
Mind & Life Liz Monson – Reclaiming the Magic
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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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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.
9/11 Revealed Human Care
- Liz recounts being in lower Manhattan on 9/11 and witnessing how people immediately acted from care and compassion.
- That initial human impulse of help convinced her humans are here to heal and steward, not to destroy.
Face Fear To Let Go
- To let go of clinging, face the fear underlying it and cultivate a new relationship to what you're afraid of.
- Safety is essential; use practices and environments that provide felt safety to enable letting go.
