Guest guest Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 Here's your Daily Poem from the Poetry Chaikhana -- Interrelationship By Thich Nhat Hanh(1929 - ) You are me, and I am you. Isn't it obvious that we "inter-are"? You cultivate the flower in yourself, so that I will be beautiful.I transform the garbage in myself, so that you will not have to suffer..I support you;you support me.I am in this world to offer you peace;you are in this world to bring me joy. -- from Call Me by My True Names: The Collected Poems of Thich Nhat Hanh, by Thich Nhat Hanh Amazon.com / Photo by jmurawski / ============ Thought for the Day: The oceanic silence will do the work.Applyjust enough thoughtto give form. ============ Here's your Daily Music selection -- Yuval Ron Ensemble Seeker of Truth Listen / Purchase More Music Selections Hi Alan -This poem by the great modern Buddhist teacher and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh is a brief meditation on the Buddhist teaching of "inter-being." Within the nondual awareness cultivated in Buddhism, especially the Zen Buddhism taught by Thich Nhat Hanh, nothing exists separately of everything else. Everything, ourselves included, is recognized as being a meeting point of shifting forces, environment, time, and perception. It is only in that touching, that interaction, that forms arise and individuals are said to exist. Remove those forces, and individual beings and objects cannot exist. In this sense, as individuals we are not spots that occupy space on the blank field of creation, rather we are empty spaces that are only suggested by the confluence of various forces. Discover that empty space, and you discover the eternal, blissful Void that is the true Self -- void of form and "thingness," but filled with life and awareness.To return to Thich Nhat Hanh's poem, as individuals with a certain body form and name and history, we exist only in the perception of each other. This is how he can pose the question, "Isn't it obvious that we 'inter-are'?"By cultivating pure and compassionate awareness within ourselves, we transform those who perceive us, for their perception of us is a part of what they are composed of. And the more we "transform the garbage" in ourselves, the less that garbage shows up in those around us.In this way of inter-being, the more we discover peace, the more we offer peace; the more we find joy, the more we bring joy.Ivan Share Your Thoughts on today's poem or my commentary... Support the Poetry Chaikhana Donations to the Poetry Chaikhana in any amount are always welcome. Thank you! Click here You can also support the Poetry Chaikhana, as well as the authors and publishers of sacred poetry, by purchasing some of the recommended books through the links on this site. Thank you! Click here A small amount each month makes a big difference. Become a voluntary Subscriber for just $2/mo. Click here Help the Poetry Chaikhana reach more people. Become a Supporter for just $10/mo. Poetry Chaikhana HomeNew | Books | Music | Teahouse | About | ContactPoets by: Name| Tradition | Timeline Poetry by: Theme | CommentaryBlog | Forum | Facebook | Twitter www.Poetry-Chaikhana.com Poetry ChaikhanaP.O. Box 2320Boulder, CO 80306 Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are 2002 - 2008 by Ivan M. Granger.All other material is copyrighted by the respective authors, translators and/or publishers. ============ Plain Text: If you have any difficulty reading this HTML formatted email, please let me know and I can send you plain text emails instead. Cancelling: If you wish to stop receiving this Daily Poem email from the Poetry Chaikhana, simply reply to this email and change the Subject to "Cancel". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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