Tomorrow we go off line

Tomorrow morning Alec and I are returning to Tassajara. Fun time is over. Back to work. This is my last post. Woof woof, Ginger

I am a Well Actualized Canine!

Scooter and I have come to town (Santa Cruz) form our mountain top retreat in Boulder Creek (Thank you Esther Campos!). Just moments ago we finished our walk along West Cliff (see photo) and well Scooter just wants you all to know that I have become a well socialized and actualized Canine!

Now I am not making any promises about my behavior once I get back to TJ but Scooter is besides himself and beaming with pride at how "good" I was during our little trip to the beach this afternoon. Now I know that "good" is just another form of dualistic discrimination but the poor little guy has been trying so hard with me so I thought I would throw him a bone. (I kill myself!)

Last time we went to West Cliff for a little stroll I was a bit more on the defensive, and with good reason. Scooter had met this Laura person who picked us up and took us to West Cliff here in Santa Cruz. I could tell that Scooter thought she was cute cuz he just wasn't paying attention to all the dangers which were facing him. So I took a proactive stance when faced with such threats as small children on bicycles, people walking, people walking with dogs!, and, gasp, dogs off their leashes! So while Scooter and Laura were engrossed in such heady topics as "I as a Libra, don't really believe in astrology!" and "Gee your hair smells terrific!" (Yuck! At least tell her her butt smells terrific..), I made it my mission to intercept and destroy all these potential malfeasors! It got so tedious: Scooter would be telling Laura about his "Law Degree" (big whoop!)while I had my fangs sunk deep into some basset's haunches while the basset's owner is screaming at Scooter about little ol' moi! Too precious. So after that it was quite amusing watching Scooter trying to impress this woman while holding me face down in the sand while I growled and bared my fangs.

So today I was little Miss perfect pooch. I healed past all passers; canine, human, and vela (of or pertaining to a bicycle) and then when we got to the beach I met Dexter, the setter/lab mix and Sheila the pitbull and a number of others of my species and we all had a marvelous and most civilized time romping in the waves. I didn't even growl at anybody the whole time!

Too bad Scooter was alone.

To top off a perfect day at the beach even scooter got some well deserved praise while bent over and scooping my doggie doodie into a plastic bag: "Good Human!" shouted a bicyclist. I shit you not!

Well were off to the Seshinn at the Santa Cruz Zen Center. Kiss kiss woof woof,

Ginger

We're Going Back!!!

Yea! We're going back next week..watch out Monkey Scat! Scooter wants to remind everyone that certain lifestyle changes may soon need to be made and he offers the following list of his own to consider.....



(Scooter's) Note to self:

Top ten things to do Before Tuesday return to Tassajara:

1. Finish off McDonald's Big Mac coupons.
2. Reset alarm clock from 11:00 am to 530 am
3. Cancel Net flix subscription
   
4. Find better hiding place for porn
   
5. Stop yelling across room.
6. No more composting beer cans
7. Preface all utterances with "So..."
8. Set auto-responder for E Harmony account
9. Limit spooning with Ginger to two hours a night
10. Measure A/C unit for Dorm 3's window
    

Thank You

Ginger has the night off. She and her new friend Kala are living up high in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Tim and I went surfing today at Sharks beach in Santa Cruz. I just want to take this opportunity to say:

Dear Everybody:

Thank you all for the love and courage it took to save Tassajara.

Thank you to the students who stood their ground and sat their practice in the face of danger, hard work, and frustration.

Thank you to Leslie James and Keith Meyeroff. Their own home is hanging in the balance as I write this. Thank you both for your tireless hours of coordination, errand running, phone calling and answering, anxiety assuaging, housing placing, driving, feeding, and all the other myriad things.

Thank you David Zimmerman without whose leadership we would certainly be facing a different outcome. Thank you for making the tough decisions and for standing your watch to the very end.

Thank you Mako and Graham for your equanimity, leadership, skill, knowledge and courage.

Thank you Colin for your uprightness and bravery and most certainly your humor.

Thank you Steve Stuckey, the admiral who stayed with his fleet through the darkness and danger.

Thank you Chris and Kathleen for everything.

