Pianeta Terra Festival, Botanical Garden of Lucca. Photo by Pino Ranieri
We are grateful to have taken part in the Pianeta Terra Festival with our event on the theme Meditation and nature , and to have contributed to a collective experience that turned the city of Lucca last weekend into a space for dialogue and reflection on major global issues — a reminder that the future is built through the more conscious participation of us all.
In the beautiful setting of the Botanical Garden, Venerable Massimo Stordi and Professor Angelo Gemignani, with moderation by Dr. Manuela Ferro, explored the deep connections between meditation, nature, and science — between inner stillness and harmony with all living beings. They discussed how contemplative practice invites us to experience nature not as a backdrop but as a sacred space to inhabit with care, and how meditation, from a scientific perspective, acts like a microscope, allowing us to observe consciousness and its many levels from within.
The event also included a guided meditation led by Venerable Massimo Stordi, offering participants a chance to reflect on how meditation, science, and ecology intertwine in recognising the interdependence of all forms of life, teaching us to care for what surrounds us — the trees, the rivers, the animals, and our relationships.
The Pianeta Terra Festival — conceived and organised by Editori Laterza, promoted by the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca, and curated by Stefano Mancuso as scientific director — once again attracted an extraordinary audience, confirming the growing desire to learn and to explore the many themes proposed in its rich programme. There was also strong participation in events streamed live on the festival website. Rai Radio Uno and Rai Radio Tre were media partners.
Over the four days of the festival, Lucca hosted more than one hundred guests — scientists, philosophers, psychoanalysts, economists, experts in geopolitics, writers, journalists, and artists — who engaged the public in over ninety events: debates, lectures, interviews, and performances in some of the city’s most evocative venues.
This year’s theme, “Unstable Systems,” reflecting the uncertain nature of the world we live in, drew exceptional interest. Each talk inspired curiosity and active attention from the many participants. Scientific director Stefano Mancuso remarked: “This year we’ve learned how to find our bearings in a world without stable equilibria — a world in which art, science, and thought can help us maintain the balance we need.”
🌿The Buddha and the natural world within each of us🌿
When the Buddha, at the age of twenty-nine, left his life of privilege in search of liberation, he spent most of his remaining fifty-one years living in the forests, woods, and parks of northern India.
His Great Awakening, at the age of thirty-five, took place while he was meditating outdoors beneath a Ficus religiosa — the tree that has come to symbolise his enlightenment and the profound connection between Buddhism and the natural world.
It is said that the Buddha often used examples and metaphors drawn from nature to illustrate his teachings: Spiritual growth is like the rising sun that dispels the darkness of night, Deep concentration is like a still pond, One who is completely liberated is like a lotus that rises from muddy water unstained by the mud beneath.
Being in nature can remind us of the importance of living in harmony with it.
Even when we cannot be outdoors, with a calm and clear mind, we can still discover the natural world within ourselves.
In many ways, the nature within and the nature around us are the same — they exist in mutual relationship.
By following the Buddha’s example of meditating at the foot of a tree, we may rediscover a deeper appreciation for the natural world and realise that what we contemplate outside is the same nature that dwells within.
Speakers of Meditation and Nature (held Friday, 3rd October at the Botanical Garden)
Venerable Massimo Stordi
A Buddhist monk who received ordination in 1983 from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He was director of the Lama Tzong Khapa Institute for more than ten years and is now President of the Monastic Sangha Lhungtok Choekhorling Association, which is working to establish the first monastery of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition in Italy.
Professor Angelo Gemignani
Psychiatrist and Professor of Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Pisa. He is Director of the Department of Neurosciences, the Clinical Psychology Unit, and the Master’s Programme in Neuroscience, Mindfulness, and Contemplative Practices at the Pisa University Hospital.
Manuela Ferro
Founder and Cultural Director of the Festival del Tibet in Pomaia. A speaker at national events, she works in communication and the design of cultural initiatives. She writes for magazines on Buddhism and spirituality and is Vice President of the Fondazione Sangha ETS.
He is vice president of the Sangha ETS Foundation.
All information about Pianeta Terra Festival is on the official website: www.pianetaterrafestival.it