In the life of most persons the mind and heart are at loggerheads,and the conflict between the two creates confusion.The mind,in its objective handling of the material world,is saturated with experiences of multiplicity and separateness,and so feeds egocentric tendencies which divide us,making us selfish and possessive.But the heart,which experiences the glow of love,gets a glimpse of the unity of the spirit;and so seeks expression through self-giving tendencies which unite us,making us selfless and generous.
When the mind encroaches upon the province of heart,it does so by requiring assurance or conviction as a condition which must be fulfilled before there is a release of love.But love is nothing if it is not spontaneous.It cannot be a conclusion of reasoning.It is not a fruit of the spirit of bargain.
If you want to be certain about the object of love before giving your love,it is only a form of calculated selfishness.The mind is a treasure house of learning: but the heart is a treasure house of spiritual wisdom.Mind cannot tell you which things are worth having;it can only tell you how to achieve ends accepted from non-intellectual sources.In most persons the mind accepts ends from the promptings of the heart,which it contributes to the life of the spirit.
Spiritual understanding is born of harmony between mind and heart.Harmony of mind and heart does not require mixing up of their functions.It does not imply cross-functioning but cooperative functioning.Their functions are neither identical nor coordinated.Mind and heart must of course be balanced.But this balance cannot be secured by pitching mind against heart or by pitching heart against mind.It can be attained not through mechanical tension but through intelligent adjustment.Mind and heart might be said to be balanced when they serve their proper purpose and when they perform their respective functions without erring this way or that way: and it is only when they are so balanced can there be true harmony between them.Such harmony of mind and heart is the most important condition of the integral,undivided life of spiritual understanding.
Though mind and heart are involved in allegiance to dogmas and creeds,both function in such case under the serious handicap of suspension of thought.Hence dogmas and creeds do not contribute to unmixed good.
The mind has been emancipated from domination of uncultured emotion,but this is often achieved by sacrificing cooperation of the heart.If the results of critical thought are to be spiritually fruitful,they must again invade and recapture the heart so as to enlist its cooperative functioning
As long as the human mind does not directly experience Ultimate Reality as it is,it is baffled in every attempt to explain the origin and the purpose of creation.
Do not listen to the voice of the mind.Listen to the voice of the heart.Mind wavers;heart does not falter.Mind fears;heart is not daunted.Mind is the house of doubts,reasonings and theories;heart,when purified,becomes the dwelling of Beloved God.So get your heart rid of low desires,temptations and selfishness,and God will manifest in you as your own Self.
No comments:
Post a Comment