Zen Monastery Fire

A fire destroyed the main meditation hall at Tassajara Mountain Zen Center in Central California, as monks neared the end of a long retreat. Last week's fire burned down the wooden building and damaged a nearby library. No one was injured. Staff members used hoses and buckets to slow the flame, limiting the damage to just the one structure. Volunteer firefighters arrived an hour after the fire broke out. A center administrator said several sacred items, including a 2,000-year-old Buddha statue, may have been destroyed. However, the extent of the damages won't be known until they sift through the rubble. Leaders say the loss feels painful, but it also reinforces Buddhism’s teaching on impermanence.