PDF Summary:Aflame, by Pico Iyer

Pico Iyer isn’t religious—but for 30 years, he’s returned religiously to a Catholic hermitage in the wilderness of Big Sur, California. In Aflame (2025), Iyer shares the lessons he’s learned from his time at the hermitage and extolls the virtues of retreating from the world to spend time in silence and contemplation.

Iyer argues that the purpose of retreat is not to escape the world, but to become a better person who’s more equipped to handle whatever the world throws at you. For Iyer, life’s challenges are represented by the wildfires that have ravaged California for decades—and it’s the “inner fire” afforded by a contemplative life that enables him to weather these challenges.

Our guide locates Iyer’s ideas within the context of other spiritual and philosophical traditions, while also providing background on significant events and people in Iyer’s life.

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(Shortform note: Walden and Aflame share some characteristics: Both involve men who withdraw from society into the solitude of nature and a simple life, discovering a form of enlightenment in the process. Unlike Aflame, however, Walden includes detailed observations of the natural world, from Thoreau’s descriptions of specific plants and animals to his chronicling of seasonal changes over the course of his two-year stay in the Massachusetts woods. In fact, some consider Thoreau a pioneer of environmentalism for his focus on the interdependence of humans and nature. His writing influenced conservationists such as John Muir, whose advocacy led to the creation of California’s Yosemite National Park.)

Another example of this principle, says Iyer, is his friend, the Canadian songwriter Leonard Cohen, who became a Zen monk and lived for a while at the Mount Baldy Zen Center in the mountains near Los Angeles. Iyer observes that Cohen’s time as a monk made him realize how much he belongs to the world. Iyer writes that Cohen has been given the gift of communication through his music, and it seems as though living in silence and contemplation has clarified his desire to share that gift with the world.

(Shortform note: Leonard Cohen (1934-2016) was a famous singer-songwriter, known for the depth and poetry of his lyrics, and whose music influenced many other artists in the 1960s and beyond. Cohen’s explanation for why he left the Zen Center after four or five years of being a monk complicates Iyer’s observations: Cohen said that the life of a monk is very hard, especially for someone who’s no longer young (Cohen was in his 60s when he became a monk), and that ultimately, being a monk didn’t resolve the anxiety and depression that had led him to the monastery in the first place.)

Iyer acknowledges that he’s privileged to be able to go to the hermitage regularly, so he began traveling to underprivileged parts of the world after leaving the hermitage. He references what his friend, the Dalai Lama, told him: that you can learn from pain by observing it. On one trip to Haiti, Iyer observed abject poverty, but also visited a church where people welcomed him amid loud music and revelry. A friend who was familiar with Haiti said that the worshipers rely on faith because they have little else. However, Iyer believes that it isn’t just poverty that attracts them to faith—they also share a common belief that there’s more to life than what our thoughts can conceive.

(Shortform note: The predominance of Christianity in Haiti—94% of Haitians are Christian—is due in part to its history of colonization and slavery. During the colonial period, Haiti had one of the largest populations of enslaved people in the Americas, brought to the island by Spanish and French colonizers following the extermination of the indigenous Taino population. The Spanish and French used Christianity to control enslaved people and prop up the institution of slavery. However, many enslaved Haitians retained the religious traditions of West and Central Africa, which combined with aspects of Catholicism to form vodou, a religion now practiced by many Haitians simultaneously with Catholicism.)

Lesson 2: Being Grateful for What You Have Is More Satisfying Than Always Wanting More

When Iyer’s not visiting California or traveling, he lives in Japan with his wife and children. Although they live in an indistinct suburb, in a small apartment where the only place for him to sleep is on the couch, he’s learned from his time at the monastery that gratitude for a simple life can make you happier than always coveting more. While at the hermitage, Iyer finds himself repeating “thank you” over and over in his head, rather than the word that people often say when they pray: “please.”

(Shortform note: Gratitude is a central tenet of all the world’s major religions. Many religions, including Taoism, Buddhism, and Christian groups such as the Shakers and the Amish, also emphasize the value of living a simple life with few material possessions. Prophets like Muhammad and Jesus lived simply, and the Buddha gave up his royal life to live in poverty. In contrast, some religious groups promote wealth accumulation, an approach that can encourage greed, rather than gratitude. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Book of Mormon suggests that faith and righteousness will lead to riches, and according to the prosperity gospel preached by some Evangelical Christians, God rewards believers with wealth.)

