Skip to Main Content

Landscapes of Wonder

Discovering Buddhist Dharma in the World Around Us

Foreword by Bodhi
Published by Wisdom Publications
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
LIST PRICE $14.95

About The Book

"To most of us there have come exceptional, unworldly moments, like unsuspected deeps in a stream, when we fell through appearances - fell through ourselves - into an intuition of majesty and wonder."
- Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano in Landscapes of Wonder

Landscapes of Wonder deftly transports the spirit of Buddhist contemplation off the cushion and into the natural world. With a lyricism and spiritual immediacy reminiscent of Thoreau and Emerson, in eighteen meditational essays Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano considers Buddhist themes through the prism of nature. The reflections captured in these satisfying literary explorations will appeal to all who appreciate contemplation of the natural world and our place in it.

About The Author

Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano was an actor and playwright before being ordained in Thailand in 1987. He now lives in the United States.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Wisdom Publications (May 9, 1998)
  • Length: 192 pages
  • ISBN13: 9780861711420

Browse Related Books

Raves and Reviews

"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

"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

"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

"The writing is often grandly inspiring. Nyanasobhano's often exhilarating prose makes for a moving and memorable book."

– Publishers Weekly

"Highly recommended. written in a magical kind of prose."

– Library Journal

"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

"[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

"Landscapes of Wonder remains with us, long after we shut the book, as an invitation and guide to discover the wonderland right in front of us."

– Bhavana Society Newsletter

"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

"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

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images

More books from this author: Nyanasobhano