The Ten Thousand Things

 

In Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, by Betty Edwards, I came across this quote in the margin.

It is in order to really see, to see ever deeper, ever more intensely, hence to be fully aware and alive, that I draw what the Chinese call "The Ten Thousand Things" around me.  Drawing is the discipline by which I constantly rediscover the world.

I have learned that what I have not drawn, I have never really seen, and that when I start drawing an ordinary thing, I realize how extraordinary it is, sheer miracle.

                                                                                                    -Frederick Franck, The Zen of Seeing 

I was curious about The Ten Thousand Things, found contradictory information on the web, and resorted to ChatGPT:

In Daoism, "The Ten Thousand Things" is often used as a term to describe the diversity of the natural world. It refers to all the things that exist in the universe, including living beings, objects, and phenomena. The concept is used to emphasize the interconnectedness and interdependence of all things, and to suggest that everything in the universe is part of a larger whole.

In Buddhism, "The Ten Thousand Things" is sometimes used to describe the multitude of phenomena that make up the world of samsara, which is the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. The concept is used to emphasize the impermanence and insubstantiality of all things in the world, and to suggest that attachment to these things is ultimately futile.

In both traditions, "The Ten Thousand Things" is used to suggest that the world is a vast and complex place, and that understanding the nature of reality requires an awareness of the interconnectedness of all things.