Sarah

One-year Student

Sarah - Tassajara Student

 

What brought you to Tassajara?

“Ever since I was young, I have felt big grief in the world. Growing up in a household that suppressed emotions, I needed a way to feel and express my experience. At first, it was running —movement allowed it all to flow through my body. I actually stumbled across Green Gulch Farm in 2022 while I was running on the trails nearby. I spontaneously applied to the Farm and Land Steward Apprenticeship there and entered residential life. Zazen became a way to open up to my grief, my fear, my joy—all of it. And to stop and sit down and clarify what’s important. Life is so precious.”

What practice supports you in your everyday life?

“Gardening—working intimately with plants, land, and people has taught me the importance of being open to each and every plant and each being. To not have a tight agenda or idea of what’s going on, so that I can fully enjoy the expression of the moment. Practicing with the land has also supported my practice in the zendo. When I bow in the zendo, I feel like I am touching my head to the earth.”

What do you love about Tassajara?

“Rocks, trees, moss, water. I love living so closely with the elements [at Tassajara]—it makes us human. When I see the moon and rain, I experience them as opportunities to be fully alive, in this body. These elements also remind me of the nature of reality that things are always changing. Five months ago, the creek and waterfalls were roaring with water and now I can barely hear the water. Tassajara has helped me to develop an intimacy and appreciation for this reality, even when it’s heartbreaking.”


Follow us on Instagram at @tassajaratales to get a peek into student residential life.