A Chair is Made of Non-Chair Elements

It was Thich Nhat Hanh that redirected the path of my thinking many years ago. Until that time, I thought I was quite aware of what a chair was. It must have hit me at a vulnerable moment when Thay said,

A chair is made of non-chair elements.

Drunk with exhilaration, I tried to share my newfound revelation with my family, who I’m sure thought I had gone mad. But from that day on, I could never see a chair the same way again.

Flowers, clouds, and even mountains took on a different perception. As I drove to work the next day I could almost feel the roadside trees winking at me as if they were saying, “Ah, so you understand now.”

Since I have always been fascinated in science, everything seemed to pull together as I understood that everything was inextricably connected.

And if one dares to think deeply enough, like I have, they might discover –

This is this because that is that, and
That is that because this is this.

You were correct, Thay. One thing cannot exist without the other. Thank you for being such an insightful teacher.