Thank you Shundo. Thank you Greg Fain. Thank you Devon.

Thank you Robert Thomas for your guidance, comfort and leadership. Thank you for correctly acknowledging the fearless sacrifice demonstrated by all the students who struggled so hard with clearing and digging to break the co-arising attachments of flammable materials connecting Tassajara to the organic antecedents of fire.

Thank you cooks, dishwashers and room cleaners who supported all the efforts of the myriad beings fighting the fires. Thank you fire fighters. Thank you inmates.

Thank you Sonja for calling everyday and for chanting our names and keeping us together in your heart.

Thank you to the myriad supporters of Tassajara and of Zen Center. Thank you for housing and feeding us and for sitting with us.

Thank you Katherine, Jean Marie and the Santa Cruz Zen Center for taking such great care of me and Ginger.

Thank you survivors of Marble-Cone for your anecdotes, poetry and the comfort of experience.

Thank you lightning for striking far enough away to give us time to work with our abilities and our limitations.

Thank you water. What would we do without you?

Thank you fire for testing us, singeing us, teaching us,
and ultimately for sparing us and our home and place of practice.

Thank you Suzuki Roshi, you always knew what you were up to.

Thank you all for all the conditions and causes that manifest as you, my heroes, my family, my heart.

love,

Alec

2008 is not 1977!

There appears to be a great deal of expertise expressed by persons who were present at the 1977 fire which threatened Tassajara. The consensus of this expertise appears to be that the fire crept in then and it will creep in now. Based upon my own crash review of the fundamental science involved this reasoning appears to me to be flawed. This does not mean that it is more likely that the fire will be more severe and/or dangerous today; only that it cannot be assumed that it will be as benign as it was in 1977.

We should seriously question our continued reliance upon this historic anecdote as a predictor of the present behavior of this fire and the potential danger to persons and property at Tassajara. Of the myriad dynamics, variables and factors which potentate and exacerbate combustion and conductivity of wildfires, only one, topography, can be said to be identical in both cases.

Granted that the most important factor contributing to forest fire ignition is topography, which also contributes to issues related to rate/distance due to rising and falling over elevation changes. But once fire is ignited the meteorological variables become the most significant factors in determining its speed and severity. The air temperature, instability of the air column, and the saturation deficit at the lower levels are without doubt the most significant. The intensity of fires and the rate with which they spread is directly rated to the wind speed, temperature and relative humidity. Climatic conditions such as long term drought also play a major role in the number and intensity of wildfires. Accurate and timely weather information is vital to the planning and execution of strategies for suppressing wildfires. Since weather varies significantly over time it is not likely that the same conditions related to wind, humidity and heat were occurring in 1977 as now.

Fire risk and behavior also depend on the fuel properties such as moisture content. Context information on vegetation water content is vital for understanding the processes involved in initiation and propagation of forest fires. While the class and type of local flora has probably not changed, it should not be assumed that moisture content, growth area and biomass remain constant.

Therefore I urge those making the important decisions to consider that the fire we face today could act significantly different than in 1977.

Tassajara Evacuated: They are out and Safe!

All remaining students were evacuated from Tassajara this afternoon due to high winds. The last car of the convoy turned back. The director David Zimmerman, Abbot Steve Stuckey and three senior Dharma students are alone at TJ. Zen Center is not releasing the names of the Zen Students.

MAP UPDATES 7/08/08 9:41 am PST

Satellite Imagery of Fire proximity to Tassajara current as of 8:53 am PDT 7/08/08. Red Flag warning takes effect at 8:00 pm today and is scheduled for 72 hours.

This is a critical moment.

