Tassajara Zen Center

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Tassajara Zen Mountain Center (Zenshinji) is a Buddhist monastery located in the heart of the Ventana Wilderness, just inland from the Central Coast of California. Every fall and winter, Tassajara devotes itself to practicing the monastic forms passed down through the Soto Zen tradition.

  • Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. Tassajara Zen Center is located in a remote part of the Ventana Wilderness in the Santa Lucia Mountains and for centuries has been visited as a place of healing. In 1966 the first Soto Zen monastery outside of Asia was established at Tassajara by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi and the San Francisco Zen Center.
  • He founded and was CEO of 3 companies, and has an MBA degree from New York University. Marc was a resident of the San Francisco Zen Center for 10 years, and director of Tassajara, Zen Mountain Center, the first Zen monastery in the western world. He leads Mill Valley Zen, a weekly meditation group. Read more about Marc.

Abbot and Guiding Teacher

KONJIN GAELYN GODWIN, Roshi
The Abbot of Houston Zen Center, Setsuan Konjin* Gaelyn Godwin, is connected nationally and internationally with Buddhist teachers and organizations, and, in addition to her own travels to lead Zen retreats, she brings nationally recognized teachers to Houston for Dharma teaching.
She serves as the Director of the International Division of Soto Zen, North America (a department of Soto Zen Headquarters based in Japan).
She received ordination as a Zen Priest in 1991, from Tenshin Reb Anderson, Senior Dharma Teacher at San Francisco Zen Center.She received Dharma Transmission, also from Tenshin Reb Anderson, in 2003, and was appointed Kaikyoshi (formal recognition from Japan) in 2005. Her Zen lineage is Soto Zen, through Dōgen Zenji, and through Suzuki Shunryu Daiosho, founder of San Francisco Zen Center.

Training: Her Zen training began at San Francisco Zen Center (SFZC) in 1985 and continued for 18 years there, including 12 years at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, the largest Zen monastery in the West. During her years at the monastery she served as Practice Leader, Director, Ino (head of the meditation hall), Work Leader, Plant Manager, and in many other capacities. She returns to Tassajara Zen Mountain Center two or three times each year for teaching and practice. Additional Zen training: She trained in Japan, at Hosshinji with Harada Sekkei Roshi in 1991–92, and at Zuioji in 2005; and with Robert Aitken Roshi of the Diamond Sangha in Hawaii in 1995–96.
Service: She served on San Francisco Zen Center’s Board of Directors for 7 years and currently advises the Affiliates Council. She currently serves on the Board of the Institute for Spirituality and Health at Texas Medical Center.

Center

Memberships: She is a member of the Soto Zen Buddhist Association and served as the President of the Board; she is currently on the advisory council. She is also a member of the American Zen Teachers Association, serving on the membership committee, and the Association of Soto Zen Buddhists, serving on the Roadmap Committee regarding the development of Zen in the West.

Outreach and responsibilities: She oversees Houston Zen Center’s campus and teaching program, guides the Practice Committee, participates in Board meetings and planning (buildings and teaching events), leads Sesshin and practice periods, trains shusos (head students) and has ordained and trains numerous Zen priests. She has given Lay Dharma Entrustment to four senior lay practitioners who now serve as Zen teachers. She has two Zen dharma heirs who have received full Dharma Transmission. In addition, she leads a prison meditation group north of Huntsville, and participates frequently in socially engaged projects for the benefit of the underserved, in Houston and elsewhere.

She moved to Houston in 2003, after annual teaching visits for 5 years, to guide the Houston Zen Center. She has two stepdaughters, Jessie, an economist in Chicago, and Sarah, an obstetrician in San Francisco, and four grandchildren, Oscar, Rose, Joachim and Sofia.

Tassajara Zen Meditation Center

*Setsuan Konjin is a dharma name = Snow Hermitage, Builds Love

39171 Tassajara Rd, Carmel Valley, CA 93924

All Levels

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I was really excited to visit this retreat center- it has history. The first Soto Zen training center the US, Tassajara is part of the San Francisco Zen Center and was established in 1967. Although the price tag was steep for a weekend retreat, I felt like I had to experience this center which only opens it’s doors to visitors during the summer months. The workshop I choose was a combination of yoga and hiking with a Buddhist perspective, it sounded like complete perfection to me. Getting to the retreat involves a four wheel drive vehicle since the dirt roads you have to traverse are rocky and steep. The center offers a shuttle at different times during the day for an additional cost in case you, like most guests, don’t have an appropriate vehicle. This choice was what I opted for and was surprised it was an additional cost and not included in the price of the workshop.

Tassajara Zen Mountain Center Carmel Valley California

There are several different options for accommodations at Tassajara. I choose one of the Redwood Cabins, which was a collection of free standing small cabins. The interior is decorated in very humble accommodations and in the traditional Japanese way there are two tatami straw mats on the floor and the mattresses sit on top. I did not mind sleeping on the floor and the mattresses were actually really comfortable, but what I did mind was the collection of black spiders that continued to make an appearance during my stay. I don’t have a ton of fears but spiders are on the list – up high on the list. Against my better judgement and needing to sleep in the cabin I exterminated a few, with regret and blessings, and thought of the irony here at a Buddhist Zen center where harming all sentient beings is wrong. I began by trapping the first visitor in a glass cup which took what seemed like an hour since he would duck away and reappear across the room. What I later discovered that there was a village that lived in the cabin and there was no way I was going to sleep until they were cleared from my area. Firefox for mac problems.

Big sur hot springs

The food was incredibly disappointing. For vegans they had plain rice and lentils with zero seasoning – every meal. It was barely palatable and for the cost of the retreat you would think the food offerings would be much better. There were tables enjoying wine they brought so that was allowed although I don’t believe it was sold there. There is a cute bookstore and a really nice collection of hot springs. The hot springs is what I looked forward to most during my stay and anxiously after check in grabbed my suit and headed over but the bummer was again – BUGS. More bugs! These were flying, biting little insects that were in masses. They were so bad that the lounge chairs around the pool had netting to protect you from getting bit. This is an obvious reoccurring problem at the center.

Tassajara Zen Mountain Center Weather

I was super disappointed with my stay at Tassajara and was almost angered at the total charge of the weekend. It is real hard to relax when there are spiders in your bed and the food options are sad. If this had been a donation based experience I would have been far less disappointed. I could not wait to leave.

Tassajara Zen Center Hot Springs

I would possibly go back in a different season – maybe when the bugs aren’t as active and try a different type of accommodation