A late-night fire at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, located in remote mountains south of San Francisco, has destroyed the community’s wooden meditation hall, or zendo, according to statements from monastery officials and local fire authorities.
The fire broke out at approximately 11:30 p.m. on 26 March. No injuries were reported, although the meditation hall was completely destroyed in the blaze. Part of the monastery’s library was also lost.
Monks and residents at Tassajara responded immediately, using hoses, buckets, and the center’s outdoor sprinkler system to combat the flames before emergency services arrived. The Cachagua Fire Protection District reported that crews were on site from 12:30 a.m. until 6:45 a.m., working to fully contain the fire.
In a statement, the fire department commended the efforts of the monastery’s residents: “The staff at the Tassajara Mountain Zen Center should be incredibly proud, their initial fire attack efforts helped keep the fire contained, buying critical time for responding apparatus to arrive and preventing further damage. Thanks to their quick actions, only one structure was lost.” (KSBW)
According to the president of the San Francisco Zen Center, Michael McCord, most of the approximately 30 practitioners on site had already gone to sleep following a week-long meditation retreat. A small number remained in the meditation hall at the time the fire began. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, although it is believed to have originated in the building’s attic.
In addition to the structure itself, several important ritual and historical items were destroyed. These included a mokugyo, or wooden fish drum, used in chanting, a century-old Japanese bell that reportedly melted in the heat, and a historic Buddha statue. The statue had previously been salvaged from an earlier fire that destroyed the meditation hall in 1978, underscoring the recurring vulnerability of the site to fire.
“Everyone’s just really sad,” McCord said. “We’ve had an outpouring of support from all over the world. People from every corner of the world know about Tassajara.” (San Francisco Chronicle)
Founded in 1967, Tassajara is widely recognized as the oldest Zen Buddhist training monastery outside Asia. Located in a remote valley within the Los Padres National Forest, the center operates as a cloistered training facility for much of the year, opening to the public during the summer months when visitors can attend retreats and use the site’s natural hot springs.
Wildfire risk has long been a concern in the region. During the 2008 Basin Complex Fire, Tassajara gained national attention when a group of monks chose to remain behind to defend the monastery despite evacuation orders. And in 2020, the center was threatened by one of several fires raging across the region, leading members of the community to bury several Buddha and bodhisattva statues so that they would be safe in the event that a fire reached the center.*
In the aftermath of the latest fire, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center expressed gratitude to local firefighters and community members who assisted in containing the blaze. The center also indicated that rebuilding efforts would likely involve significant financial costs and has begun outreach to supporters worldwide.
Additionally, the center shared this update from abbot David Zimmerman on social media:
Good morning. Tassajara practice continues uninterrupted. The Sangha is resilient. Monks sit zazen now in the Retreat Hall. Canyon wrens sing on the Kaisando roof in the morning, frogs chant along Cabarga Creek at night. Gratitude to the Buddhas and Ancestors, the mountains and waters, for this liberative Way of life. (Facebook)
The center has established a fundraising campaign to help with recovery and rebuilding at giving.sfzc.org/zendo-fire.
* Tassajara Zen Mountain Center Threatened by California Wildfires (BDG)
See more
Historic Buddha statue gone after fire levels meditation hall near Big Sur (San Francisco Chronicle)
Fire destroys Carmel Valley meditation hall, damages part of library (KSBW)
Abbot David Zimmerman update from Tassajara Zen Mountain Center (Facebook)
Tassajara Zen Mountain Center (Facebook)
Update from Cachagua Fire Protection District (Facebook)
Related news reports from BDG
San Francisco Zen Center Sees Ongoing Legal Dispute Over Wages for Former Monastic
Wildfires in South Korea Take 26 Lives, Destroy Buddhist Temple and Heritage Sites
Tassajara Zen Mountain Center Resident Found Dead After Solo Hike
Buddhist Monastery in Australia Destroyed by Blaze
Berkeley Zen Center to Install First Female Abbot in Historic Leadership Transition
