Nature and the outdoors
6 teachings in the library are about this.
- That was the River, This is the Sea David Oromith · 28 minutes · recorded February 15, 2026
In the gratitude meditation we move through the body, the home, our relationships and the natural world. David reflects on a Waterboys lyric, that was the river, this is the sea, and uses the image of a water slide to talk about letting go of an old version of yourself and accepting the life a difficult period has carried you into.
- D5S4 - Galileo's Moons, and a Realisation Not Yet Stable Lama Alan · 59 minutes · recorded June 12, 2025
Lama Alan uses Galileo's discovery of the moons of Jupiter to show the difference between shamatha, simply noticing, and vipassana, noticing with inquiry into how something arises and fades. In the guided practice we extend this inquiry to thoughts and emotions arising in the mind. Returning to the text, he examines Dudjom Lingpa's admission that his realisation kept slipping, steady in practice but lost when he was frightened alone in the wilderness.
- Being of Benefit: Aspiring Bodhisattvas in a Complex World (Part One) David Oromith · 81 minutes · recorded May 1, 2025
The first of two sessions opens with a twenty minute guided meditation from Lama Rod Owens in which we attend to sensations of earth, air, water and fire in the body before extending that awareness to the natural world. David sets out the bodhisattva's aspiration to benefit all beings, drawing on the Buddha's own example and the Dalai Lama's idea of universal responsibility. Questions range across grief at ecological crisis to a member's own difficult family situation.
- Ecological Distress, Awe, and Emotional Wellbeing (Dr Eve Ekman) Eve Ekman · 113 minutes · recorded April 1, 2025
Dr Eve Ekman on the relationship between our emotions and the state of the natural world, from environmental anxiety to what nature gives back.
- The Power of Nature David Oromith · 26 minutes · recorded November 3, 2024
In this body based meditation we bear loving witness to sensation, sound, sight and mental activity with no agenda, letting attention settle wherever it lands. David talks about the Buddha's own life among forests and trees, the research behind forest bathing, and how time in nature restores our sense of connection to the world. He closes with an invitation to notice what changes when we bring that same open attention to a walk outdoors this week.
- Session 3 - Q&A Vesna A. Wallace · 46 minutes
Questions to Vesna A. Wallace after the two talks. She explains why the mirror here is a prognostic mirror rather than a dusty one to be cleaned, and why the elements are ultimately five lights of a Buddha's wisdom. Other answers cover how elaborate visualisation diminishes the habitual propensities of samsara while staying a conceptual bridge, why ordinary bliss differs from the bliss of nirvana only in being conditioned, and how brain and mind differ. She closes on drawing the side channels into the central channel.
More by subject
- Anger and aversion 143
- Attachment and craving 123
- The nature of mind 93
- Emptiness 84
- The bodhisattva path 81
- Anxiety and fear 79
- Death and dying 77
- Distraction and attention 73
- Sleep and rest 66
- Buddhist psychology 59
- Illness and pain 57
- Karma 57
- Teacher and student 56
- Habits and change 53
- Genuine happiness and wellbeing 52
- Patience, forbearance and acceptance 50
- Impermanence 46
- Relaxation 43
- Gratitude and appreciation 42
- Relationships and family 38
- Motivation and intention 37
- Tantra and Vajrayana 37
- Depression and low mood 32
- Dream yoga 32
- Comparison and self-cherishing 31
- Dreams and sleep 31
- Guilt and regret 28
- Self-criticism and shame 28
- Work and daily life 28
- Rebirth and continuity 26
- Lineage and tradition 23
- Buddha nature 22
- The four noble truths 22
- Ethics and precepts 21
- Stress and burnout 21
- Emotional balance 19
- Generosity and dana 18
- Forgiveness 17
- Consciousness and science 15
- The six perfections (paramitas) 15
- Enthusiastic effort (virya) 14
- Sangha and community 14
- The eight worldly concerns 14
- The four thoughts that turn the mind 14
- Grief and loss 13
- Perception and projection 13
- Dependent origination 12
- Refuge 11
- Not-self (anatta) 10
- Attentional balance 9
- Ecology and the climate 7
- Cognitive balance 6
- The eightfold path 5
- Peace and conflict 4
- The sixfold matrix of mental balance 4
- Introspection and self-monitoring 3
- Secular mindfulness 3
- Self-compassion 3
- Symbolism and iconography 3
- Spiritual materialism and bypassing 1
- The three marks of existence 1