Breathing

A poem by Thich Nhat Hanh.

Thich Nhat Hanh26 July 2021
Calligraphy by Thich Nhat Hanh

Breathing in, I see myself as a flower.
I am the freshness
of a dewdrop.
Breathing out,
my eyes have become flowers.
Please look at me.
I am looking
with the eyes of love.

Breathing in, I am a mountain,
imperturbable,
still,
alive, vigorous.
Breathing out,
I feel solid.
The waves of emotion
can never carry me away.

Breathing in,
I am still water.
I reflect the sky
faithfully. Look, I have a full moon
within my heart,
the refreshing moon of the bodhisattva.
Breathing out, I offer the perfect reflection
of my mirror-mind.

Breathing in,
I have become space
without boundaries.
I have no plans left.
I have no luggage.
Breathing out, I am the moon
that is sailing through the sky of utmost emptiness.
I am freedom.

From Call Me by my True Names: The Collected Poems of Thich Nhat Hanh. ©1990 by Unified Buddhist Church. Published with permission of Parallax Press. www.parallax.org.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh (1926-2022) was a renowned Zen teacher and poet, the founder of the Engaged Buddhist movement, and the founder of nine monastic communities, including Plum Village Monastery in France. He was also the author of At Home in the World, The Other Shore, and more than a hundred other books that have sold millions of copies worldwide.