Use code SUMMERPRACTICE for a 25% discount on all On Demand Courses through August 31.

Wild Awake: The Wisdom of Nature

With Brian Dean Williams recorded on July 1, 2018.

Found our teachings useful? Help us continue our work and support your teachers with a donation. Here’s how.

In the story of the Buddha, he awakened in the forest, taught in the forest, died in the forest. Nature played an important role in the Buddha’s awakening. Many Buddhist practice communities have been in close connection with nature. What role might it play in our practice here in the modern world?

In this session Brian discusses our relationship with the natural world, and what this might mean for our practice.

Listen to the audio version below, or click here to download the mp3.

Discussion

Leave a Reply

Discover more from the Dharma Library

  • The Thing You Can Count On

    In times like these with so much uncertainty, fear and suffering, how can we keep our center in a world that sometimes seems to be spinning out of control?

    Read More

  • Dave Smith

    I think I am…Understanding self and non-self, through the five aggregates

    One of the most puzzling and profound aspects of Dharma is the teaching of anatta; translated as non-self. For us living in the modern world, with the emergence of social media and the over emphasis and obsession with self, how can we use this teaching in a way that is constructive, authentic, relevant and realistic….

    Read More

  • Norman Blair

    The Practice is Earthed Through Our Body

    Wherever we go, here is our body. Finding a sustainable shape when meditating is crucial for our practising. We can then use our bodies as ways of experiencing change and kindness. In this session, we will look at various forms of meditation (including standing and sitting) and do various techniques that can help our meditating.

    Read More

  • James Baraz

    Gladness of the Wholesome: The Buddha’s Teaching on Awakening Joy

    The Buddha was known as The Happy One. Though Joy is one of the Seven Factors of Awakening, with so much emphasis on working with suffering, joy can sometimes seem frivolous or unspiritual. His teaching on attending to the ‘Gladness Connected with the Wholesome’ is a key aspect of Wise Effort and developing a loving heart. We will practice and explore together this foundation for awakening joy.

    Read More

  • Dave Smith

    Mindfulness and the Four Noble Truths

    Across all Buddhist lineages and traditions, the four noble truths hold the utmost importance. They are the Dharma’s most fundamental teaching. In modern society, the focus of Buddhism often shifts to meditation, particularly mindfulness, as the practice continues to be integrated into contemporary culture. How can we bring the teachings of the four noble truths…

    Read More

  • The Importance of the Uplifting Experience

    The Buddha taught about life’s suffering—known as ‘dukkha’—and how our personal, social and global issues can weigh us down. Yet dukkha does not have the inherent power to stop ‘sukkha,’ or happiness, from breaking through. In this session, we will explore ‘upliftment’, and the joys that keep our spirit alive. Upliftment of the human spirit…

    Read More

  • Emily Horn

    The Phases of Insight

    Similar to the phases of the moon, our spiritual practice is full of natural rhythms and seasons. In this session we will learn a simple chart, called the phases of insight, that supports recognizing what can unfold at various points in meditation. By learning these patterns we can open our hearts with more confidence, and attune to…

    Read More