Skip to main content

Why love matters - Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh has an amazing insight to share!

What is love? It means different things to different people. 

Have you thought about it? Do read: POWER OF LOVE

When a mother loves her child, have you noticed that the mother's love doesn't change with time or place or even when a child does not reciprocate it? 

Perhaps there is none of the ''my happiness', 'my priority', 'my desires' sort of mentality in the relationship. There is an element of being desireless, in the sense, that the mother wants no material or physical gain from the relationship. The mother may have big dreams of her child becoming X,Y and Z but not necessarily to materially benefit from this. Being itself is enough. 'Being a Mother' is tinged with a sense of happiness despite all the daily struggles and challenges that it brings.

Typically a mother is so engrossed and involved in raising her child, without a sense of a separation of the Self. In a sense, everything else ceases to matter. That kind of love doesn't change from a mother's side.




                        FOLLOW MY BOARDS ON PINTEREST

Love has to be experienced first, right? 

It's hard to say, isn't it, without delving deep into yourself - the heart - is where it all begins. [READ: How to stay strong no matter how much it hurts]

The famous Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh has a beautiful teaching around what love truly means. It will change your understanding of 'love' in a narrow sense. According to him, "Understanding is love's other name." There is a treasury of meaning to that simple yet profound statement. 

To me, this is what it means:

When we understand, we stop judging.
When we understand, we stop expecting.
When we understand, we accept with grace.
When we understand, there is nothing left to create a sense of separation.

DO READ: TO HIM, WHOM I LOVE 

Have you thought about love differently now? I'd love to hear your views.

Comments

Vishnu said…
A very different take on love but so true and powerful at the same time.

If we can judge less and understand more, the world would be a better place. Each day we have so many opportunities to understand people, circumstances, tragedies and more yet usually we resort to condemning, judging or pointing fingers.

A good perspective from the always wise Thic Nhat Hahn
Thanks Vishnu, I am happy to hear that your thoughts are in sync with mine esp when it comes to judging others. We waste so much time on wasteful thoughts and activities that these get played up in our actions because we are constantly judging others and criticizing them in our minds. So much to improve in ourselves first but my oh my, we don't have time for that!
Ultimately only love matters. But alas we have created a world of hate!

Most Popular Posts

The Ugly Truth about Caste in Kerala

Many years ago, when I wrote this post on Kerala's caste system, I had not considered that people would start sending in abusive comments about one caste over the other. It baffles me that this is how Indians, all of us, continue to judge each other on account of caste differences.  [ READ: Guru Kripa: Powerful Lessons at the Lotus Feet ] My question is - why do you ABUSE any caste or community? I suggest that you read about the lives of great Masters and their stories - none of them judged anyone on the basis of caste.  You can read the life stories of Sri Adi Shankara Bhagawadpada, Tulsidas, Jnaneshwar, Namadev, Sri Aurobindo, Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Paramahansa Yogananda, Shirdi Sai Baba, and many more Gurus in Sanathana Dharma. NONE of them endorse these caste hierarchies in Bhakti Marga. Assuming that Guru Sampradaya does not appeal to your sensibilities, do read this  new book 'Ants among Elephants' written by Sujatha Gidla, who writes about herself as being born

How do you light Deepam at home?

How do you light deepam at home? As a child, I loved watching the ritual of my grandmother lighting the deepam or the traditional lamp at home in the evenings. A sense of serenity accompanied her frail figure as she would carefully straighten every wick, dip it into the tiny puddle of oil and light the lamp. As my grandmother would read out the scriptures and chant the prayers, the fragrance of incense sticks and flowers added depth to the experience. In many Hindu homes nowadays, the lighting of the lamp (or the nilavilakku, as Malayalis refer to the traditional lamp in their homes) is not a regular practice. A lot of people have many questions around how to light deepam at home and which oil to use and so on. An important point to keep in mind - Maintain physical cleanliness and hygiene while lighting the lamp. Wear clean clothes while lighting the lamp. Frequently Asked Questions About Lighting Deepam at Home Collating most queries related to how to light the deepam at home, I'v

7 Am Arivu (the Seventh Sense) - Why it is spiritually relevant

7 Am Arivu (the Seventh Sense) is a film that I was desperate to watch for two reasons. One, I am a Suriya fan and I had heard so much about his performance in this movie that I didn't want to settle for watching a CD of it and losing the actual cinematic experience. Second, I had read from various bloggers and their reviews that this film revolves around the story of Bodhidharman, a 16th century prince from Tamil Nadu who had mastered knowledge spanning multiple forms of art, and was sent to China to save the people from evil. Once he goes there, the transformation begins for himself and for the people there and he  goes on to become Damo, the father of Shaolin and Kung Fu and hypnotism and such other mystical yet spiritually relevant forms of mind mastery. 7 Am Arivu Goes Over the Top with the Dravidian Rhetoric In 7 Am Arivu, there has been a lot of controversy created by the fact that nearly every character eulogizes about the importance of being Tamil and yes, the Dravidi

A Book Review: I too had a love story by Ravinder Singh

I don’t like reading mushy romance. But Ravinder Singh’s book ‘I too had a love story’ got me crying. The book is a spell-binding, honest tale of Ravin’s love story with Khushi – the girl he loved but couldn’t marry. Ravinder Singh’s narrative resonates with honesty, passion and an innocence that is rare among today’s Indian writers. He tells you of how passionately a man can love and respect the woman he loves and how desperately he can fight for her life in the midst of life threatening crises. Most Indian love stories end predictably. Ravinder Singh’s story is not like that – I had tears flowing down my cheeks when I read Khushi’s last words to him in a moving bus. I could personally relate to that surreal experience of saying good bye forever. It has happened with me but in a different context. And then, what broke my poise was the last chapter. There’s a sentence he writes where his father tries to persuade him to marry another girl. Ravin’s reply is

Movie Review: Fahad Fazil & Amala Paul Sizzle Together in Oru Indian Pranayakatha

It was a pleasure to watch Sathyan Anthikad's latest film "Oru Indian Pranayakadha" which marked the veteran director's clear departure from his signature style films.  [ Confession: I never miss a Fahadh Fazil movie. I am a HUGE fan of his right from Chappa Kurishu. ]  Of course, there are several other actors who play their part very well in this film but you should go watch the movie to enjoy it better. I don't want to spill the entire story here. Right from the first scene, brace yourself to be bowled over by Aimanam Siddharthan, a young upcoming politician who leaves no stone unturned in his path to become an MLA. He charts out his every move to win the hearts of the people, gain visibility with the 'High Command' and extract political mileage out of every public appearance he makes. You get the feeling that he likes to have every move charted out in advance and planned in a way that reaps political dividends for his growth as a politic