An inspiring read — “Learning True Love”
Learning True Love, written by Sister Chan Khong is the autobiography of a Vietnamese woman who poured her life into serving the poor and children in need. On one hand, I was inspired by her lifelong practise to look deeply into the needs and suffering of people (especially children); and to put herself into the “skin” of others in order to understand and act compassionately towards friends and enemies. On the other hand, I found it difficult to turn the pages when reading about the selfless acts of Vietnamese who immolated themselves in their rallying call for freedom of religion and peace. I had innocently picked up the book one evening and went to bed with it, and found myself sobbing hard at the words:
“Please try and be in the heart and mind of the person performing such an act of great love and sacrifice. To move the hearts of the hardest men and women, you have to give a gift of great value — even your own life. These people did not die when their bodies turned to ash. When I looked deeply at Thay Quang Duc’s sacrifice, I could see his love and deep commitment to human rights born again in me and in thousands of Vietnamese and others all over the world. We received the fire of love and commitment to act from his great sacrifice.” — Learning True Love, Pg 38
The socio-political situation in Vietnam, was, and continues to be a complex one; and this autobiography is my avenue for understanding the plight of the people most affected by the Vietnam war including the Vietnamese, the Boat People (refugees who escaped Vietnam in search for a better life after the war ended), even the American veterans.
What struck me was Sister Chan Khong’s efforts to seek refuge for the boat people to the extent of assisting Thay Thich Nhat Hanh to direct a ship, Leapdal, as well as, her outreach to international diplomatic connections to for the release of prisioners of conscience. Below, I share a poem written by Thay Thich Nhat Hanh, that was presented to the assembly of World Conference on Religion and Peace in 1976. I read this and reflect on the situation of the migrant refugees seeking safety in Europe, and feel sad that 40 years on, we have not learned the lesson of “true love”.
The Boat People — Thich Nhat Hanh
You stay up late tonight, my brothers.
This I know,
because the boat people
on the high seas
never dare to go to sleep.
I hear the cry of the winds
around me —
total darkness
Yesterday they threw the dead bodies
of their babies and children
into the water
Their tears once again filled
the ocean of suffering
In what directions are their boats drifting
at this moment?
You stay up very late tonight, brothers
because the boat people
on the high seas
are not certain at all that mankind exists.
Their loneliness
is so immense
The darkness has become one with the ocean —
and the ocean, an immense desert.
You stay up all night, brothers,
and the whole universe
clings to your being awake
Get a copy of Learning True Love at Parallax Press ~ https://www.parallax.org/product/learning-true-love-practicing-buddhism-in-a-time-of-war/
