
Overview of How to Love
In "How to Love," Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh reveals four essential traits of true love beyond mere attraction. This NYT bestseller, praised by Maria Popova, asks: Can expanding your heart like a river - not a salt-filled glass - transform your relationships forever?
Key Themes in How to Love
- grief transformation
- emotional regulation
- walking meditation
- conscious breathing
- interconnectedness of life
Quotes from How to Love
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.
To love without knowing how to love wounds the person we love.
If you pour a handful of salt into a cup of water, the water becomes undrinkable. But if you pour the salt into a river, people can continue to draw water to drink. The river is immense, and it has the capacity to receive, embrace, and transform. When our hearts are small, our understanding and compassion are limited, and we suffer. We can't accept or tolerate others and their shortcomings, and we demand that they change. But when our hearts expand, these same things don't make us suffer anymore. We have lots of understanding and compassion and can embrace others. We accept others as they are, and then they have a chance to transform.
Crying isn't weakness-it's a natural, healing response that brings comfort and relief.
Remember that you are more than your emotions.
Characters in How to Love
- Thich Nhat HanhAuthor and Buddhist monk providing wisdom on grief
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