NOAA ISSUES RED FLAG WARNING 8:00 PM TODAY

THE NOAA CALIFORNIA HAS RELEASED A RED FLAG WARNING FOR THE LPNF AND SURROUNDING AREAS: THIS INCLUDES TASSAJARA:

Red Flag Warning

Santa Lucia Mountains, Los Pa (California)

RED FLAG WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
531 AM PDT TUE JUL 8 2008
...RED FLAG WARNING FOR LOW HUMIDITIES...HOT DAYTIME
TEMPERATURES...POOR OVERNIGHT HUMIDITY RECOVERIES AND LOCALLY
BREEZY CONDITIONS FOR THE NORTH BAY MOUNTAINS...EAST BAY HILLS
AND DIABLO RANGE...SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS...AND THE HIGHER
ELEVATIONS OF MONTEREY AND SAN BENITO COUNTIES FOR TONIGHT
THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING...
CAZ507-511-512-517-518-090000-
/O.CON.KMTR.FW.W.0004.080709T0300Z-080710T1500Z/
NORTH BAY MOUNTAINS-EAST BAY HILLS AND DIABLO RANGE-
SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS-
SANTA LUCIA MOUNTAINS AND LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST-
MOUNTAINS OF SAN BENITO AND INTERIOR MONTEREY COUNTY INCLUDING
PINNACLES NATIONAL MONUMENT-
531 AM PDT TUE JUL 8 2008
...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 8 PM THIS EVENING TO
8 AM PDT THURSDAY...
HOT WEATHER ALONG WITH VERY LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES ARE FORECAST
ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA THIS WEEK AS A STRONG RIDGE OF HIGH
PRESSURE BUILDS OVER CALIFORNIA. MINIMUM DAYTIME HUMIDITIES ABOVE
1000 FEET WILL RANGE FROM 5 TO 15 PERCENT AND NIGHTTIME RECOVERIES
PROBABLY WILL NOT EXCEED 20 PERCENT IN SOME OF THE DRIEST AREAS.
LOCALLY MODERATE AND GUSTY NORTHWEST TO NORTHEAST WINDS ARE LIKELY
FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. THESE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER SITUATION.
GRADUAL IMPROVEMENT IS EXPECTED BY THE END OF THE WEEK AND INTO
THE UPCOMING WEEKEND.
A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS
ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF
STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL
CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.
$$

Issuing Weather Forecast Office Homepage

May we all extend our intention for the well being and protection of our loved ones at Tassajara

Some serious thoughts on this holiday weekend:

As we wait in breathless anticipation for the outcome of the wild fires, I thought I would share something of my wish for the world both canine and human and to send my best wishes, thoughts, and love to all of our sangha members at Tassajara who are working so hard to protect our home and practice center. May all awakened beings manifest their luminous mirror wisdom for the protection and benefit of everyone at Tassajara..even Monkey Bat (who isn't really at Tassajara).

I want to join a movement of world-wide universal compassion for all beings. I want to live in a world where dogs and people travel by bicycle and grow their own food and who realize, as Epicurus did, that life should be simple, wholesome, nutritional and supportive in all ways, physical, emotional and spiritual. I want to see the end of the corporate hegemony which sucks the life out of our local communities and replaces it with the robotic corporate model of the big box monoliths and the conformist consumer citizen automaton.

I believe in the model of the credit union, the labor union, and the power of social capitalism and entrepreneurship. I believe in leveraging the power of the collective as against the “empire” mentality of our so called “leaders”. I believe that “free enterprise” and “free trade” must be lead by free humans in a social-political model of equality where people can move as freely as commodities across barriers now marked by barbed wire, death, and despair. I believe in caring for my brothers and sisters and for our mother earth and all her children whether man or beast.

I seek internally to beat my own psychic swords to plowshares and my arrows of indignant intolerance and anger into pruning hooks as I am aware that nothing in this world can effectively change until I change the demons from within. I desire the aid and nurture of my fellow beings to help me to overcome the unwholesome aspects of myself; and that in so doing I might recognize that the same internal forces that are now dragging me into the pits of despair and anguish over this suffering world are the forces that can deliver me from this suffering.

I believe in a world where hunger is history and where physical pain is a rare occasion. I believe in a world free for all expression; a world free for all the spectra of diversity; diversity of race, religion, non-religion, opinion, ideas, beliefs, culture, sexual/gender identity. I pray for a world where “different” is exciting, not threatening; where something new is an eye and heart opening adventure; where change is welcome not feared; Where hate is never defeated by hate but overcome only by love; where violence is never defeated by violence but overcome only by peace.

