11-09-14 - One day at Tassajara Howie Klein was standing on the bridge by the dining room gazing out toward the creek. I walked up and said, "Nice view," we should take a picture of it. "Yeah," he replied, "Have to come back and see it sometime." - DC

11-05-14 - Bulgarian Salt Loaf

Mike Daft was cook for lunch, practice period, Tassajara early, 67 I think. He'd made the bread for lunch having come in before morning zazen to start the process. We cut some steaming slices straight out of the Wolf oven. Awful. He realized he'd put in cups of salt instead of tablespoons. The zazen period was just ending. Noon service would start in a minute. It was time to serve up and be ready to hit the lunch han and bring the serving pots and baskets out to the back table as black and grey-robed students took their seats, sat on their zafu in the zendo. Mike wondered if he should announce that lunch would be served without that course. There was no alternative. There were three bowls to fill. It had to be served. I was on the lunch crew that day. He had a suggestion. Mike thought then nodded. In the silence of the zendo, after the first part of the meal chant but before the servers walked down the isles, Mike bravely announced, "Today's lunch features Bulgarian Salt Loaf." Later there were no complaints. Bulgarian Salt Loaf was, however, never served again.

12-05-14 - Suzuki Coming Going

When Shunryu Suzuki arrived at Tassajara everyone was glad he'd arrived and when he'd leave people would want to say goodbye, so little by little a practice evolved of students gathering and standing near his cabin, on the bridge, and on the road, to greet him or say goodbye bowing with hands in gassho. I don't remember there being any bell or announcement, so not everyone would be there. Oh yes - there were three hits of the han when he'd arrive. It wasn't so formal. That practice continued when Richard Baker became abbot. It wasn't something he asked for. I recall Stewart Brand being turned off by it. It did look a little culty. Of course Suzuki was arriving in somebody's car, like Yvonne's VW Bug and what Stewart saw was Baker arriving in his albatrosic BMW. But also, I think that Suzuki was more comfortable with it than Baker. I remember noticing that he liked it. It would be hard not to like a bunch of people being so positive about you. And also he came from a culture which revered teachers and had all sorts of ways to show respect. But in both cases, everything would resume to normal quickly. Don't think that practice is done anymore. The whole abbot thing has come down a few notches. - dc