members of one body

 

My right hand has written all the poems

that I have composed.

My left hand has not written a single poem.

But my right hand does not think,

‘Left Hand, you are good for nothing.’

My right hand does not have a superiority complex.

That is why it is very happy.

My left hand does not have any complex at all.

In my two hands there is the kind of wisdom

called the wisdom of nondiscrimination.

One day I was hammering a nail

and my right hand was not very accurate

and instead of pounding on the nail

it pounded on my finger.

It put the hammer down and took care

of my left hand in a very tender way,

as if it were taking care of itself.

It did not say, ‘Left Hand, you have to remember

that I have taken good care of you

and you have to pay me back in the future.’

There was no such thinking…

And my left hand did not say,

‘Right Hand, you have done me a lot of harm

— give me that hammer, I want justice.’

My two hands know that they are members

of one body; they are in each other.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

from his address to Congress entitled

Leading with Courage and Compassion,

Sept. 10th 2003

with thanks to love is a place