Love,

Ginger

Unfair and Unbalanced Reporting

Since my command of English is limited to performing simple commands with visual clues in exchange for edible treats it should come as no surprise that my journalism probably falls something short of "Pulitzer" standards.

Having expressed this rather obvious fact I find myself in the even more surprising position of needing to clarify my coverage of the rumors alleging the repatriation of Monkey Bat to Tassajara.

Since I am a dog and since this blog is intended to be a humorous satire I assumed that the rumor of MB's return to TJ need not have been confirmed prior to publication; that everyone would understand that this rumor (started by myself with no actual knowledge of same) created a convenient foil from which an almost allegorical critique could be launched. Hey, it worked for Hunter S.

Silly me!

Whoever saw fit to contact the Humane Society fearing for MB's safety in a fire zone...I made it up, ok? If I were you I would be contacting child services on behalf of a little rascal named Bart Simpson who's dad, Homer is clearly an unfit parent. ...Wait! Before you call...that last suggestion was sarcasm: S- A- R- C- A -S- M. Ok?

For the record: I spent nearly two excruciating hours trying not to step on Monkey Bat with my paws as we were both evacuated from TJ last week. I have not seen her since that day. You probably ran her over with your car on your way to report her in danger..if only. (also sarcasm...are you catching on now?)

While were are at it. If anyone was offended by yesterday's satellite story, I am sorry. Not my intention to cause hurt feelings. Since I myself was there and facing the same dangers I felt entitled to poke fun. Let's move on shall we....?

Love Ginger

Satellite Photos Show sole fire at Tassajara is at the Cats, Convicts, and Firemen Naked Pool and Dance Party

As this recent satellite photo shows the only thing "Hot" going on at Tassajara is the naked pool and dance party featuring chiseled prison gang members, big strapping firemen and **shudder**...Cats!

Upon receiving this photo in our studios I instructed scooter, my pet person and personal fetch'it to call Jamesburg and inquire discreetly whether he could return to Tassajara today to bring one of the dental patients back and because I, the queen bitch, was growing bored and petulant in my exile. Here's a transcript of that call:

Jamesburg: "Tropicana!"

Scooter: "What?"

Jamesburg: "I mean, Jamesburg!"

Scooter: "Hi, This is Alec. Listen I was wondering, since Marc is here and is going to the dentist and needs a ride back to Tassajara today why don't I drive him and take him in and then maybe I can bring back Ginger who is itching terribly from fleas and is depressed?"

Jamesburg: "One second Alec" **Covers phone and whispers** "Listen David Z. just called and said they need more coconut oil and pina collada mix"

Scooter: "More what?"

Jamesburg: "Oh sorry, I was just telling Paco, I mean, Kathleen, that they need more bandages and burn liniment out at the monastery...the poor dears"

Scooter: "So Marc and I and Ginger will be driving back there today ok?"

Jamesburg: "Oh No, that's out of the question, the fire authorities have cut off who can come in. Only certain animal species, like cats, oh and the Abbot."

Scooter: "But if the fire officials will let 'a bat' in why can't Ginger and I come back?

Jamesburg: "Did you say 'Abbot'?

Scooter: "Yes, 'a bat'"

Jamesburg: "Well, you're not Abbot, Alec. That's a different class entirely."

Scooter: "I know that I am not a bat. Monkey Bat is not a bat either but you let her back. Ginger is very upset about that!"

Jamesburg: "I am sorry Alec, I think this line is poor. Call back later." **Hangs up**

Apocrypha, Revision, Class and other matters Canine

So before I hold forth on issues relating to why certain domestic animals have been allowed back into Tassajara and why **pregnant paws**, others have not, I feel compelled to comment on the general response given by ZC to the errata which were brought to their attention regarding who and when certain individual humans and domestic animals were evacuated from the valley.

To their credit, both Robert Thomas and the ZC website now present the true facts regarding the majority of students and the one canine who bravely defied the Sheriff’s evacuation order on June 25 and instead elected to stay at Tassajara and work tirelessly in her defense.

As they now both correctly report, All animals and a majority of students were subject to mandatory evacuations on June 27. This collective group of refugees was then scattered to the ten directions with assurances that they would be wanted back as soon as the situation was resolved, one way or the other , by the approaching conflagration.

