Landscapes of Wonder: Discovering Buddhist Dharma in the World Around Us

If the notion of a Buddhist Thoreau intrigues you, pull up a chair. You have just found your book in "Landscapes of Wonder." This is a fine collection of essays by a gifted writer who uses nature as a springboard for reflections on the key tenets of Buddhist thought. People have been observing nature and her secrets for thousands of years and have opened themselves to startling and soulful reflections as a result. The rivers and streams, the mountains and woods, the trees and the seasons, all have a wisdom to impart to us if we allow them to work their magic and stay attentive. The author of "Landscapes of Wonder," a former monk in the Bhikkhu Sangha, covers a wide gamut of Buddhist teachings. In the contemplation of nature's gradual decay, he sees the Buddha's teaching of impermanence. Everyone of us knows that we wlll all go the way of the wilting flower or the fallen oak, yet how many of us ever act on that knowledge in a way that motivates us to love and live each day to the fullest? Nyanasobhano also extends the observation of nature's changing seasons to the Buddhist emphasis on daily mindfulness when he writes on page 120: "We must try not to be thrown off by the marvels of appearance but to investigate deeper reality, not just with intellect...but with the intuitive tool of mindfulness, which reaches past bumbling cogitation and theorizing and deals with events directly. In the seen there will be just what is seen, in the heard, just what is heard. This is how we can train the mind, how we can make possible the arising of insight." These are just two examples of the many ways in which the author ties the events in nature to the universal and eternal truths of his Buddhist heritage. The seasoned practitioner of Buddhism will likely discover a renewed and refined appreciation for the Buddha's timeless truths, while the novice might well be compelled to investigate further. Beyond this, there is a deep and penetrating wisdom to many of the Buddha's insights, irrespective of a person's religious persuasion. The book is almost an extended meditation in its own right, and should be read as such, with frequent pauses and reflections. I enjoyed reading it as much for the lyrical and eloquent quality of the writing as for its exploration of Buddhism. There is much here to ponder, yet the writing itself is never ponderous. In some respects, "Landscapes of Wonder," itself "an intuition of majesty and wonder," reminds me of Annie Dillard's, "Pilgrim at Tinker's Creek," though with a decidely Buddhist bent. If you are attracted to Thoreau, Whitman, Emerson's essay, "Nature," Annie Dillard, William Wordsworth, or the like, or appreciate the eternal verities of Buddhism itself, you owe it to yourself to read "Landscapes of Wonder."

There are times when the Pali Canon can seem dry, detached and distant. Landscapes of Wonder, however, builds a fire under the Buddha's discourses by animating the heart and stimulating resolve. This is done by urging us to examine our everyday experiences and appreciating those experiences as teachers. Particularly useful for any one who is a little less young today than he or she was yesterday, is the essay "Aging and Wisdom." If you find yourself troubled by aging, read this carefully. Another piercing essay is "The Private Version." Feel tempted to take the pleasurable, consoling aspects of Buddhism, and discard the difficult? Read it! The whole book is a wonderful exhortation to practice. If you find your practice growing stale and too head-oriented, this book will be helpful to you.

I have read many Buddhist books, but this one is definately unique. It is hard to put down once you start. The author takes us through forests and hills to point how the Buddhist Dhamma is all around and can be realized if we only put forth the effort. This book really makes me want to further my own understanding of Buddhism on a personal level.

I have not read more than a handful of texts on any religion. Most seemed to focus on a straighforward educational approach to the religion and its history.This is a refreshing departure. Instead of the typical classroom text approach, class is dismissed. Instead we walk with Naynasobhano through the seasons, through nature as this playright describes how he as a Buddhist lives Buddhism. Suddenly he'll pause, admiring a bird in the distance. This triggers a flashback on some tenet of Buddhism or a snippet from Buddha. (It seemed to me at times like one of Grasshopper's flashbacks in the Kung Fu show.)Trite though this may seem, the book really worked for me. I really appreciated visiting the religion directly. Staying in the native's hut as it were. And having the native be as eloquent as this is a certain boon.While this may serve as a good introduction for some, perhaps it would be better to read something like Lama Suryam Dass's "Awakening the Buddha Within" and then this to see how principles are wedded to life.