Encounters with suchness: contemplative wonder in environmental education.

ENVIRONMENTAL education; PLACE-based education; OUTDOOR education; BUDDHISM; WONDER

Much of the current literature on environmental education links the outdoors with experiences of wonder, which connotes a range of experiences from fascination to curiosity, excitement to delight. Most of these associations fall within a nexus of positive valences that render the discourse of wonder in glowing light. However, pedagogical recommendations that unfurl from 'wonder' can often reproduce anthropocentric attitudes toward the natural world. In addition to the positive vision of environmental education under the guise of wonder, other modes of attention and interaction can help educators broaden students' engagement with wild places. This paper explores the Buddhist concept of suchness, a raw encounter with phenomena in the stark clarity of awareness. The development of such awareness can potentially generate a deep respect for place, a reverence for life, and a recognition of subtleties in nature that often escape notice. The author posits suchness as a concept that complements existing practices that cultivate wonder, and points to pedagogical practices that refine students' awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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