced by authors connected with the center.


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<gallery widths="190px" heights="180px" >
<gallery widths="190px" heights="180px">
Image:Tassajara Hot Springs (Menu).jpg
Image:Tassajara Hot Springs (Menu).jpg
Image:Tassajara Kitchen (San Francisco Zen center, SFZC, Soto).jpg
Image:Tassajara Kitchen (San Francisco Zen center, SFZC, Soto).jpg
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Image:Sitting area by office (Tassajara).jpg
Image:Sitting area by office (Tassajara).jpg
Image:Napkin Table at Dining Hall (Tassajara).jpg
Image:Napkin Table at Dining Hall (Tassajara).jpg
⚫
Image:Lunch spread at Tassajara Hot Springs.jpg
Image:Buddha statue at Tassajara.jpg
Image:Buddha statue at Tassajara.jpg
Image:Tassajara Zendo (San Francisco Zen Center, SFZC, Soto).jpg
</gallery>
</gallery>


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{{Reflist|colwidth=30em|refs=
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em|refs=


<ref name="Crews">{{cite web |url= http://www.cuke.com/bibliography/shoes/crews%20review%20of%20shoes.html |title= Zen & the Art of Success |author= [[Frederick Crews|Frederick C. Crews]], review of Michael Downing's ''Shoes Outside the Door: Desire, Devotion, and Excess at San Francisco Zen Center'' |work= [[The New York Review of Books]] ([http://www.nybooks.com/articles/article-preview?article_id=15221 abstract]) reprint on cuke.com |date= March 28, 2002 |quote= [The] book begins with, and then encircles in widening orbits, a conference held in March 1983 at Zenshinji, or Zen Mind Temple, better known to the world as Tassajara … Tassajara in summer sees too much traffic to be called a true monastery. Rather, it is part [[training]] camp, part profitable [[Tourism|tourist]] enterprise, and part showcase for potential [[Charitable organization|donors]] who may be inspired to support Zen Center's instruction in [[zazen]]. }}</ref>
<ref name="Crews">{{cite web |url= http://www.cuke.com/bibliography/shoes/crews%20review%20of%20shoes.html |series= Zen & the Art of Success |author= Frederick C. Crews |author-link= Frederick Crews |title=Michael Downing's ''Shoes Outside the Door: Desire, Devotion, and Excess at San Francisco Zen Center'' |work= [[The New York Review of Books]] |type=Review |via=cuke.com |date= March 28, 2002 |quote= [The] book begins with, and then encircles in widening orbits, a conference held in March 1983 at Zenshinji, or Zen Mind Temple, better known to the world as Tassajara … Tassajara in summer sees too much traffic to be called a true monastery. Rather, it is part training camp, part profitable tourist enterprise, and part showcase for potential donors who may be inspired to support Zen Center's instruction in [[zazen]]. }} ([http://www.nybooks.com/articles/article-preview?article_id=15221 abstract])</ref>


<ref name="ChadwickBeck">{{cite web |url= http://www.cuke.com/Cucumber%20Project/interviews/beck-robert.html |title= Interview with Robert Beck |author= David Chadwick |work= cuke.com |date= February 19, 2002 |authorlink= David Chadwick (writer) }}</ref>
<ref name="ChadwickBeck">{{cite web |url= http://www.cuke.com/Cucumber%20Project/interviews/beck-robert.html |title= Interview with Robert Beck |author= David Chadwick |author-link= David Chadwick (writer) |work= cuke.com |date= February 19, 2002}}</ref>


<ref name="Fullwood">{{cite web |url= http://www.sacbee.com/fullwood/story/11456.html |title= Serene escapes: Where less is more |author= Janet Fullwood |work= [[Sacramento Bee]] |date= November 29, 2006 }}</ref>
<ref name="Fullwood">{{cite web |url= http://www.sacbee.com/fullwood/story/11456.html |title= Serene escapes: Where less is more |author= Janet Fullwood |work= [[Sacramento Bee]] |date= November 29, 2006 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://archive.today/20130104152443/http://www.sacbee.com/fullwood/story/11456.html |archive-date= January 4, 2013 }}</ref>


