Awake in the Wild: Mindfulness in Nature as a Path of Self-Discovery

by Mark Coleman

Inner Ocean Publishing, 2006

Buy from amazon.com

Ask a group of people new to the Buddha's teachings for examples of impermanence and they will inevitably point to the changeability of the weather and the turning of the seasons. Mark Coleman's 'Awake in the Wild' expands on these early lessons we intuitively learn from nature. Through a series of practices, the book not only introduces dharma to nature-lovers but also connects meditators with the power of the outdoors.

Coleman, a pioneer of Western wilderness meditation work, draws on both Buddhism's heritage of practicing in nature - from the Buddha under the bodhi tree to the modern Thai forest tradition - as well as his years of experience as an outdoorsman and leader of wilderness meditation retreats. 'Awake in the Wild' is a field guide to mindfulness in nature, presented in an easily accessible format. Each of nearly 40 succinct meditations pairs some aspect of Buddhist teachings with an illuminating practice in the natural world.

Dharma teachings are brought to life as abstract concepts like impermanence and interconnection are grounded in tangible experience. "As you take in the spaciousness of the sky," Coleman writes, "sense how your awareness can be as vast as this blue expanse. Imagine merging your mind with the sky, so there is no separation between you - the world is just sky pervaded with consciousness." Here, the cultivation of 'spacious awareness' becomes an actual meditation on the vastness of the sky.

This is a book to stick in your backpack or wrap in plastic to pack in your canoe. It's also a book for reading on your front stoop in the smoggy city twilight - the practices here are broad enough that these lessons from nature are not solely for extreme outdoor adventurers. Urban dwellers will also find benefit - no matter what your level of contact or comfort with the natural world, there is wisdom to be found in bringing mindfulness to nature. As Thai forest master Ajahn Buddhadasa told an aspiring student, "The forest is the teacher here."

 -- Reviewed by Lailah Robertson