Quote Image - Desktop Image
Quote Image- Mobile Image
Email pink icon
Get the Daily Inspiration in your inbox

By subscribing to Inspiring Quotes you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Sunday, June 5, 2022

You must love in such a way that the person you love feels free.

Separator icon
Thích Nhất Hạnh

In his book "True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart," the Vietnamese monk Thích Nhất Hạnh elaborated on the brahmavihārās, a series of four virtues and corresponding meditation practices made to cultivate them. Of the first — maitri, or loving-kindness — Thích Nhất Hạnh wrote that, because “understanding is the essence of love,” one must practice being attentive, looking deeply, and understanding one’s beloved. The second virtue is karuna, or compassion, which involves not just the desire to ease another’s pain, but the ability to do so. Third, mudita roughly translates to empathetic joy: “If there is not joy in love,” Thích Nhất Hạnh wrote, “it is not true love.” Of the fourth, upeksha, or equanimity, he observed, “In true love, you attain freedom. When you love, you bring freedom.”

image book

A New Definition of Mindfulness

Start Reading theme icon
Start Reading
You Are Here, written by the late Zen master Thích Nhất Hạnh, explores the essence of Buddhist thought and practice, emphasizing the power of mindfulness to transform our l...Read More
Play more header background
Play more icon
Daily Question
Fill in the blank: "___ is one of the purest springs of love." - Anne Truitt
More Inspiration
Featured Articles