Call Me By My True Names: The Collected Poems of Thich Nhat Hanh

These poems are profound. Hardly a day does go by that I don't think of the title poem. I am the pirate and I am the girl. I bought both paperback and Kindle ebook copies. Yeah, I need this with me in my phone all the time...Dear Thay, I bow to you in gratitude.

All of Thich Nhat Hanh's books are written in such a poetic way, but this one is his poetry. I love the imagery that these poems evoke. Some are heart-wrenching tear-jerkers and others have me shedding tears of joy. They are mostly sublime in their beauty. His poetry comes from a deeper place of stillness that most of us can only access for brief glimpses of time. This book is well worth the read. Every day, I read a poem from this book and a section from an excellent book on meditation called "Two One None: Conversations on Meditations" before I do a loving friendliness meditation. I feel like I can spend my day more centered that way.

I've known some of Thay's (Thich Nhat Hanh) poems for a long while since embarking on practising in the Plum Village tradition of mindfulness. This book contains many other gems that did not get made into songs or gain wider popularity. To read the poems is more like reading a narrative as there is much coverage about the experiences of war. The book has two parts, one with poems in the historical dimension (events, experiences) and the second with poems on the ultimate dimension (philosophical, spiritual). I find the segregation useful in terms of choosing what I wish to read to feed my mind.

Beautiful. Heart rending. One is inspired to live compassionately through the tears. Thank you The

This book touched me deeply. The first section, in the historical realm, was the most painful, as it contains many poems written by the author in wartime. As such, it is unflinching and uplifting at the same time. The second section, in the ultimate realm, has the breadth and depth of the entire universe. While the words may be simple, their meaning is multilayered and rich. Often, Thay comments on when the poems were written, under what conditions, what time in history, and sometimes, for whom. That part, to me, is a bonus, offering a glimpse into the way this master teacher goes about his practice of engaged Buddhism.

Utterly inspirational!

This book is something special. Call me by my true names is more than a collection of poems by some crusty old Zen guy. The author's clarity and enlightening style have cut through my muddy mind like a knife through butter. I sit here covered in Goosebumps because Thich Nhat Hahn's poetry resonates with the voice of Buddha.Call me by my true names is nothing short of spectacular.

Stunningly original and creative poetry from one of the finest Buddhist teachers in the West. This book is a classic.

Thay is an exceptional spiritual teacher and writer whose strong poetic sense throughout his life and work has managed to permeate and make accessible ancient Buddhist teachings, and translate into different languages powerfully. He has shown that we can make every aspect of life into poetry, by bringing our appreciation and awareness to the detail and the ordinary. This book collects his poetic writing, important as biographical record too, and it will always be a highly esteemed classic. But if you haven't explored them, even his most basic guided meditations are also simple, beautiful poetry, accessible to a child, and his genius lies equally there, too.

I had to take time between each poem. Not only to think about the poem but to recover from the sadness the poemmevoked. The descriptions of the tragedy of war are written in a way that speaks directly to the emotions.

Excellent as usual.

Poems to bring you back to your true self.

Inspirational,Heartfelt reading,,I love this beutifull man