We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track. If this problem persists help us by reporting it so we can investigate it.
Watch this talk
Login or create a free account to watch this talk and discover other teachings from Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
Log in or create an account
The Umbilical Cord of Interbeing – Four Kinds of Love to Sow the Future
Today, the umbilical cord first connects the baby to its mother for nine months:
- the mother breathes and the oxygen “enters the baby’s body through the umbilical cord”;
- she eats and the nutrients “enter the baby’s body through the umbilical cord”;
- every joy of the mother or father also penetrates the baby, just as the love the baby already returns;
- after birth, this invisible cord endures between the child, the mother, the father, then extends to the forest, the clouds, and the rivers, revealing “a multitude of umbilical cords that connect us all together.”
True love is a practice to cultivate first within oneself, before addressing others:
- Maitrī (loving kindness) – the capacity to bring happiness;
- Karuṇā (compassion) – the capacity to relieve suffering;
- Muditā (joy) – the capacity to generate joy;
- Upekṣā (inclusiveness) – love without discrimination, without boundaries.
Life and continuity after death are conceived as the production of seeds: thoughts, words, and actions form karma, “action”; each right thought, each right word, and each right action are seeds that ensure a beautiful future.