<ref name="Guidelines">{{cite web |url= http://www.sfzc.org/tassajara/docs/zmc_pp_guidelines.pdf |title= Pure Standards and Guidelines for Practice Period |format= [[Portable Document Format|PDF]] |author= San Francisco Zen Center }}</ref>
<ref name="Guidelines">{{cite web |url= http://www.sfzc.org/tassajara/docs/zmc_pp_guidelines.pdf |title= Pure Standards and Guidelines for Practice Period |author= San Francisco Zen Center |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070205205122/http://www.sfzc.org/tassajara/docs/zmc_pp_guidelines.pdf |archive-date= February 5, 2007 }}</ref>


<ref name="SummerGuidelines">{{cite web |url= http://sfzc.org/tassajara/documents/ZenshinjiSummerGuidelines.pdf |title= Guidelines of Conduct & Precepts for Summer Practice |format= [[Portable Document Format|PDF]] |author= San Francisco Zen Center }}</ref>
<ref name="SummerGuidelines">{{cite web |url= http://sfzc.org/tassajara/documents/ZenshinjiSummerGuidelines.pdf |title= Guidelines of Conduct & Precepts for Summer Practice |author= San Francisco Zen Center |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070207012600/http://www.sfzc.org/tassajara/documents/ZenshinjiSummerGuidelines.pdf |archive-date= February 7, 2007 }}</ref>


<ref name="SummerPractice">{{cite web |url= http://www.sfzc.org/tassajara/display.asp?pageid=181 |title= Summer Work Practice |author= San Francisco Zen Center }}</ref>
<ref name="SummerPractice">{{cite web |url= http://www.sfzc.org/tassajara/display.asp?pageid=181 |title= Summer Work Practice |author= San Francisco Zen Center |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101128230737/http://sfzc.org/tassajara/display.asp?pageid=181 |archive-date= November 28, 2010 }}</ref>


<ref name="Liddle">{{cite web |url= http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_v20/ai_4468096 |title= Fresh seafood, produce mold 565 Clay's success – San Francisco restaurant |author= Alan Liddle |work= [[Nation's Restaurant News]] |date= September 29, 1986 }}</ref>
<ref name="Liddle">{{cite web |url= http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_v20/ai_4468096 |title= Fresh seafood, produce mold 565 Clay's success – San Francisco restaurant |author= Alan Liddle |work= [[Nation's Restaurant News]] |date= September 29, 1986 }}</ref>
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<ref name="Hansen">{{cite web |url= http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/08/29/CMGK781M0T1.DTL |title= It's good to be greens |author= Eileen Hansen, review of [[Greens Restaurant]] |work= [[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date= August 29, 2004 }}</ref>
<ref name="Hansen">{{cite web |url= http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/08/29/CMGK781M0T1.DTL |title= It's good to be greens |author= Eileen Hansen, review of [[Greens Restaurant]] |work= [[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date= August 29, 2004 }}</ref>


<ref name="Sinton">{{cite web |url= http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/1999/04/10/BU97721.DTL&type=travel |title= Staff of Life Not Enough For Tassajara |author= Peter Sinton |work= [[San Francisco Chronicle]] ([http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2003/08/05/BU266916.DTL&o=0 photo]) |date= April 10, 1999 }}</ref>
<ref name="Sinton">{{cite web |url= http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/1999/04/10/BU97721.DTL&type=travel |title= Staff of Life Not Enough For Tassajara |author= Peter Sinton |work= [[San Francisco Chronicle]]|date= April 10, 1999 }} ([http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2003/08/05/BU266916.DTL&o=0 photo])</ref>


<ref name="Hodgman">{{cite web |url= http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/30/magazine/flour-power.html |title= Flour Power |author= Ann Hodgman |work= [[The New York Times]] |date= March 30, 2003 }}</ref>
<ref name="Hodgman">{{cite web |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/30/magazine/flour-power.html |title= Flour Power |author= Ann Hodgman |work= [[The New York Times]] |date= March 30, 2003 }}</ref>


<ref name="Breadbook">[[Edward Espe Brown|Brown, Edward Espe]], ''The Tassajara Bread Book, 25th Anniversary Edition''. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1995. ISBN 978-1-57062-089-8.</ref>
<ref name="Breadbook">{{cite book |author=[[Edward Espe Brown]] |title=The Tassajara Bread Book |edition=25th Anniversary |location=Boston |publisher=Shambhala Publications |year=1995 |isbn=978-1-57062-089-8}}</ref>


