Fire Monks

Fire Monks: Zen Mind Meets Wildfire at the Gates of Tassajara by Colleen Morton Busch pivots on the kind of moment some seek and some run from, when life and death hang in simultaneous view. When a massive wildfire surrounded Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, five monks risked their lives to save it. Novices in fire but experts in readiness, the Tassajara monks summoned both intuition and wisdom to face crisis with startling clarity.

Deep in the wilderness east of Big Sur, the oldest Zen Buddhist monastery in the United States is connected to the outside world by a single unpaved road. The remoteness that appealed to Tassajara founder Shunryu Suzuki Roshi (author of the classic Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind) also makes the location particularly vulnerable in an emergency. When wildfires blazed across the state of California in June 2008, firefighters advised residents at Tassajara to evacuate early. Most did, but a small crew stayed behind, preparing to protect the monastery when the fire arrived. However, a treacherous shift in weather conditions necessitated a full evacuation, including all firefighters. Unwilling to abandon Tassajara, five senior monks made the risky decision to turn back. Relying on their Zen training, they were able to remain in the moment and do the seemingly impossible—to greet the fire not as an enemy to defeat, but as a friend to guide.

A primer on the Zen path and the ways of wildfire, Fire Monks offers a gripping narrative and a profound lesson in the art of living, revealing what it means to meet a crisis with full presence of mind.

Colleen Morton Busch’s nonfiction, poetry, and fiction have appeared in a wide range of publications, from literary magazines to the San Francisco Chronicle and Yoga Journal, where she was a senior editor. A Zen student since 2000, Busch lives in Berkeley, California.

Find out more about Fire Monks and Colleen at
www.fire-monks.com.

Read an excerpt from Fire Monks HERE.




About Fire Monks
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: The Penguin Press (July 7, 2011)
Purchase Fire Monks at Amazon.com


The fire arrives at Tassajara

My Thoughts

Wildfires, when combined with the elements of nature, becomes an unpredictable force that daunts even the most highly trained individuals at times. Fire Monks shows us how a small group put their beliefs and wisdom to work to meet the crisis head on.

I remember the California wildfires of the summer of 2008, we closely followed the news reports. In November of the same year, on a flight from Portland, Oregon to San Diego we could see some of the charred earth as we flew over parts of California. I recall thinking at the time that those who fought the fire were incredibly brave and devoted to have faced those flames. I had no idea of the drama that had taken place below me just a few months earlier.

Colleen Morton Busch, through after the fire interviews, does an excellent job introducing the residents of Tassajara and others who play a role in the defense of the monastery. Not only does the reader learn more about the individuals but also the beliefs that would help them to prepare and make decisions at critical moments.

Fire Monks is an exciting, and heartwarming, read. It is a story of courage and knowing that staying in the moment will help you meet your goals ..... and stay alive.

I highly recommend Fire Monks to everyone.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher. I was not compensated for my review, all opinions are my own.