Iyer says one of his monk friends explained to him that the founder of the Camaldoli order, Saint Romuald, believed that monasteries should be simple communities, not the powerful institutions that many were in medieval times. Therefore, Romuald built his monasteries in the mountains, away from the wealth of the cities.

(Shortform note: Although the principles governing medieval Benedictine monasteries were not so different from those governing today’s Camaldolese hermitages—a life focused on prayer and work, lived apart from society—the monasteries’ centrality in Western European society led to them amassing great power and wealth. Rulers and noblemen hoping to buy their way into heaven gifted money, land, art, and manuscripts to the monasteries, transforming them into major landowners as well as hubs of education and culture. The Camaldoli order was one of many that sought to curb this extravagance, along with its more famous brethren, the Franciscan and Dominican orders.)

Lesson 3: Besides Solitude and Silence, Retreats Offer Community

After many years, Iyer realizes that the value of going to the hermitage lies not just in the solitude and silence, but in experiencing those things together, in a community of people who are alike at their core, even though they’re externally different.

Iyer says he would talk to some of the other guests at the hermitage, but he would spend most of his time there in silence, acknowledging or greeting others without engaging in extensive conversation. Nonetheless, he grew increasingly connected to the other guests. He found that at the hermitage, he would leave his public self behind and become his private self. The same thing happened with everyone else who retreated there, so they shared this experience in common. Eventually, he began spending time outside the hermitage with others who love it as he does. He trusted them immediately because they were all part of the same community.

(Shortform note: The sense of community Iyer feels while at the hermitage comes primarily from being with other guests, rather than directly engaging with them. Iyer’s experience can be better understood through the lens of research and teachings on mindfulness, which demonstrate that group meditation is generally more effective than solo meditation, in part because of the feelings of support and connection to others that arise in a group setting—even while sitting in silence. For Iyer, these feelings likely facilitate and are reinforced by the social connections he forms with fellow retreatants outside the hermitage.)

In addition to the guest community, Iyer draws lessons from the community formed by the individual monks. Although they live alone, the monks come together many times a day for prayer and meals. They all have roles at the hermitage, from washing dishes to sweeping up. One of the monks acts as the prior of the hermitage, but he’s more a manager of the community than a religious leader, as the monks’ belief system relies more on inner contemplation than strict religious hierarchy. Iyer compares the monks living in their private cells to the Big Sur redwoods, which stand alone, but are connected by an underground network of roots. The individual can’t thrive unless the whole community thrives.

Iyer observes that the monks consider their community to be not just their brothers at the hermitage, but also the world outside it. He says that when people asked one of the monks how they could help when the hermitage was left isolated from the outside world by storms, the monk answered that they could help other people in California who were in need.

(Shortform note: The monks’ relationship with each other and with the outside world represent forms of community interdependence—the idea that “no man is an island,” and that humans are mutually reliant on each other and their environment. The monks live a relatively isolated life at the hermitage, in which they need each other to survive. However, they also have a relationship of interdependence with the outside world: They rely on others to protect them from wildfires, clear the highway after landslides, sell them their groceries, and bring income to the hermitage through retreat stays. They also contribute to their larger community by hosting retreatants, directing donations to fellow Californians, and maintaining the land where the hermitage sits.)

Lesson 4: The “Inner Fire” of a Contemplative Life Can Help Us Weather Life’s Challenges

From the fire that destroyed Iyer’s own home when he was in his early 30s to the fire that threatens the hermitage in his 60s, fire seems to accompany Iyer throughout his life. For Iyer, the California fires symbolize not only life’s challenges, but also rebirth and “inner fire.” Together with his time at the hermitage, the fires teach him that loss can clear the way for new possibilities, and that the inner fire of a contemplative life can help us weather any challenge.

