Two barren trees stand in a snowy field at Buttonwood Farm in Griswold CT

Mystery & Manifestations

Free from desire, you realize the mystery.
Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations
-Lao Tzu

We observe existence through manifestations. But by understanding certain principles, a deeper knowledge of life’s mysteries is gained. My work aims to show the unnoticed beauty of the natural world & the harmony that can be achieved when one accepts & appreciates the world around them. My photographs are a representation of the principles I try to live by as reflected in nature. This includes presence, noninterference, simplicity & harmony. I am inspired by my experiences in the natural world, witnessing the Dao in action all around me, feeling free from thought & desire. I am also inspired by photographers who came before me. While they may not share my beliefs, they share my appreciation of nature. I enjoy capturing subjects in a constant state of change and directing attention to unnoticed details. I love the journey of discovery, learning about both myself and the world I live in. By living in accordance with nature, a life of contentment can be achieved.

Yet mystery and manifestations arise from the same source. That source is called darkness. Darkness within darkness. The gateway to all understanding. • Tao Te Ching, Chapter 1

Yet mystery and manifestations arise from the same source. That source is called darkness. Darkness within darkness. The gateway to all understanding. • Tao Te Ching, Chapter 1

The supreme good is like water, which nourishes all things without trying to. It is content with the low places that people disdain. Thus it is like the Tao. • Tao Te Ching, Chapter 8

The supreme good is like water, which nourishes all things without trying to. It is content with the low places that people disdain. Thus it is like the Tao. • Tao Te Ching, Chapter 8

The mark of a moderate man Is freedom from his own ideas. Tolerant like the sky, all-pervading like sunlight, firm like a mountain, supple like a tree in the wind, he has no destination in view and makes use of anything life happens to bring his way.

The mark of a moderate man Is freedom from his own ideas. Tolerant like the sky, all-pervading like sunlight, firm like a mountain, supple like a tree in the wind, he has no destination in view and makes use of anything life happens to bring his way. • Tao Te Ching, Chapter 59

“You know that one can fly with wings: you have not yet learned about flying without wings. You are familiar with the wisdom of those who know, but you have not yet learned the wisdom of those who know not.” • Chuang-Tzu, "The Fasting of the Heart"

“You know that one can fly with wings: you have not yet learned about flying without wings. You are familiar with the wisdom of those who know, but you have not yet learned the wisdom of those who know not.” • Chuang-Tzu, "The Fasting of the Heart"

Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it. The soft overcomes the hard; the gentle overcomes the rigid. Everyone knows this is true, but few can put it into practice. •

Nothing in the world is as soft and yielding as water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it. The soft overcomes the hard; the gentle overcomes the rigid. Everyone knows this is true, but few can put it into practice. • Tao Te Ching, Chapter 78

There is, however, one thing we all have in common: death. Some may live to be a hundred; others may die after ten years of life. But regardless of how long you live, you must die. Virtuous people die; crooks die. When alive, the virtuous may be resp

There is, however, one thing we all have in common: death. Some may live to be a hundred; others may die after ten years of life. But regardless of how long you live, you must die. Virtuous people die; crooks die. When alive, the virtuous may be respected, but in death they are a pile of dry bones. Similarly, the wicked may be abhorred in life, but in death they are also a pile of bones. Famous people are a pile of bones after death; unknown people are a pile of bones after death. Differences are seen or remembered at most for a hundred years, but after that, one pile of bones is just the same as another. • Lieh-Tzu, Chapter 74

There was a man who spent three years sculpting a piece of jade into a leaf. He presented his masterpiece to a prince who was very impressed by it and became his patron. The leaf looked so real that if you placed it among real leaves you could not te

There was a man who spent three years sculpting a piece of jade into a leaf. He presented his masterpiece to a prince who was very impressed by it and became his patron. The leaf looked so real that if you placed it among real leaves you could not tell the difference. Everyone remarked that it was a very beautiful piece of art. However, when Lieh-tzu heard about this he quipped, “If nature took three years to make a leaf, then we’d be in trouble.” • Lieh-Tzu, Chapter 88

He sees only the winding of the stream and the twisting of the path. He does not know that already he is in the land of the immortals. • Alan Watts, Zen Stories

He sees only the winding of the stream and the twisting of the path. He does not know that already he is in the land of the immortals. • Alan Watts, Zen Stories

Still water is like glass. / You can look in it and see the bristles on your chin. / It is a perfect level; / A carpenter could use it. / If water is so clear, so level, / How much more the spirit of man? / The heart of a wise man is tranquil. / It i

Still water is like glass. / You can look in it and see the bristles on your chin. / It is a perfect level; / A carpenter could use it. / If water is so clear, so level, / How much more the spirit of man? / The heart of a wise man is tranquil. / It is the mirror of heaven and earth / The glass of everything. • Chuang-Tzu, "Action and Non-Action"

Why look for Tao by going ‘down the scale of being’ / As if that which we call ‘least’ / Had less of Tao? / Tao is great in all things, / Complete in all, universal in all, / Whole in all. These three aspects / Are distinct, but the Reality is One.

Why look for Tao by going ‘down the scale of being’ / As if that which we call ‘least’ / Had less of Tao? / Tao is great in all things, / Complete in all, universal in all, / Whole in all. These three aspects / Are distinct, but the Reality is One. • Chuang-Tzu, "Where is Tao?"

Old man sky never says a word, but we can see that everything has its place in the universe. Nature has a lot to teach us. All you need is to open your eyes and look. The changes you see in nature follow a course. The four seasons behave in a regulat

Old man sky never says a word, but we can see that everything has its place in the universe. Nature has a lot to teach us. All you need is to open your eyes and look. The changes you see in nature follow a course. The four seasons behave in a regulated way. In truth, all human matters follow the same principles as the workings of heaven and earth. • Lieh-Tzu, "That Which is Not Born Gives Birth to Everything"

Look at this window: it is nothing but a hole in the wall, but because of it the whole room is full of light. So when the faculties are empty, the heart is full of light. Being full of light it becomes an influence by which others are secretly transf

Look at this window: it is nothing but a hole in the wall, but because of it the whole room is full of light. So when the faculties are empty, the heart is full of light. Being full of light it becomes an influence by which others are secretly transformed. • Chuang-Tzu, "The Fasting of the Heart"