Michael Schauch is an alpinist and award-winning author who lives to explore the depths of nature and the human spirit and share the beauty of connection he discovers along the way. For fifteen years, Michael has been a mentor and supporter of Tibetan Buddhist youth in Kathmandu, Nepal, and many young members of his community in Canada. He holds an MBA from Queens University and is a member of the Explorers Club. He and his wife Chantal make their base camp in the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation (Squamish, BC), nestled in the rugged Coast Mountains and temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest.
Michael Schauch will share stories and passages from his new book, Anattā: Heart of Wisdom, followed by a conversation with special guest Tami Simon of Sounds True.
“Schauch writes about liberation—not through escape but through intimacy with life as it is. By attuning to the wisdom of the heart, we begin to live from a place of connection rather than control.” —Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Life
“Ultimately, Anattā feels like shelter in challenging times.” —Bernadette McDonald, author of Alpine Rising
A series of contemplative essays and poetry that restore our connection to each other and ourselves.
In Anattā: Heart of Wisdom, award-winning author, alpinist, and Buddhist practitioner Michael Schauch brings us to places where stories reign: among bones nestled in crystal-lined sky caves, in villages atop the high Himalaya, and within the warmth of a backyard campfire…. But can we connect to an older story, one that transcends time and the barriers between us?
Anattā—the Buddhist idea of “non-self,” or non-attachment to permanence—is a necessary antidote to our uncertain times. Schauch demonstrates that by immersing ourselves in the wonders of nature, we can ignite an ancient connection and deep loving-kindness.
By weaving tales of the metaphysical with Buddhist ways of seeing, and with refreshing bursts of humour and grace, Schauch reconnects us to the beauty of everyday life—the stories that connect us across time and place, and the primordial way back to the heart.
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