Luminous Wilderness: Philosophical Reflections on Sacred Natural Sites

This talk aspires to enhance appreciation of wilderness as a valuable resource for Buddhist practice, particularly in regard to the exquisite natural setting of Gomde California. It will examine how, since earliest times, Buddhists spatialized values in cosmology and maṇḍalic thinking and acted on those conceptions through pilgrimage, gardens, forest meditation centers, and visionary engagement with natural beauty. His Holiness the Dalai Lama wrote that “places often have a power that we cannot easily describe or explain. When approached with an awareness of the emptiness and luminosity underlying all appearances, they can encourage us to expand our vision not only of ourselves, but of reality itself.” How then, philosophically speaking, does nature play its potent role in enhancing awareness of emptiness and luminosity?

Lecture Format

Dr. Jenkins delivered this lecture via Zoom. Registrants will gain access to a recording of this live event. An hour-and-a-half in length, the lecture included time for discussion and Q&A.

Program Fee

Free

Gomde California is providing this program for free, although we encourage you to help support initiatives currently underway at Gomde by donating during the registration process. You may also help us sustain Gomde California’s continued development by becoming a monthly donor here: Giving to Gomde.