A Deeper Sense of Love

I've been reading a book by Thich Nhat Hanh, lately called "The Ultimate Dimension." When I was reading it today he had an interesting take on love and relationships in general.

He said, "Understanding is the substance, the material that we can use to manufacture love." An important part of that process improving relationships is what he called "Deep looking." What supports deep looking is stopping and *really* listening to the other person, with our total being (almost like being is a state of meditation).

He went on to say, "sometimes we think we understand," but because we didn't stop to check (verify), we perhaps just saw an outline of what the other person was feeling, rather than the actual content. We didn't see the color, the tone, the contrasts inside the lines. This can cause problems and tension, because we missed a connection point.

When we stop and us "deep looking," that is our window of opportunity. And within the window of opportunity we can be more present, alert, aware, attentive and connected. Thich Nhat Hanh suggests that within that space, we can help to reduce stress, anxiety and suffering within our partner or people that we care about. In living like, this love truly is a verb.

Gassho,

Jaye Morris, Curator
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