Poetry Chaikhana Blog

Two beggars
by Ko Un

Two beggars
sharing a meal of the food they’ve been given

The new moon shines intensely

— from This Dance of Bliss: Ecstatic Poetry from Around the World, Edited by Ivan M. Granger

/ Image by Mr. Kris /

I find this short poem deeply moving. My first instinct is to say it is filled with compassion, but that’s not exactly what this poem is about. Ko Un isn’t telling us to see the hunger of these two beggars and to feed them. There is something else going on. He is, instead, calling on us to see not two beggars, but two human beings in communion, expressing their humanity even in their extremity. These two beggars aren’t objects of pity; they have become our teachers.

The two are hungry, yet they share the very little they have with one another. They have given us a moment to see a human connection at its most desperate, yet most profound moment.

In that simple act of human communion, something heavenly is recognized. And we, the witnesses, are that much more alive, awakened from our own spiritual lethargy, as a result.

The new moon shines intensely.

Recommended Books: Ko Un

What?: 108 Zen Poems	Ten Thousand Lives	The Three Way Tavern: Selected Poems	Little Pilgrim: A Novel	Flowers of a Moment

Ko Un Korea (1933 – ) Buddhist : Zen / Chan

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The wisdom we attain with each step
reveals the destination’s true meaning.

Once I was bathed in the Light of Truth within
by Sarmad

English version by Isaac A. Ezekiel

Once I was bathed in the Light of Truth within,
      I abandoned all planning and scheming.
If you, too, seek this transcendence,
      leave your lower self — then from head to foot
      you will see your whole being as God’s refulgence.

— from Sarmad: Martyr to Love Divine, by Isaac A. Ezekiel

/ Image by Greyson Joralemon /

Once I was bathed in the Light of Truth within…

Light is one of the primary metaphors in sacred poetry, suggesting the Divine not framed within a mental concept. But for many genuine mystics, this light is directly experienced.

This light is perceived as being a living radiance that permeates everything, everywhere, always. The sense of boundaries and separation, long taken for granted by the mind as the fundamental nature of existence, suddenly seems illusory, for this light shines through all people and things. It has no edges, and the light of one is the light of all.

And it’s fitting to speak of being “bathed.” This light is not merely an airy phenomenon of the visual realm; it is tactile, permeating, embracing, profoundly soothing, revitalizing, healing. Some describe it in liquid language: water, fountain, lake, a shining white or golden ocean.

…I abandoned all planning and scheming.

I particularly like this line. Within this radiant encounter with Unity, the mind falls silent, and so too does the personal (selfish) will. The thinking mind can only create elaborate constructions, using discreet conceptual segments of reality as its building blocks. But in this wholeness there are no parts or segments to grab hold of. All blocks are already in place, with no seam or handhold found.

And with the heart full, overflowing… What want remains to scheme after?

Freed from the endless compulsive efforts of the mind and self-will, it’s breathtaking just how much buried life and energy is released through us. Mind becomes an open sky, with invisible, gentle breeze currents. Self-will becomes effortless selfless-will. Instead of you perceiving and acting, it’s as if perception and action take place through you — in joyous, flowing ease.

If you, too, seek this transcendence,
      leave your lower self — then from head to foot
      you will see your whole being as God’s refulgence.

This is “God’s refulgence,” the light of the true mystics.

Recommended Books: Sarmad

The Longing in Between: Sacred Poetry from Around the World (A Poetry Chaikhana Anthology)	Real Thirst: Poetry of the Spiritual Journey	The Drunken Universe: An Anthology of Persian Sufi Poetry	Sarmad: Martyr to Love Divine	Sarmad: Jewish Saint of India
More Books >>

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The little self is simply
the sum total of all the stories
we tell ourselves.