Landscapes of Wonder: Discovering Buddhist Dhamma in the World Around Us 1st ed Edition

“[Nyanasobhano] eases into troublesome paradoxes with sensitive writing sustained by an absorbing poetic flow. Sensing our own layers emerging, we find ourselves altered after our readings, and hear the gracious call to read again.”– “NAPRA ReView”

“A genuine pleasure and a most useful map and legend to the landscapes of our existence… skillfully blended principles of Buddhist dhamma with the natural drama of the landscape that surrounds us all.”– “eDharma”

“American Buddhism has at last found its Thoreau, its rambling, loquacious poet-philosopher who can show us the deepest revelations of truth in the woods, rivers, and fields. This is an eloquent, joyous, and uplifting book, written with consummate skill…”–Bhikkhu Bodhi, editor and translator of The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha

“Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano writes with a beautiful lyricism of the joys and consummate beauty of the natural world, and not a word is wasted from this master of the pen.”– “The Beacon”

“Contemplative, sensitive, and lyrically written… Chock-full of koan-like epiphanies at each turn, this book of eighteen essays is sure to appeal to Western readers. Landscapes of Wonder offers the richness of Theravada Buddhist teachings reinterpreted along with keen observations about what nature can teach us concerning life, change, and death. The essays include reflections on the practice of Buddhism in relation to dharma and the conditions of modern life, and literary observations about nature.”– “Tricycle”

“Highly recommended. written in a magical kind of prose.”– “Library Journal”

“Nyanasobhano, an American actor/playwright turned Theravadin Buddhist, writes essays and reflections on the Buddhist path that stand well apart from the general run of writing on Buddhism for their sheer literary quality.”– “WildMind Buddhist Meditation blog”

“The essays in Landscapes of Wonder are prose meditation, and what prose it is! Nyanasobhano describes a country walk and it becomes an investigation of impermanence. He reads the paper, and reflects on the mind and its search for distraction. This book reveals a literary [power] rare among writers on Buddhism. This is an inspiring book, to read with pleasure and contemplate with care.”– “Dharmalife”

“The writing is often grandly inspiring. Nyanasobhano’s often exhilarating prose makes for a moving and memorable book.”– “Publishers Weekly”

Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi is an American Buddhist monk from New York City, born in 1944. He obtained a BA in philosophy from Brooklyn College and a PhD in philosophy from Claremont Graduate School. After completing his university studies he traveled to Sri Lanka, where he received novice ordination in 1972 and full ordination in 1973, both under the leading Sri Lankan scholar-monk, Ven. Balangoda Ananda Maitreya (1896-1998). From 1984 to 2002 he was the editor for the Buddhist Publication Society in Kandy, where he lived for ten years with the senior German monk, Ven. Nyanaponika Thera (1901-1994), at the Forest Hermitage. He returned to the U.S. in 2002. He currently lives and teaches at Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel, New York. Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi has many important publications to his credit, either as author, translator, or editor. These include The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha (Majjhima Nikaya, 1995), The Connected Discourses of the Buddha (Sa?yutta Nikaya, 2000), and The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha (A?guttara Nikaya, 2012). In 2008, together with several of his students, Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi founded Buddhist Global Relief, a nonprofit supporting hunger relief, sustainable agriculture, and education in countries suffering from chronic poverty and malnutrition.