“Understanding someone’s suffering is the best gift you can give another person. Understanding is love’s other name. If you don’t understand, you can’t love.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
Dr. Rick
Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh has been teaching mindfulness practice for over 70 years, and has written over 80 books on relationships, love, meditation, peace, prayer and much more.
In speaking about love and relationships, he teaches that the Sanskrit word for compassion is “karuna.” However, karuna goes far beyond merely sharing a loved one’s suffering or hardship as a way of showing compassion. Karuna is the capacity to remove, transform, and help heal the suffering.
He goes on to say, “When you love someone, develop the capacity to help him suffer less. This is an art. Just as a doctor cannot help to heal your illness unless she understands its cause, you must understand the roots of your loved one’s suffering in order to help bring relief.”
Ahh, lovely.