Please Call Me by My True Names

Text

I am the mayfly metamorphosing on the surface of the river, and I am the bird that swoops down to swallow the mayfly. I am the frog swimming happily in the clear water of a pond, and I am the grass snake that silently 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. Please call me by my true names, so I can hear all my cries and my laughter at once, so I can see that my joy and pain are one.

tr. Thích Nhất Hạnh (original English composition)

license: fair_use

Attribution

• Attributed To
  Thích Nhất Hạnh

Lineage: Plum Village

By Thích Nhất Hạnh

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Sources

• contentPlum Village — Books, articles, and practice materials

  Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism

  Call Me by My True Names: The Collected Poems of Thich Nhat Hanh (Parallax Press, 1999); also in 'Being Peace' (1987)

  Call Me by My True Names: Please Call Me by My True Names