teachings on love

No matter what people pour onto the earth,
whether milk, flowers, or compose,
the Earth receives it all.
Why?
Because the great Earth is vast and has the power
to transform everything into soil, plants and flowers.
If you pour a handful of salt into a cup of water,
the water becomes undrinkable.
But if you pour the salt into the river,
people can continue to draw the water to cook, wash and drink.
The river is immense, and it has the capacity to receive, embrace and transform.

If our hearts our big, we can be like the river.
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,
the same things don't make us suffer anymore.

So the big question is,
how do we help our heart to grow?


Thich Nhat Hanh
Teachings on Love