The California Fires as a Symbol of Rebirth

In addition to the fire that destroyed his family home, Iyer writes about three major fires that surrounded the hermitage and forced most of the monks to evacuate for weeks at a time. (He also mentions that after his mother rebuilt their family home in Santa Barbara, another fire burned that home to the ground, too.)

Iyer acknowledges the tragedy of the fires, but he also notes that fire can clear out underbrush in forests and encourage new growth. He observes that fire can cause great loss, but it can also clear the way for us to embrace new possibilities and give us an appreciation of what really matters. For example, he never would have discovered the hermitage in the first place if it hadn’t been for the fire that destroyed his family home and left him without a place to stay.

Iyer also describes other “acts of God” that can result in a type of rebirth. After Iyer had been coming to the hermitage for 20 years, he met an 87-year-old woman named Thérèse who told him that you have to embrace life’s gifts while they last, but even losing what’s precious to you opens up a path to greater wisdom. She told Iyer about a storm that took out seven of the trees near her cabin. At first, she was sad to have lost them, but then she realized that she had a much better view without them.

(Shortform note: Although it’s true that great loss can eventually lead to growth, increased resilience, and a greater appreciation for life, this transformation usually doesn’t happen without significant personal effort. How you adjust to a loss depends in large part on the degree of the loss: Temporary hardship may require only patience and a shift in perspective, while healing from the death of a loved one or the loss of your entire neighborhood in a fire often requires therapy, meditation, and other forms of inner work.)

The California Wildfires: An Economic, Environmental, and Public Health Crisis

While Iyer describes some of the damage done by the California fires, he focuses more on their symbolic meaning. Yet for many Californians who have endured the massive destruction wrought by wildfires over the last four decades, the loss is hardly symbolic.

The economic and human damage caused by wildfires is worse in California than almost anywhere in the world, with the exception of the Mediterranean region. Since 1990, California has sustained many billions of dollars in losses caused by wildfires. Fires have killed almost 400 people and destroyed approximately 100,000 homes and other structures, tearing through densely populated neighborhoods from Oakland to Los Angeles. Wildfire smoke creates nationwide air pollution, leading to increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and respiratory illnesses; some studies suggest that wildfire smoke caused the deaths of more than 1,200 Californians in 2020.

Due to its dry, drought-prone climate, California has always experienced wildfires. However, data show that climate change has made California wildfires exponentially larger and more destructive. In the last 50 years alone, climate change has caused summers in Northern California to warm by 2.5°F (1.4°C) and has intensified the California drought to a degree not seen in centuries, drying out California’s forests and vegetation to unprecedented levels. In turn, California’s annual burned area has increased five times over in the last five decades as a result of climate change, consistent with a global trend showing a more than fourfold increase in the frequency of economically devastating wildfires from 1980 to 2023.

The California Fires as a Symbol of “Inner Fire”

Iyer admires the monks’ ability to literally and figuratively “walk through the fire”—to persevere despite the many challenges of living in a remote wilderness and weathering solitude, spiritual doubt, natural disasters, sickness, and death. And it’s a different kind of fire— the “inner fire” of their faith—that equips the monks to handle the challenges of their unique lifestyle as well as the many tragedies that befall them.

1) The Challenges of Life as a Monk

The monks tell Iyer that it’s not easy to leave the world behind and become a monk. They bring their problems with them when they join the monastery, and while there’s an initial “honeymoon” period, it’s followed by inner struggle and a “dark night of the soul” (a crisis of faith). However, the monks who have been living at the hermitage for years exude presence and joy.

Iyer says that the monks are sustained by their faith that God will provide. On more than one occasion, they’ve repeated the adage that everything will work out in the end—and if it hasn’t worked out, it’s not the end. While Iyer doesn’t share the monks’ religious faith, he’s learned something akin to faith from his stays at the hermitage. Spending time with the monks in the wilderness of Big Sur, above the vast Pacific Ocean, reminds him that he belongs to something much larger than himself, and that pain and loss are temporary.

(Shortform note: Research demonstrates that religious faith and a sense of life’s meaning can build resilience—a type of “inner fire” or strength that helps people withstand hardships like natural disasters or the death of a loved one. However, resilience also depends on the interplay of other factors, including your level of natural optimism, emotional regulation, habits, and social connections. You can cultivate resilience by addressing these factors; in particular, by engaging in your community and working on your relationships, which prevent isolation and provide support in times of need. The monks’ resilience likely stems from this mix of social network, habits, and self-awareness brought about through contemplation.)

