Fire Monks

In June 2008 more than two thousand wildfires blazed across California, putting Tassajara, the oldest Zen Buddhist monastery in the United States, at particular risk. Fire Monks is the story of five monks who turned back after evacuation to save the remote sanctuary. A gripping narrative as well as an insider's portrait of the Zen path, Fire Monks reveals how they were able to accomplish the seemingly impossible, saving Tassajara by greeting the fire not as an enemy to defeat but as a friend to guide. Their composure throughout the crisis illustrates the remarkable courage that lives within every heart.