Thich Nhat Hanh touched millions of lives in the time that he spent on Earth. His wisdom was profound but always expressed in very simple words, the practical application immediately clear.
His teachings on love were no different, every word speaks to that part of you that already knows this:
“If you love someone, you have to offer that person the best that you have. And the best that you can offer is your presence. Because how can you love if you are not there?” – Thich Nhat Hanh
“Your ability to love another person depends on your ability to love yourself.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
“Understanding is love. If you can’t understand you cannot love. When you understand yourself, you love yourself.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
“If we do not know how to take care of ourselves and love ourselves, we cannot take care of the people we love. Loving oneself is the foundation for loving another person.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
“You must love in such a way that the person you love feels free.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
“To love without knowing how to love, wounds those we are trying to love.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
I want to take a moment to pause on this last thought, “wounding those we are trying to love…”
If I haven’t done the work to foster acceptance of myself through a deep understanding of my own human-ness – if I haven’t come to feel love for this human that is me – then I will “need” the humans around me to always show up in a way that makes me feel accepted, understood and loved. I am literally burdening the people I “love” with the responsibility of making me feel whole, and I am unable to “allow” them to be who they are.
In this case the people I love certainly don’t experience freedom, they become hostages to my sense of wellbeing.
Thank you for doing your work to grow into your own sense of wholeness. You are a source of light to the humans around you.
Mantras for your journey:
- I am worthy of love, starting with my own.
- I choose presence, deepening love with every breath.
- Understanding myself unlocks my capacity to love fully.
- May my love liberate and empower those around me.
Have a beautiful Friday filled with love!
– pierre –
Today’s LIVE meditation is: Sharing love
(image credit: Robert Deyber https://www.artsy.net/artwork/robert-deyber-love-hurts )