The monks’ inner fire reminds Iyer of Etty Hillesum, a young Dutch woman living a directionless life who found her purpose when the Nazis arrived in Amsterdam during World War II. She began volunteering in a “transit camp,” from which the Nazis sent thousands of prisoners to their deaths every week. She lived in squalor and refused to deceive herself about the evil and tragedy all around her. However, she wrote of an inner strength and light that allowed her to see the beauty in life, in part because she understood that everything is temporary.

(Shortform note: While much has been made of Hillesum’s inner spiritual transformation in the face of horrific circumstances, her diaries and letters reveal that her actions in service to others may have influenced her inner life as much as the other way around. Hillesum cared for the suffering in the transit camp, where she was known for her kindness, generosity, and willingness to truly be present for other people. In this sense, too, her life bears similarities to the monks of the hermitage, whose ability to persevere through great adversity is strengthened by the bonds of their community and care for one another.)

2) The Tragedies of Death, Natural Disasters, and the Pandemic

After visiting the hermitage for 30 years, Iyer says he’s become concerned that the monks are facing even more challenges than before. Fewer people are becoming monks, and the monks at the hermitage are getting older; many are dying. Those who remain must take on the emotionally taxing work of caring for their ailing brothers, while continuing to manage their regular duties. In addition, they must deal with the wildfires and mudslides that cut off their access to supplies and to the guests they rely on for revenue.

(Shortform note: These issues are part of a larger pattern of decline in the number of Catholics living a monastic life—especially in the US, where the number of monks and nuns fell by 71% from 1970 to 2018. During approximately the same period, the number of monastics in Europe decreased by 59%; worldwide, the decline was 33%. This drop is due in part to the overall secularization of society. Plus, as fewer people become monastics, the aging population who remain are increasingly unable to do the physical work necessary to sustain their monasteries, from creating products to sell for income to maintaining the monasteries’ grounds.)

Then, the Covid pandemic hit, and the monks had to shut down the hermitage to outside visitors. Iyer observes that while the pandemic caused much suffering, the pandemic lockdown was for some people similar to a stay at the hermitage: It allowed them to retreat from the world and have time to reflect.

(Shortform note: Like his perspective on the California wildfires, Iyer’s thoughts on the Covid pandemic skew decidedly optimistic. He finds meaning in tragedies that have taken many lives—in the case of the pandemic, at least a million people in the US alone. While Iyer’s positive outlook allows him to see the good in the most challenging situations, a more realistic or even pessimistic outlook on these collective traumas could also have benefits. Experts say pessimism can inspire action to solve the root causes of entrenched problems, such as by working to combat climate change, prevent forest fires, or promote public health messages.)

Once the lockdown eased, Iyer says he and his wife visited the hermitage, only to encounter helicopters speeding up the coast to fight massive fires that had broken out in Northern California. Then a wildfire started next door to the hermitage and quickly engulfed Big Sur; the fire surrounded the hermitage and burned for four weeks. The monks evacuated yet again, but three monks and four workers stayed behind to protect the property.

(Shortform note: The Dolan Fire burned over 120,000 acres in the Big Sur area and the Los Padres National Forest, fueled in part by the large number of dead trees resulting from California’s bark beetle infestation (which, in turn, is caused largely by climate change). The fire was nonetheless small compared to the overall destruction caused by California’s 2020 wildfires, which burned more than four million acres and killed 33 people.)

Through all these trials and losses, the monks continue to have faith. Iyer, too, is sustained by his knowledge that, wherever he is in the world and whatever challenges he encounters, he takes the peace and clarity he’s gained at the hermitage with him.

(Shortform note: Iyer and the monks represent two types of faith: religious faith and secular faith. Some writers argue that religious faith relies on the existence of an eternal plane where believers will eventually escape the world’s suffering. Secular faith arises from the opposite belief—that life, short and difficult as it may be, is all we have; we therefore have a responsibility to care for ourselves and one another while we’re here.)