Landscapes of Wonder: Discovering Buddhist Dhamma in the World Around Us [Paperback]

Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano (Author), Bhikkhu Bodhi (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 9, 1998

Landscapes of Wonder is a collection of eighteen literary essays on the philosophy and practices of Buddhism. Though not conceived of as an introduction to Buddhism so much as an application of its teachings to modern life, the book effectively summarizes most of the main areas of Buddhist teachings. In doing so, Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano takes one of the oldest traditions in Buddhism and presents it in its most natural setting: the natural world in which we live. In language that sings, former actor and playwright Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano communicates the essence of Buddhism in eighteen inspiring essays. His reflections will appeal not only to novice and seasoned practitioners but also to those simply waiting to stretch their spirits on this modern literary exploration of the Buddha's eternal truths.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Wisdom Publications (May 9, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0861711424
• ISBN-13: 978-0861711420
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,621,685 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Creative and contemplative, December 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Landscapes of Wonder: Discovering Buddhist Dhamma in the World Around Us (Paperback)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Buddhist Thoreau, November 5, 2005

By 

Dan Grafius (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Landscapes of Wonder: Discovering Buddhist Dhamma in the World Around Us (Paperback)

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."

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fulfilling read at bedtime!, October 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Landscapes of Wonder: Discovering Buddhist Dhamma in the World Around Us (Paperback)

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.