Call Me by My True Names
Do not say that I'll depart tomorrow
because even today I still arrive.
Look deeply: I arrive in every second
to be a bud on a spring branch,
to be a tiny bird, with wings still fragile,
learning to sing in my new nest,
to be a caterpillar in the heart of a flower,
to be a jewel hiding itself in a stone.
I still arrive, in order to laugh and to cry,
in order to fear and to hope.
The rhythm of my heart is the birth and
death of all that are alive.
I am the mayfly metamorphosing on the surface of the river,
and I am the bird which, when spring comes, arrives in time
to eat the mayfly.
I am the frog swimming happily in the clear pond,
and I am also the grass-snake who, approaching in silence,
feeds itself on the frog.
I am the child in Uganda, all skin and bones,
my legs as thin as bamboo sticks,
and I am the arms merchant, selling deadly weapons to Uganda.
I am the twelve-year-old girl, refugee on a small boat,
who throws herself into the ocean after being raped by a sea pirate,
and I am the pirate, my heart not yet capable of seeing and loving.
I am a member of the politburo, with plenty of power in my hands,
and I am the man who has to pay his "debt of blood" to, my people,
dying slowly in a forced labor camp.
My joy is like spring, so warm it makes flowers bloom in all walks of life.
My pain is like a river of tears, so full it fills the four oceans.
Please call me by my true names,
so I can hear all my cries and laughs at once,
so I can see that my joy and pain are one.
Please call me by my true names,
so I can wake up,
and so the door of my heart can be left open,
the door of compassion.
Thich Nhat Hanh is a world renowned Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr.
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: What does compassion, encompassing all its "true names", mean to you? Can you share a personal story of a time you were touched by such compassion, either within you or from someone else? What practice helps you find such compassion?
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On Dec 6, 2020 Simon Thomsen wrote :
dealing with ignorance of human Nature, and burning through negative passions to evolve into enlightenment, like the journey the pirate is on.
Personally i believe that is what we are all doing. And by calling folks by the true nane, is meant their true state og being.
Deal with people accordingly, and open their doors
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On Apr 7, 2019 Debbie Maria wrote :
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On Oct 9, 2018 Nigel wrote :
I blessedly came across this poem during Ram Dass Yoga of Relatinships e-course highlighting the state of oneness. God Bless.
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On Jul 15, 2015 mamta wrote :
Wow! Amazing words! They help me to see myself in everyone and everything - not just the aspects of life I like to be part of, but also inspire me to not avert my eyes from aspects of life that are difficult to look at or to be with - and use them to help me see and accept parts of myself that may be hidden.
Very inspiring to help accept all that is.
Helps me to understand the word interbeing much better. Thank you.
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On Jul 15, 2015 Anon wrote :
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On Jul 14, 2015 paashi wrote :
In Thich Nhat Hanh poem, Real names for me are the states of consciousness that are arising in all living beings at various stagesof evolutionary life. Acceptance of this creative dance of life through the lens of compassion is where we are being pulled towards. This helps while struggling with the presence of egoic tendencies in self and others while marveling at the goodness and wonder present around us.
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On Jul 14, 2015 Zoe Keithley wrote :
Compassion is only possible when I can first embrace my own humanity, where I've grown & where I've not yet grown, and where I am in the process. If I cannot forgive myself my own humanity, how can I forgive others theirs? And if I can allow and trust the process of growth in nature all around me, can I not accept it in myself and you?
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On Jul 14, 2015 Sidney DeKoven wrote :
We.ve got to learn to forgive and one way is by seeing ourselves in our persecutor(s). Being Jewish, I've had a particularly difficult time having compassion for the Nazi's but just as the poet sees himself as also the pirate rapist of a 12 year old girl whose heart has not yet learned to love , so too can I see myself as both the persecuted one and the Nazi who "knows not what he does". Forgiveness and compassion are necessary not just for those we forgive but maybe even more so for ourselves for we cannot spiritually unfold with bitterness and hatred in our hearts.
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On Jul 14, 2015 Sophia wrote :
Hi this is such a beautiful poem and thanks for sharing, but if my real name is compassion then how I can cause pain?
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On Jul 13, 2015 Vedashini wrote :
Compassion is nurturing, sustaining womb of God, where no one is excluded. when we become aware of it we stop being unjust to anybody and we take action with communal passion (com-passion) for justice for all!
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On Jul 11, 2015 david doane wrote :
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On Jul 10, 2015 Kristin Pedemonti wrote :
One of the phrases that helps me find and share compassion with everyone is, "we are all tall children." I also remember, Hurt people, hurt people. Healed people, heal people. This means we have the choice to view everyone as a child, not in a demeaning way, but in a way that we can see their innocence, their hurt, their heart and we can offer kindness and compassion. No one is born hurting others, it is learned through pain. Those who hurt us are often unaware of how deep their actions affect us. Compassion and kindness go a long way in building a bridge between us. Hugs from my heart to yours.
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