Home Store Teachers Quotes Contact About Seeds of Wisdom

Friday, October 14, 2011

Being There When Someone Is Suffering

~by Thich Nhat Hanh

The third mantra is used in circumstances in which the person you love is suffering. When you are living mindfully, you know what is happening in your situation in the present moment. Therefore, it is easy for you to notice when the person you love is suffering. At such a time, you go to him or her, with your body and mind unified, with concentration, and you utter the third mantra: “Dear one, I know that you are suffering; that is why I am here for you.”

When we are suffering, we have a strong need for the presence of the person we love. If we are suffering and the man or woman we love ignores us, then we suffer more. So what we can do—and right away—is to manifest our true presence to the beloved person and say the mantra with force: “Dear one, I know that you are suffering; that is why I am here for you.” Even before you actually do something to help, the person you love is relieved. Your presence is a miracle, your understanding of his or her pain is a miracle, and you are able to offer this aspect of your love immediately.

Really try to be there—for yourself, for life, for the people that you love. Recognize the presence of those who live in the same place as you and try to be there when one of them is suffering, because your presence is so precious for this person. In this way, you will be practicing love twenty-four hours a day.

~by Thich Nhat Hanh - Excerpt from the book: 

Right Here with You: Bringing Mindful Awareness into Our Relationships


Contributors to the book:
  • Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh on what mindfulness is and why it lies at the heart real love
  • Psychotherapist David Richo on finding a partner
  • Author Elizabeth Gilbert on conflict and communication
  • Psychotherapist and meditation teacher Tara Brach on the power of forgiveness
  • Rabbi Harold Kushner on striving to give love rather than get it
  • Novelist Jane Hamilton on a marital meltdown—and recovery
  • Meditation teacher Susan Piver on the value of heartbreak
  • Psychologist John Welwood on relationships as a path of personal and spiritual growthSelfless Being Book Store - Amazon

"Spiritual relationship is far more precious than physical. Physical relationship divorced from spiritual is body without soul."

~Gandhi~