the other shore

“

If you are a poet, you will see clearly that there is a cloud floating in this sheet of paper. Without a cloud, there can be no rain; without rain, the trees cannot grow; and without tress, we cannot make paper. The cloud is essential for the paper to exist. If the cloud is not here, the sheet of paper cannot be here either. So we can say that the cloud and the paper inter-are.

“

Thich Nhat Hanh, The Other Shore

 

 

my good friend gus sent me this book a while ago. he is also a buddhist and follows the Thich Nhat Hanh tradition. we have been in the habit of meeting online for regular chats, and also play music at a distance. those meetings have been amazing and the music we recorded means so much – have a listen! we were talking about the heart sutra and he just sent me this new interpretation. what a beautifully poetic presentation of Pratītyasamutpāda and Śūnyatā. every chapter is a gem. what a wonderful read.