<ref name="Recipebook">[[Edward Espe Brown|Brown, Edward Espe]]. ''The Tassajara Recipe Book'', revised edition. Boston, Shambhala Publications, 2000. ISBN 1-57062-580-8.</ref>
<ref name="Recipebook">{{cite book |author=[[Edward Espe Brown]] |title=The Tassajara Recipe Book |edition=rev. |location=Boston |publisher=Shambhala Publications |year=2000 |isbn=1-57062-580-8}}</ref>


}}
}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{commonscat|Tassajara}}
{{Commons category|Tassajara Zen Mountain Center}}
* [http://www.sfzc.org/tassajara/ Official '''Tassajara Zen Mountain Center''' website]
* [http://www.sfzc.org/tassajara/ Official '''Tassajara Zen Mountain Center''' website]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20090215060338/http://cuke.com/Cucumber%20Project/interviews/beck.html Archive.org: Interview with Bob Beck]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090215060338/http://cuke.com/Cucumber%20Project/interviews/beck.html Archive.org: Interview with Bob Beck]
* [http://www.cuke.com/Cucumber%20Project/other/tassajara.htm Tassajara page on cuke.com – extensive]


{{Buddhism topics}}
{{Buddhism topics}}
{{Authority control}}


{{coords|36.369956|-121.590937|display=title|t=landmark}}
{{Coord|36.233611|-121.550314|display=title|type:landmark}}


[[Category:Buddhist temples in California]]
[[Category:Buddhist temples in California]]
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[[Category:San Francisco Zen Center]]
[[Category:San Francisco Zen Center]]
[[Category:Soto temples]]
[[Category:Soto temples]]
[[Category:Places of worship in Monterey County, California]]
[[Category:Religious buildings and structures in Monterey County, California]]
[[Category:Buddhism in California]]
[[Category:Buddhism in California]]
[[Category:Buddhist organizations based in the United States]]
[[Category:Buddhist organizations based in the United States]]
[[Category:Spiritual retreats]]
[[Category:Spiritual retreats]]
[[Category:Visitor attractions in Monterey County, California]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Monterey County, California]]
[[Category:Zen centers]]
[[Category:Zen centers in California]]
[[Category:Hot springs of California]]
[[Category:1967 establishments in California]]

Latest revision as of 02:32, 28 November 2024

This article is about the Zen Buddhist Monastery. For the unincorporated community, see Tassajara Hot Springs, California. For the hot springs, see Tassajara Hot Springs.

Tassajara Zen Mountain Center
Zendo at Tassajara
Religion
AffiliationBuddhism
SectSoto Zen
Location
Location39171 Tassajara Road Carmel Valley, CA 93924
CountryUnited States
Architecture
FounderShunryu Suzuki
Completed1967
Website
http://sfzc.org/tassajara/

The Tassajara Zen Mountain Center is the oldest Japanese Buddhist Sōtō Zen monastery in the United States. It is on the border of the Ventana Wilderness and within the Los Padres National Forest, southeast of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. The center is only accessible over 5,082-foot-high (1,549 m) Chews Ridge via a narrow, steep, 13.7-mile (22.0 km) one-lane dirt road from Jamesburg. During the winter months the center can be inaccessible due to snow and rain.[1] 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 established outside Asia.[2][3]

History

[edit]

The name is a corruption of Tasajera, a Spanish-American word derived from an indigenous Esselen word, which means "place where meat is hung to dry".[4][5]

The 126-acre mountain property surrounding the Tassajara Hot Springs was purchased by the San Francisco Zen Center in 1967 for the below-market price[6] of $300,000[5] from Robert and Anna Beck.[7] They improved the property and renamed it The Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, or Zenshinji (Zen Mind Temple),[8] during Shunryu Suzuki's tenure as its first abbot.[7] When it was purchased in 1967, it was the first Zen monastery outside Asia.[2]

Tassajara's remote location in the Coastal Range means it is often threatened by wildfires. In 2008 the Basin Complex Fire reached the monastery; five monks stayed[9] in spite of evacuation orders[10] 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".[11][12][13] The Tassajara Center was threatened by the 2016 Soberanes Fire; it escaped damage[11] but was closed to guests for the remainder of the year.[14] In June 2021, the Willow Fire threatened the monastery.[12][13]

