Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano is an American Theravada Buddhist monk and the author of Landscapes of Wonder. In this work, he sets out to explain Buddhist principles as they present themselves in daily life. For instance, on several nature walks, the author sees examples of beauty but also is brought face-to-face with the realities of impermanence. He notes: "We have made the trip out here to enjoy, all right; but beneath that wish lies another: to connect ourselves to whatever goodness resides in the flux of nature." During our outdoor excursions, Nyanasobhano wants us to ponder both the transitory beauty of nature and the mortality which is the fate of every living thing.
In our daily lives as family members and workers, the eight phenomena — gain and loss, fame and lack of fame, praise and blame, pleasure and pain — play themselves out in our relationships with others. The spiritual practice of equanimity helps keep these cravings at bay.
Equally troublesome is what the Buddha designates as wrong speech. Each day we struggle to not speak harshly about others and to refrain from gossiping. It is an uphill battle. Nyanasobhano wisely counsels us to be patient as we devote more attention and intention to the challenge of taming our speech. In one of the more memorable passages, the author describes his feelings in the middle of one sunny afternoon when a funeral procession of cars passed by him. He has a knack for using ordinary incidents in his life to elucidate complex Buddhist ideas and ideals.
