01/27/2026
Love Is Born from Understanding
Listening deeply and compassionately, you begin to understand the other person more fully, and love is nourished. The foundation of love is understanding, and that means first of all understanding suffering. Each of us is hungry for understanding.
If you really want to love someone and make him or her happy, you have to understand that person's suffering. With understanding, your love will deepen and become true love. Listening to suffering is an essential ingredient for generating understanding and love.
I define happiness as the capacity to understand and to love, because without understanding and love no happiness could be possible. We don't have enough understanding and love, which is why we suffer so much. That is what we are thirsting for.
Compassion and love are born from understanding
How can you love unless you understand? How can the father love his son if he doesn't understand the suffering and difficulties of his son? How can someone make his beloved happy without knowing anything about that person's suffering and difficulties?
~ Thich Nhat Hanh