The Inner Child | Thich Nhat Hanh (short meditation)

(Bell) (Bell) (Bell) As I inhale, I look like a five-year-old; Exhaling, I smile at the five-year-old in me. A five-year-old

child

is always vulnerable, fragile. And he or she can get hurt very easily. That's why we have to treat your five-year-old son very delicately. If a five-year-old

child

damages a flower, it will remain there for a long time. And most of us have had five years. And the

inner

child within us is still alive. And the little child within us, five years old, may still have wounds inside him. Therefore, in this

meditation

, we return home and touch the five-year-old child within us.

That five-year-old may be deeply hurt, something we have neglected for a long time. The five-year-old in us was always trying to ask us to pay attention. But because we are so busy, we haven't had time to get back to him or her. That's a shame. This morning we have an opportunity. (half-bell) As I breathe in, I look like a five-year-old child; Exhaling, I smile compassionately at the five-year-old in me. In, five year old child; Outside, smiling compassionately. (Bell) Now let's practice the following exercise: Breathing in, I see my father as a five-year-old child. You haven't seen your father when he was five years old, but he was already five years old before he became a father.

And when he was five years old he was also vulnerable, fragile. And your grandfather, your grandmother and other people could hurt him very easily. So if sometimes he was rude, difficult, that's why. Because he had been hurt when he was five years old. And if you understand that, you won't be angry with him anymore. You have compassion for him because he was a five-year-old boy and he may have had a lot of suffering that hurt him deeply during the time he had. If you have a family album, if in that album there is a photo of your father, aged five, that is a good

meditation

object.

Look at him when he was five, and breathe in and out... and see the five year old that is still alive in him, and in you too. And when you understand that when he was five years old he suffered a lot, he was hurt very deeply and very often, you will understand why he had sometimes behaved so rudely. And suddenly your anger will melt, you will have compassion and you will feel much better. Breathing in, I see my father as a five-year-old boy; Exhaling, I smile at the five-year-old boy who was my father. Let's practice together.

Father, five-year-old boy; Smiling at the father with compassion. (Bell) Breathing in, I see my mother as a five-year-old girl; Exhaling, I smile at the five-year-old girl who had been my mother. When my mother was five years old, she was also vulnerable, fragile and she could get hurt very easily. And she may not have had a teacher, a friend to help her heal. That's why her wound, her pain continue in her. That's why sometimes she didn't behave very kindly towards you. You understand, because she had not been able to heal the pain that she had. And if you can see your mother as a five-year-old girl, vulnerable, fragile, you understand her and you can forgive her very easily, with compassion.

The five-year-old girl who had been your mother is always alive in her and in you. Breathing in, I see my mother as a five-year-old girl; Exhaling, I smile at that wounded five-year-old girl, who was my mother. Mother when she was five years old; Smiling at my mother when she was five, with compassion. (Bell) (Bell)