Calendars and schedules

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Practice periods

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A practice period (ango in Japanese) denotes a period of intensive 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 (meditation), study, and work.[15]

Guest season

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Lunch buffet at the Center

After the practice periods, Tassajara is open to the public from mid-April through early September.[16] 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,[17] is a cornerstone of Tassajara's economic well-being.[8]

The guest program includes a major kitchen operation. Tassajara is renowned for its vegetarian cuisine.[18][19] Tassajara personnel also founded the Tassajara Bakery in Ashbury Heights[20] and Greens Restaurant at Fort Mason in the Marina District[19] in San Francisco. Edward Espe Brown's Tassajara Bread Book,[21] published by Shambhala Publications in 1970 and revised in 1986 and 1995,[22] is often credited as a major catalyst for the popularity of artisanal baking in the United States, while his Tassajara Recipe Book[23] is the best known of several books of general vegetarian cuisine produced by authors connected with the center.

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Chews Ridge Lookout, California". www.peakbagging.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "History – Tassajara – San Francisco Zen Center". Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
  3. ^ Kharebashvili, Nia (March 15, 2023). "Tassajara Hot Springs: The Key to The Ultimate Spiritual Restoration". Traxplorio. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  4. ^ Erwin G. Gudde (2004). California Place Names: the Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names (4th ed.). Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-24217-3.
  5. ^ a b Janet Fullwood (November 29, 2006). "Serene escapes: Where less is more". Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on January 4, 2013.
  6. ^ "Interview with Robert Beck". February 19, 2002. Archived from the original on February 15, 2009. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
  7. ^ a b David Chadwick (February 19, 2002). "Interview with Robert Beck". cuke.com.
  8. ^ a b Frederick C. Crews (March 28, 2002). "Michael Downing's Shoes Outside the Door: Desire, Devotion, and Excess at San Francisco Zen Center". The New York Review of Books (Review). Zen & the Art of Success – via cuke.com. [The] book begins with, and then encircles in widening orbits, a conference held in March 1983 at Zenshinji, or Zen Mind Temple, better known to the world as Tassajara … Tassajara in summer sees too much traffic to be called a true monastery. Rather, it is part training camp, part profitable tourist enterprise, and part showcase for potential donors who may be inspired to support Zen Center's instruction in zazen. (abstract)
  9. ^ Matthai Kuruvila (February 11, 2012) [July 10, 2008]. "Tassajara monks practice Zen of firefighting". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  10. ^ "Letter from Robert Thomas, President: 7/17/2008 - Tassajara - San Francisco Zen Center". September 27, 2011. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Don Lattin (November 23, 2016). "Fighting fire with Zen at Tassajara". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Lakshmi Sarah (June 21, 2021). "'Fire Monks' Prepared to Defend Tassajara Zen Center as Willow Fire Threatens". KQED News. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  13. ^ a b "'Fire monks' ready to defend monastery from Big Sur blaze". Associated Press. June 22, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ San Francisco Zen Center. "Pure Standards and Guidelines for Practice Period" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 5, 2007.
  16. ^ San Francisco Zen Center. "Guidelines of Conduct & Precepts for Summer Practice" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 7, 2007.
  17. ^ San Francisco Zen Center. "Summer Work Practice". Archived from the original on November 28, 2010.
  18. ^ Alan Liddle (September 29, 1986). "Fresh seafood, produce mold 565 Clay's success – San Francisco restaurant". Nation's Restaurant News.
  19. ^ a b Eileen Hansen, review of Greens Restaurant (August 29, 2004). "It's good to be greens". San Francisco Chronicle.
  20. ^ Peter Sinton (April 10, 1999). "Staff of Life Not Enough For Tassajara". San Francisco Chronicle. (photo)
  21. ^ Ann Hodgman (March 30, 2003). "Flour Power". The New York Times.
  22. ^ Edward Espe Brown (1995). The Tassajara Bread Book (25th Anniversary ed.). Boston: Shambhala Publications. ISBN 978-1-57062-089-8.
  23. ^ Edward Espe Brown (2000). The Tassajara Recipe Book (rev. ed.). Boston: Shambhala Publications. ISBN 1-57062-580-8.
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