Sects: Zen, with a Difference

It is appropriate that Tassajara should be almost as difficult to reach as the state of satori. High in the hills of California's rugged Big Sur country, 160 miles south of San Francisco, Tassajara is the site of the nation's first and only Zen Buddhist monastery.

Founded 18 months ago on the site of a former hot-springs resort, the stone-and-redwood monastery compound at Tassajara was purchased for $300,000 by a group of wealthy Zen enthusiasts. There is a Japanese roshi, or Zen master, Shunryu Suzuki, 65, who gives guidance in meditation. The American...