You are happy, and the person you love is happy at the same time. Whenever you are really there, you are able to recognize and appreciate the presence of the other – the full moon, the North Star, the magnolia flowers, or the person you love the most.įirst you practice breathing in and out deeply to recover yourself, and then you sit close to the one you love and, in that state of deep concentration, pronounce the second mantra. Looking at the sunset, you feel very happy. When you contemplate a beautiful sunset, if you are really there, you will recognize and appreciate it deeply.

Last spring in Korea, walking mindfully among magnolia trees, I looked at the magnolia flowers and said, “I know you are there and I am very happy.” To be really present and know that the other is also there is a miracle.

When I look at the moon, I breathe in and out deeply and say, “Full moon, I know you are there, and I am very happy.” I do the same with the morning star. “I know you are there, and I am very happy” is the second mantra. You bring happiness to yourself and to the other person. You become real, the other person becomes real, and life is real in that moment. A mantra can be spoken in your own language: “Darling, I am here for you.” And if you are truly present, this mantra will produce a miracle. It does not have to be in Sanskrit or Tibetan. When you are concentrated – mind and body together – you produce your true presence, and anything you say is a mantra. “I am here for you” is a mantra to be uttered in perfect concentration. The greatest gift we can make to others is our true presence. If that father learns to breathe in and out consciously and be present for his son, he can say, “My son, I am really here for you.” Thich Nhat Hanh To demonstrate true love, we have to make ourselves available. But the young man only said, “Daddy, I want you!” His father is too busy – he has no time for his wife or his children. His father is quite wealthy and could afford to buy almost anything he might want. A ten-year-old boy I know was asked by his father what he wanted for his birthday, and he didn’t know how to answer.

When you love someone, you have to be truly present for him or for her. By Thich Nhat Hanh in December 1995 The Four Mantras

True love by thich nhat hanh