The human mind is indispensable for thinking, acting and working. The nature of the mind is to analyse, discuss and come to conclusions. The mind can deal with the realities of the material world; however, in the realm of meditation, the mind can only take us so far. The mind is limited and cannot deal with concepts of infinity and immortality. The reasoning mind, also, makes mistakes. The mind is apt to make judgements about ourselves and others; however, these judgements are often wrong and based on a limited perspective.
The power of the Spiritual Heart.
The spiritual heart is a significant chakra, or spiritual energy centre. The spiritual heart is closely related to the physical heart. Through meditation we can feel the energy and presence of the spiritual heart, located in the centre of our chest. Aspects of the spiritual heart include:
Oneness.
The nature of the heart is to identify with an extended consciousness. When we are in the heart it is easier to sympathise, and feel a sense of oneness with others. When we live in the mind, we separate and divide. By contrast, the nature of the heart is to feel the wider world as part of our enlarged self. This expansion of consciousness is an intrinsic aspect of meditation; in meditation we seek to lose our limited self, and identify with the universal Self. If we can enter the consciousness of the heart we will begin to appreciate the expansive qualities of the heart.
Purity.
The heart embodies purity. Here purity means freedom from doubt, anger and desire. For real meditation, we need a silent mind and the absence of mental disturbances. If we are victim to the thoughts of the mind, we will never be able to enter real meditation. However, it can be difficult to stop thoughts completely; therefore, we can through the whole mind into the heart. If we just dive deep into the heart we will be able to benefit from the purity of the heart. If thoughts constantly disturb us during meditation, we can take this advice;
“The mind has limits beyond which it cannot go without the help of the heart and soul. That is why I say that when the ordinary mind comes to the fore, you have to take it as a bundle of imperfection and throw it into the heart.”
- Sri Chinmoy [1]
The Soul
The soul permeates the entire body, but, it is in the heart that we can most readily access the spiritual heart. It is through the heart that we can be aware of our inner divinity. In meditation we discover that we have boundless inner peace, inner joy and happiness. However, the mind will doubt this inner self; the mind either extols our ego to the sky, or makes us feel miserable and unworthy. But, in the heart we can have a direct access to the soul; the heart gives us confidence of our inner divinity.
“O my heart, O heart of mine, you are my life-boat. You sail the uncharted seas of ignorance and reach the golden shore of the Beyond.” [2]
References
| [1] | Excerpt from Mind-Confusion And Heart-Illumination Part 1 by Sri Chinmoy. |
| [2] | Excerpt from Songs Of The Soul by Sri Chinmoy. |
By: Tejvan Pettinger
Oxford Sri Chinmoy Centre