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Last weekend I had a wonderful trip to my friend’s hermitage in remote Vermont. He lives there as a buddhist monk. I had a chance to recharge, walk through the snowy fields and drink tea with him. His official monk name is Brother Phap Man.

my dear friend Brother Phap Man (Brother Fulfillment in English)

Every evening of the few days I spent there, he read me one of the poems he wrote in the morning. It was a very joyful way for me to end the day. This one resonated with me in particular. I’ve previously written about how much my worth and and my work are intertwined. Hearing his poem on worth, money and friendship touched me. It gave me relief that I don’t need to try so hard and that there may be another order to things too that I can trust in. Here it is:

How much is it worth?

Listen to the poem recorded by Brother Man

How much would you pay for this,
  For this moment?
What’s it worth to you?
Being alive right now?

Would you pay more to make it different?

And what if you could have it all?

Could you use your money for something really brilliant?
What would it be?
Would you build an elaborate castle?
 Or a cathedral in the sky?
A place where you can rest your head and
 Cry all of your tears?
  Laugh all of your laughter,
    And Touch the deepest joy?

Mmmm.

Sounds lovely.
Maybe it’s called friendship.
  So then, what have we agreed to with this contract?
Should we keep it,
  Or burn it to stay warm?
And then do what we want anyway,
    Just holding each other close.
If all the fear just went away, 
   What would be left there,  
     in that space Between You and Me?
A big open field,
  A starry field sparkling on the snow,
   An infinite number of suns sparkling!
  Every atom, singing,
  Alive!
Could our love ever become infinite like that,
  Without bounds,
  Without ties,
  Without anything else to do,
  With perfect ease
And perfect pain.
Fearless.

I don’t know.

But it’s the road I’m walking down.
Won’t you take my hand,
  And
     Walk on it with me for a while?

 

How did Brother Man’s poem land with you? Please let him know in the comments below. Or you can also reach him on Facebook.

 

Leo Widrich I'm the Co-founder of Wild Life, an honest community & retreat center forming in the green hills in Central Europe near a beach. In the past I worked as a coach and software entrepreneur.

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