Poem: Go and receive

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by Zilong Wang

Go and receive, humbly and freely, from everyone
So that you could not bear to ever break their hearts
Who would poison the well that has filled your cup
When you were dying of thirst?

Receive without expectations or seeking
Receive from the poorest, lowest,
From the farthest, the most unlikely of places
Receive from your enemies and from those you fear
So that you rid yourself of “us vs. them”

Risk yourself to be in the position
Of having no choice but to receive
Because only then
Do you start to understand others on their terms

In fact, we have already received from all
Each living being has been our mother in a past life
But sometimes, it takes actual receiving in this life
To be reminded of “who is my mother, and who are my brethren?”

We never really give from our own wealth
We only repay our parents’ kindness
And pay forward the Grace of Life
Therefore, receive, so that we may give!


Zilong Wang was born and raised in China. He came to the US for college, and then worked in the Bay Area for a sustainability consulting firm while living at Canticle Farm and studying with Joanna Macy. One day, he heard a calling to go on a pilgrimage around the world by bicycle (mostly) for the ecological and spiritual awakening of our time. He has been on the road since Feb 2016. He shares the learnings from the “Journey to the East” at: www.JourneyE.org

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