Mind & Life Liz Monson – Reclaiming the Magic
Aug 14, 2025
Liz Monson, a Buddhist scholar and teacher at Natural Dharma Fellowship, shares her journey intertwining Buddhism with nature-based practices. She discusses how her childhood connection to nature shaped her path, challenging human-centrism in spirituality. Monson emphasizes the wisdom of trees and the elements, exploring their emotional significance. The conversation also touches on the synergy between psychedelics and meditation for awakening, and the importance of self-compassion in navigating suffering and embracing interconnection with the world.
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The Sandcastle Self
- The small self is a continuous construction that consumes most of our energy like a sandcastle eroded by waves.
- Letting that effort relax reveals a vaster, interconnected sense of who we are and why we're here.
Coming Home At Naropa
- Liz describes backpacking alone in the Four Corners and arriving at Naropa where she felt she had come home.
- That combination of wilderness solitude and Buddhist practice launched her lifelong path.
Nature As Teacher
- Yogis developed many Buddhist practices in wild natural places and learned to read the world's energetic teachings.
- The Buddha's earth-touching gesture points to awakening as embedded in a larger living context, not just an individual feat.