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
Transforming Loneliness, Nourishing Friendship
Friendship begins from the aspiration to have a companion, the aspiration to open up one’s loneliness, but the body—“flesh and bones”—is like “mountains and rivers that separate,” creating distance between two souls. Many young people believe that just sitting close to each other and exchanging words is enough for mutual understanding, but in reality, the inner distance remains intact, and sometimes even deepens if there is not true understanding on the spiritual level.
The view of the body in Huy Can’s poetry—“Ah, the body, a vessel of sin, the primordial earth has returned to mud”—and the image of love in the poetry of Xuan Dieu and Nguyen Binh all show that the power of emotion does not automatically dissolve loneliness. Only when each person knows how to look deeply, to understand and to transform themselves, only when love is nourished by deep understanding, does loneliness have a chance to be transformed, and only then can friendship and love truly become strong and enduring.
