Opening of the Heart

 Opening of the Heart

All scriptures, great Masters have always insisted that the heart should be open and then it evolves like a blooming lotus. The opening of the heart is also compared with blooming lotus. And the heart is often depicted as the lotus heart or HrudayaKamal. Heart is always compared with lotus. And as they say there is Sahasra Dal Kamal (a thousand petalled lotus) on the crown of your head, the destination of the spiritual journey.

(Please enjoy the video of blooming lotus above in a meditative mode and draw your own insights about your inner life.)

How does the heart open?

This is the question we often face during our inner practices. We can get a clear clue from the blooming of lotus that it is effect of the sun's rays that makes the lotus to flower or bloom or open. We can infer that our heart opens with the rays of Hid grace like sun's rays. Only Grace can open the heart.

Is the heart closed?

It appears so otherwise we will not think of opening. And all the Masters of Spirituality will not insist on the opening of the heart for success in spiritual evolution. Misery, lack of clarity and restlessness is the proof of our closed heart.

What makes the heart close?

If we can peep into our hearts dispassionately we will find that the harbouring of the following things are the reason for a closed heart: Fear, Negativity, Lust, Anger, Miserliness, Attachment, Arrogance, Jealousy, Prejudice. They are invisible realities in all of us; for whatever reasons. These things cause enormous stress in every layer of our being (broadly body, mind and soul) and make our life miserable. And every being consciously or unconsciously is praying intensely or longing intensely to get out of this mess that we got into somehow. And the stress caused is progressively increasing day-by-day instead of decreasing; the peace of mind is decreasing progressively every day. 

When does the Grace happen?

It is ONLY when the prayer or longing of the being for release is genuine, intense and we are able to wait patiently that the Grace descends, happens. And the heart starts opening up. 

What is the role of Spiritual practice in this?

Assiduous spiritual practice facilitates the Grace to continue on the seeker's heart; allows the heart to open more and more, layer by layer, petal by petal. Spiritual practice is a conscious effort to attract God's Grace. 

What is the role of Character?

The role of character is vital in the opening of heart. Constant vigil on the character and working on it facilitates the blooming of the heart easily. Vigil on the character is watching our Words, Deeds, Thoughts, Behaviour and Intentions.

What is the role of the Guru?

Guru is the bridge between the being and the God; God with form is Guru and Guru without form is God, say our Masters. He is the catalyst to hasten this process. That is why the need for surrender , saranagati, eeshwara pranidhaana towards the Guru.

What happens when the heart opens up?

The heart when it open up starts evolving to the highest possible state open to humankind. The heart becomes what it ought to be from what it is. It becomes the light for others to help them find the light too. 

Just imagine a lake FULL of lotuses and imagine the world FULL of open hearts; It is the opening of our hearts that this world becomes a better place to live in making us better and better human beings.

The Heart

The Spiritual Heart

Every human being has a heart and has two aspects - physical and spiritual. We all are aware of its importance and the main functions. If heart stops, everything stops in a human being; life ceases to exist.

The physical heart is located where everyone feels the lub-dub (72 beats per minute as they say normally) vibration on the left of their chest generally. For some people the physical heart can be on the right side of the chest also. Wherever it may be located the function of the heart is the same. The main function is to collect the impure blood from all nooks and corners of the body and get it purified through lungs and then supply to all the parts of the body. 

The physical heart is to be managed with right nourishing food, right healthy exercises, and right care in a regular way.

The Spiritual heart is also called the Centre of our existence. It is also felt almost near the physical heart though it is spread all over from head to toe according to the spiritual Masters. It is also the seat of experiences or imperiences (inner experiences) viz., emotions, feelings, inspirations and finer and finer experiences as one becomes subtle through a spiritual process. It is also where the Divine resides, the Witness of everything that happens in us. It is a place where the inner voice emanates and guides. It is also where one suffers or enjoys.

The spiritual heart is to be managed with right thoughts, right words, right habits, right behaviour and right character. And this is made possible only by paying enough attention on the heart. The Spiritual  affects the Physical. Also the physical affects spiritual though not as intensely as the spiritual affects the physical. Hence the need to take care the spiritual heart on a very regular basis. This is done through a set of yogic meditational practices. 

The Mind and the Heart

In the esoteric literature or spiritual literature, the Mind is interchangeably used for Consciousness as they point to the same thing. The Mind determines what a human being is. And it is the Mind that is the only thing can be changed in the human system created by Nature. The other two things the body and the soul cannot be changed or evolved; the body only ages and does not evolve as Pujya Gurudev says; the soul is a presence and purity by itself and hence no need of anu change. Therefore it is only the Mind that has to change for a human being to change or evolve.

Now, the Mind is a thinking faculty; thinking is its function. The Mind can be fickle or calm but thinking cannot be stopped; mind can only be regulated and disciplined; The thought-traffic can be regulated through meditation that allows us to transcend to beyond. Thus the Mind helps us to change, evolve and transcend to other higher realms of existence.

And what does heart do? The heart takes all the impressions and has been taking all impressions ever since it came into its existence from the Source and also the Witness. These impressions when repeated several times are solidified into tendencies; and the tendencies start ruling one's life. because Mind follows the tendencies or deep impressions. The Heart is the other extreme end of the Mind as Gurudev puts it. But the mind and the heart appear to be disconnected and mind tries to act independently, ignoring the heart. And that is where this imbalance in us creeps in. That is something to be corrected to restore the lost balance. This is what is possible through regular meditational practices and thus a great sense of well being is experienced. 

Human Effort and God's Grace

Whether one likes it or not, accepts it or not, realizes it or not, nothing happens or materializes or realized without Human effort and God's Grace. The whole life of humans revolves around this divine law. 

There is no success without this combination as depicted in  Bhagavad-Gita. The following Shloka says, wherever there is Krishna, the Lord of Yoga and the archer Arjuna, Victory/Success is certain.

यत्र योगेश्वरः कृष्णो यत्र पार्थो धनुर्धरः ।
तत्र श्रीर्विजयो भूतिर्ध्रुवा नीतिर्मतिर्मम ॥ 18-78॥

Here Arjuna represents Human Effort; but human effort alone is not enough for success; Lord Krishna represents the Divine Grace that supports the effort and completes it. 

It also implies that human will should be in tune with God's will for the Grace to descend. Therefore the need for one to tune with His will. Nothing happens without His will. 

It also teaches us that one should live a life that attracts the Divine Grace by moulding one's life according to the divine principles or following the heart/inner voice within.

Yoga-Abhyas is all about our effort to attract His Grace. Grace is something that happens irrespective of one's deservingness. 

It does not happen just because we desire. Even to desire Grace, we need to deserve; and one who desires generally does not deserve; and one who deserves generally does not desire. 

We do not desire His Grace, we wait for His Grace while we work for  our deservingness.