Product Description

Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano has taken one of the oldest traditions of Buddhism and presented it in its most natural surroundings: the natural world in which we live. His examination will appeal both to practitioners and to those interested in broadening their knowledge of Buddhism through an enjoyable literary exploration.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #584126 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-16
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

From Amazon.com
Don't let the knotty name of this American monk put you off. Nyanasobhano is one of the most melodious new voices in Western Buddhism to come along in some while. He is Thoreau in robes, and he takes us walking into the woods of present wonder. At bottom, Nyanasobhano teaches us the basics of Buddhism: Theravada Buddhism, the Sri Lankan storehouse of India's ancient tradition. Landscapes of Wonder is a primer on the basics of Buddhism: the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, karma, meditation, and such. But the lessons are to be discovered in fallen trees, soaring birds, and winter landscapes. "Our pilgrimage need not be long, as the world counts distance, but epic nonetheless: over the barriers of habit, through the forests of doubt, beyond our circumscribed consciousness toward a freedom as yet scarcely imagined." There is still an occasional rawness and creeping pedantry in Nyanasobhano's voice, but his eloquence overshadows them and introduces us to truly wondrous landscapes. --Brian Bruya

From Publishers Weekly
In this collection of essays, Nyanasobhano emphasizes that enlightenment comes to us through an appreciation of the natural world. Through his writings about luxuriant woods, destructive floods and even a vase of chrysanthemums, he presents the cycle of life and death as the process we must understand if we are to break free from it and escape rebirth and continued suffering. The writing is often grandly inspiring. For instance, Nyanasobhano is convincing in discussing the shortcomings of romantic love, and he urges us to respect all life no matter how seemingly insignificant. But many of the essays are heavy on the fire and brimstone as he admonishes against sexual immorality. Even so, Nyanasobhano's often exhilarating prose makes for a moving and memorable book.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
An American Buddhist monk in the Theravadan tradition ruminates on Buddhist practice. The moving prose, bordering on poetry, discusses the intersection of nature and the mystical. (LJ 7/98)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

An unmatched ability to truly see
Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano has a delicate gift: He uses the natural world, which after all is what we spend our lives in, to illustrate and remind us of the dhamma. It is a book best sipped, although I couldn't resist plowing through the whole thing and then rereading it slowly. A magnificent achievement.

an animating book
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.

Creative and contemplative
I enjoyed this book very much, and paused often along the way to ponder the many great little insights tucked in among the mindful observations of nature. I must admit that I agree with the Amazon.com review that notes the "occasional... creeping pedantry," but perhaps that's inevitable in a work like this. The writing style and appreciation of the details of nature can sometimes call to mind Thoreau (or perhaps Barry Lopez or Annie Dillard), but at heart this is a didactic book, a presentation of the basic understandings of Buddhism. When those philosophical and practical explanations occasionally become a little more explicit or overt, it can create that "pedantic" effect. All in all, though, this is a very creative and literate presentation of the Buddhist teachings, and certainly gives the reader plenty to contemplate.