Orient: Two Walks at the Edge of the Human

by David Hinton

Join renowned author David Hinton on two walks into the wild beauty and archaeological ruins of the desert Southwest—and to the edges of consciousness and Taoist cosmology that he explores on the way.

In this poetic odyssey of nature writing that blurs the line between observer and landscape, Hinton’s project is nothing less than to map our place in the cosmos and awaken to our interconnectedness with the wild spontaneity of the natural world. Like Henry David Thoreau and other great literary walkers, Hinton joins his profound philosophical worldview—informed by a lifetime of translating the Taoist and Ch’an Buddhist masterpieces of classical Chinese literature—with his keen eye for the slightest of nature’s details. As he explores sweeping desert landscapes and the crumbling ruins of the humans who once lived there, Hinton simultaneously investigates the nature of sight and perception, tracing the movements of consciousness and the very roots of language.

112 pages, Paperback

Published April 22, 2025

Reviews

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Hinton goes deeper

This book echoes the Chan poets of old. The ten thousand things arising out of absence / emptiness and falling back into absence. While the author and reader also become empty and thererfore everything. 


I read this book early each morning sat in a nearby deer park in my car. Very slowly , pausing regularly. The book is a form of meditation, a pathless path. I have been trying to walk Hintons path of Chan for a few years now and this book is a new level, channelling ancient Chan poetry and absence mind into 2025. I thank you Mr Hinton.

[Elvis Gregory-sayce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Deep
Think I Will Read This Again
it's A Short But, With Deep Meaning

Recommended

[Derick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sublime. The perfect book to read on a June (or December) afternoon.

[Skye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Talismanic, indeed! Like Desert Father wisdom, but Daoist, maybe Buddhist.