Latest Update and News
(7/14/2008, 3:37 PM PDT)
A few fire trucks have made it all the way in to Tassajara, including an assessment team that is there today.
Jamesburg and Tassajara Road continue to be under mandatory evacuation as efforts are being made to contain the fire near the Observatory.
Thank you to everyone who has responded to our fundraising appeal so far. We are very grateful and encouraged by your support and well-wishes.
Director David Zimmerman sent out this report from Tassajara. (7/13)
President Robert Thomas has posted a letter to the community with a request to support Tassajara. (7/13)
Some much need humor (San Francisco Chronicle, 7/13)
Send More Monks! (Newsweek, 7/21 issue)
Flirefighter Blog’s assessment of why Tassajara wasn’t supported on the ground.
We need your support
As grateful as we are that everyone at Tassajara is safe for now and that the fire damage to buildings is not as extensive as it might have been, we are still in dire need of your help. The entire Zen Center community relies on the income generated by the Tassajara guest season to support and sustain not only Tassajara, but also the City Center and Green Gulch Farm throughout the year. In addition to lost income, we are looking at huge clean-up and significant rebuilding projects. We are deeply grateful for your donations at this time of loss and uncertainty. Thank you.

The Black Mountain Zen Centre of Belfast Ireland is organizing a benefit in behalf of Tassajara. Mora McAleenan, a student of Abbot Ryushin Paul Haller and a former Tassajara resident, is hoping to raise £1000 through donations, book sales and a benefit event scheduled for July 19. We are deeply grateful for their support and generosity. The dharma tree roots run deep and wide, and know no barriers.
Previous Updates
Here is a list of past updates and fire watch maps.
A Message to Our Guests: Tassajara Closed until July 31st
We are currently contacting people in chronological order of reservation date to reschedule or refund deposits. Please feel free to call our Reservations Office at 415-865-1899; we are open from Monday-Friday from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM, or you can email us at tassrez@sfzc.org . Obviously, we are quite busy right now, so if we aren’t able to pick up your call right away, please be assured that it will be returned in the order it was received.
Other Information Sources
You can read and comment on the Sitting with Fire blog which is being updated by the crew at Jamesburg. Also useful is the U.S. Forest Service web site, the Incident Information System (which can be slow to load) or follow the coverage by KUSP in Santa Cruz, the LA Times or the Monterey Herald.
You can also get an updated view of the fires using Google Earth. The USDA Forest Service offers a Google Earth view of the fire location. You will need to have Google Earth installed on your computer. Then you download this map: http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us/kml/conus.kmz for fire detections. Tassajara's coordinates are: 36.23361388,-121.5500926. You can copy and paste these coordinates into the "Fly To" field and hit enter.
Information for Displaced Students
Right now, please continue to check this site for information and stay in touch via the Google group.
In the News
- Priests survive inferno near Tassajara Zen Center (Monterey Herald, 7/11/2008)
- Holdouts keep fire from Tassajara center (San Francisco Chronicle, 7/11/2008)
- Fire Nears Zen Center (Monterey Herald, 7/10/2008)
- As fire approaches monastery, monks stay behind (San Francisco Chronicle, 7/9/2008)
- Out of Control (NBC Nightly News, 7/5)
- Big Sur will always survive fire, locals say (San Francisco Chronicle, 7/4)
- Crews work to save Zen Mountain Center (Monterey Herald 7/4/2008)
- Monks Fight Basin Complex Fire To Save Monastery (KION-TV 7/1/2008)
- As flames approach Big Sur monastery, monks prepare to fight (LA Times 6/28/2008)
- Bush declares emergency for fires in N. California; weather cooperates Tassajara mentioned at end of story (LA Times 6/28/2008)
- KUSP's coverage of the Basin Complex fire (mentions Tassajara) (ongoing)
- Big Sur fires close road, force evacuations (Monterey Herald - 6/23/2008)
Blogs
Photos