THE WOODS
Alex Wolfe-Warman
May all sentient beings be filled with loving kindness May we be well May we be happy May we be peaceful and at ease
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When we look at a chair
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we see the wood
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but we fail to observe the tree, the forest
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the carpenter
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or our own mind.
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when we meditate on it
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we can see the entire universe
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in all its interwoven and interdependent relations in the chair.
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The presence of the wood
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reveals the presence of the tree
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The presence of the leaf
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Reveals the presence of the sun
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The presence of the apple blossom
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Reveals the presence of the apple
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Meditators can see the one in the many
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and the many in the one
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Even before they see the chair
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they can see its presence
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in the heart of living reality
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The chair is not separate
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it exists only in its interdependent relationships
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with everything else in the universe
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Jess and Josie at Jotte Studio are to photobooks what Lee Scratch Perry is to reggae music, master producers. It was a pleasure working with you both. You made my idea sing. Thank you. Thanks to Rudi Thoemmes for his encouragement and putting me in touch with Jess and Josie, Tom and Louis at Bread and Butter for their excellent file conversions and Ian Mountjoy at Taylor Brothers for a superb print run.
Words by Thich Nhat Hanh Self-published, Alex Wolfe-Warman, May 2022 Photographs © Alex Wolfe-Warman Design & Editorial by Jotte Studio
Image Production by Bread & Butter Studio Printed at Taylor Brothers, Bristol, UK. ISBN 978-1-80068-914-5