Further, Mr. Thomas has nobly expressed his gratitude to all the students who have bravely stepped up to stand down this fire. (--nice rhetorical strategy for a dog huh?)

Finally, a personal 'thank you' goes out to the powers that be for providing a link to this most auspicious blog on the ZC website.

But now, forgive me as I must bare my fangs and growl. It appears that the Tassajara administration has undertaken a policy of capricious and arbitrary discrimination by secretly and selectively contacting certain individuals (CATS!) and attempting to secure their return to Tassajara. Now I am not going to name names but one certain individual who’s name rhymes with ‘Chunky Cat’ is already back at Tassajara!

Now this dog is pissed! Why was this cat (named for a flying simian rodent), secretly returned to Tassajara when your's truly is being repeatedly told to find other accommodations for a protracted period of time?

When asked to comment, Jamesburg repeats the party line that certain individual pets were allowed back into Tassajara because they stayed nearby in Jamesburg.

But this is not the worst, my esteemed bitches and bowsers! NO, new evidence just obtained by this Weblog may show that certain activities are occurring at or near Tassajara which have little or nothing to do with fires……

Stay tuned…….

Ginger, the pooper scooper!

I found 'release' this morning during Zazen.

So I am kinda in trouble so I have to type this out quietly. Here's the situation. Not unlike the opposition leader in Burma (Myanmar), I get placed under house arrest from time to time. This happens when Scooter (Alec) decides to go to Zazen at 5:30 am and lock me in the dreaded, kennel.

Don't tell him, but I have a few tricks I know that I can use to open the kennel from the inside unless he latches it perfectly closed. Mindless twit that he is, this rarely happens, so I think its my duty when he tries to sneak out without me, to escape and go look for him. God only knows what dangers could befall him so I let myself out of the kennel, crawled through the cat door, opened the gate, crossed the street, jumped over Jean Marie's fence and followed the scent to her door. Problem is that the scent disappears at this point and doesn't return. What I didn't know was that Scooter and J.M. had left through her front door to go to the Zendo up the street. Since as far as I knew he was still in the house, I waited there by the door. Hey, it's what I do!

So when they got home Scooter's all bent out of shape muttering about how someone named Mako would have killed him. What a drama queen! I'm sorry that I didn't know to follow him to the Zendo up the street. I am sure then he would have felt safer.

Wait....Is that the can opener? I gotta go!

Fire, like me, is a bitch!

Ok so I’m a dog and that’s not so bad really. Life is basic and simple. I eat, I poop, I secretly possess Buddha nature. Like you, I often find myself distracted in Zazen overwhelmed by discursive thoughts and philosophical meanderings about whether Toto was gay or whether we dogs would have built a vast and complex civilization of our own if we weren’t so obsessed with our ability to lick ourselves.

As the official Tassajara mascot I am also a Zen practitioner. Being a dog in the Soto school gives me a few more options. I like 'just sitting' (j: Shikentaza) but I also like 'just rolling over' and 'just lying down'. Lets face it, my great ancestor dog-en was a genius.

So lets get down to the business at hand: This fire and when the assembled fire authorities will be done lifting their collective legs to put it out!  Any one out there with an answer?

It took me a long time to create this blog today and my paws are tired.  We are over at Jean Marie's and she is making us dinner. I like blogging on her macbook, its authentic graphic user interface is so superior to Alec's ancient Windows laptop. 

Today I had to spend an hour in the dreaded kennel while Alec went to his noon AA meeting. Later we went for a walk along the San Lorenzo River levy with Jean Marie.   There is so much petrified poo to sniff there..it was great!

So I will sign off for now. Life here is uneventful. I am sorry that my descriptions sometimes suffer from the limitations of canine conceptual thought. After all, if I could speak you wouldn't understand a word I'd have to say. All in all we are well. 

But we miss Tassajara. And it wouldn't be so bad except that a brief tour around the SFZC and Sitting with Fire sites and a few well placed phone calls disclosed that Monkey Bat was allowed back into Tassajara. DAMN YOU MONKEY BAT!!!!!!!!!!