Landscapes of Wonder: Discovering Buddhist Dhamma in the World Around Us
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 isThoreauin 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 Wonderis 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