Page 8 RAIN December 1977 It's easy to get wrapped up in the ingenuity and the "presence" of machinery and forget that focussed energy, self-discipline, community action, determination and good will can work wonders that no technology can accomplish. This chronicle the Zen Center sent us of their successful defense of the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in the midst of the grea.t Big Sur fire this summer gave us a good reminder. These folks work wonders with people-energy on all levels. They also need financial help to recover from the $100,000 cost of fighting the fire. Ifyou can help, send a do.nation to the Tassajara Fire Fund, Zen Center, 300 Page St., San Francisco, > CA 94102. - TB The Tassajara Fire Saturday, August 6 5: 30 p. m. Roshi receives a call from the Assistant Fire Boss, who says the fire has escaped at Arroyo Seco, ."slopped over" onto the north side of Tassajara Creek, and burned 1,000 acres in 50 minutes directly toward Tassajara. He says we have to evacuate immediately and give up Tassajara. Baker-roshi says he himself is convinced that with the "blacklined" (burned out) area behind Tassajara there is now no danger of the oxygen burning out of the valley·and that the blacklined area is now a sufficient safety zone in case the fire comes into Tassajara too rapidly to handle. Sow~ elect to stay in Tassajara and fight the fire, not evacuate. The Fire Boss says all right: ON LISTS, GUIDES AND RESOURCE DIRECTORIES After doing RAIN and Rainbook for the past couple of years, I know h~w difficult it is to put together a resource listing that is useful to people. To me there are several signposts that now determine what makes me look twice (much less keep) any of the many attempts that come ·into the purple mail- >box at 2270 N.W. lrvi~g. 7: 00 p. m. BakeNoshi asks the USFS to send in at least one ranger, if possible Bob Crew, to advise us on the backfiring. First, l look for descriptions. If there is no attempt to evaluate and describe a group or a publication, the list isn't much good to me except as a mailing list once I've checked to see if there are any books or groups I haven't heard of. lt''s hard to imagine how it can be of any use at all to a beginner. "Where on earth do I start?" she says, scratching her head. A lot of people worry about putting their own value judgments down. Bt,.It if you don't t;ike ~he plunge there's just no way to know what's worth getting into and what is best left alone. I always check the opinions on a few of my own favorites when a new list comes _my way. If they pan my idols and praise my most hated things, then I know how to judge their 9pinions on resources that are unfamiliar to me. It doesn't matter if you disagree, but it really helps to have -some sort of handle to hang their value judgments on. Second, I look for humor and a personalized approach: It is very important to put material into a form that -
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