True Love

In

this little treasure, Thich Nhat Hanh offers a Buddhist view of love along with

techniques for manifesting it in our daily lives. In his characteristically

direct, simple, and compassionate style, he explores the four key aspects of

love as described in the Buddhist tradition: lovingkindness, compassion, joy,

and freedom.

In

order to love in a real way, Thich Nhat Hanh explains, we need to learn how to

be fully present in our lives. In

True

Love

he offers readers the technique of conscious breathing as a method for

synchronizing the mind and body to establish the conditions of love. He goes on

to offer a mantra practice for generating love that consists of expressing four

key statements or intentions in our relationships. These include: "Dear

one, I am really there for you"; "Dear one, I know that you are

there, and I am really happy about it"; "Dear one, I know that you

are suffering, and that is why I am here for you"; and "Dear one, I

am suffering, please help me."

In

the concluding section of the book, Thich Nhat Hanh explains how love can help

us to heal our own pain, fear, and negativity. He explains that we must not

regard negative emotions as bad and repress them. We must recognize them as

part of us and allow them into our consciousness, where they can be cared for

by the "loving mother of mindfulness."