Living from the Heart
VIVIR DESDE EL CORAZÓNCuando sentimos envidia hacia alguien, es porque nos está mostrando un lugar en nuestro interior donde sentimos que no somos suficiente. Después de todo, cuando te sientes rebosante y pleno, el síntoma de esa plenitud es que el éxito de cualquiera te aporta alegría. Cuando el éxito de alguien no te aporta alegría, eso es un síntoma de que percibes una carencia. Así que si podemos controlar nuestra ira, evitar enfocarnos en el aspecto externo y dirigir la mirada de verdad a nuestro interior, podremos obtener una información muy valiosa sobre aquello que necesitamos hacer para sentirnos mejor con nosotros mismos.
Quiero hacerme entender en este punto. La energía del corazón tiene que ver con el dar y el recibir. Esto es, con apoyar, y también con recibir apoyo de otras personas. Apoyar a otra persona no implica tener que aguantar su estupidez, ni siquiera su comportamiento. Si tu retoño se te acerca y te pide dinero para comprar droga, no lo vas a apoyar, pero es absolutamente esencial que cuando lo confrontes no le retires tu amor. El corazón une, la mente separa. Puede que no te guste lo que hace otra persona. Puede que hasta te veas obligado a reprender, castigar o condenar a alguien por su comportamiento. Pero eso es algo bien diferente a retirarles tu energía de amor, tu compasión.
Hace tiempo escuché una historia que verdaderamente me llegó. Estaba el Dalai Lama en Dharamsala, India, llevando a cabo la iniciación Kalachakra, una importante ceremonia de empoderamiento de la tradición budista. En medio de ese ritual, tremendamente formal, algunos monjes tibetanos irrumpieron corriendo en la sala, gritando y vociferando que los chinos acababan de asesinar a cientos de monjes tibetanos. La ceremonia se desestabilizó completamente y todos dirigieron su mirada al Dalai Lama. El Dalai Lama hizo detener el acto y le habló a la gente: “Ahora, recemos por los chinos.”
Puede que esta actitud te suene utópica, puede que te resulte imposible de llevar a la práctica, pero te invito a que pienses en ello desde la perspectiva filosófica de la interdependencia; que pienses desde la perspectiva filosófica del karma, que dice que si infringes dolor sobre otra persona, tú lo recibirás, y entonces necesitarás que recen por ti. Si una criatura de tres o cuatro años se te acerca y te pega, tú no te enfadas, porque tu nivel de conciencia es más elevado. Esto es lo que queremos lograr desde el centro del corazón: queremos albergar compasión, tomar aliento y no reaccionar sino responder desde otro lugar. Y tu prosperidad en este mundo dependerá de ello.
-- por Rick Jarow, en su libro “La Guía Anti-Profesional Definitiva”
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: The author emphasizes that maintaining our love for others does not necessarily imply condoning their behavior - how do you relate to this notion? Can you share a personal story of challenging someone without withdrawing your love for them? How can we inculcate the strength and wisdom to be able to do that? What does "Living from the Heart" mean to you?
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13 Past Reflections
On Aug 17, 2020 Poulomi wrote :
Forgiveness is a strength and is so important for an individual to forgive not for another person but for oneself and I too learnt this from my parents and my Buddhist practice of Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism :)
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On Oct 8, 2012 lady opada wrote :
true love doesn't set conditions. It understands, accepts, and forgives.
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On Oct 5, 2012 kawere siraji wrote :
its good to love some one minus condoning their behaviours because they feel small.
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On Oct 3, 2012 Karen wrote :
What a nice article on compassion, abundance and the heart. Thank you. I've shared a link to this on my blog.
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On Oct 2, 2012 Maya Vidhyadharan wrote :
Living from the heart really reaches depth when I have emotionally healed from past life wounds, and shadows. The virtues increase. Until then living in the heart is just a concept.and the heart center is not fully open.
Once the heart center is open, it has the power to stop accidents on the road by your command.
Once I come to this state, and continue working on myself to face shadows that need releasing, I can live from the heart. When someone hurts me I stand up fearlessly without anger. This means standing up to Corporate Vice Presidents and Managers who are abusing their power, lovingly and fearlessly,, without the fear of being fired stopping us.
Living in the heart means, I feel the sadness about what did not work in my life. I feel the sadness for the loss caused by my shadows. I feel sadness for the poverty and the corruption and I can cry. It also means I need to open my heart more to KNOW in by being that God is in charge and everyone is allowed their creation of d... [View Full Comment]
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On Oct 2, 2012 Lennox wrote :
Thank you for sharing this inspiring writing. The point about scarcity mentality is worth meditating on. In our post industrialized society of material abundance vast majority of fellow humans still fight for the basics. How do we account for this? Why do we continue to accumulate more to "secure our future" when millions suffer "now". This is a large scale example of "mind over heart" divide the author points to. Somehow all of us well meaning spiritual seekers continue to live with this conflict. Why?
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On Oct 2, 2012 Ron Lopez wrote :
I love that being said " The Heart Centered Unites and the Mind Divides" An excellent mantra!!
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On Oct 2, 2012 bckmishra wrote :
It is really pleasant to go through the writing of Rick.Living from the heart very truly means "be guided by heart in every thing you do". All your deeds should be governed by compassion, care, concern, fellow feelings and empathy which is the essence of the heart.
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On Oct 2, 2012 BCKMishra wrote :
It is really pleasant to go through the writing of Rick.Living from the heart very truly means "be guided by heart in every thing you do". All your deeds should be governed by compassion, care, concern, fellow feelings and empathy which,the essence of the heart.
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On Sep 30, 2012 Narendra wrote :
The author emphasizes that maintaining our love for others does not necessarily imply condoning their behavior - how do you relate to this notion? I agree. The example of a mothers’ discipline for a child is the essence of practice of love in nature. This conditional or tough-love is designed to make children peaceful and productive citizens of community. This also applies to religions, cultures and communities, if we are to coexist peacefully on this planet. The world evolved with three layers of brain-mind, Tamas/body, Rajas/emotions and Satwa/Love. These need coordination and discipline. Unconditional love and nonviolence encourages oppression of the peaceful by the aggressive, as in colonialism, terrorism and wars. The world is in transition from ignorance/selfishness based survival and competition, to survival based on awareness, mutual respect and cooperation. Some religions and cultures are ahead of others in this process. For some, this trans... [View Full Comment]
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On Sep 30, 2012 david doane wrote :
I very much agree with maintaining our love for others when not condoning their behavior. The opportunity to do this occurs frequently in raising children, and it is easier to maintain the love because they are out children, though sometimes the love may not come across. I have found the bigger challenge to be in dealing with other people. What helps me be able to maintain love while not condoning the behavior is the awareness that we are one, which has helped me be more compassionate and patient. Living from the heart means having the awareness that we are one and maintaining love for the other while not condoning their behavior. Someone said, "There's something about that guy that I just don't like about myself." For me, that attitude helps me live from the heart. I love the story about the Dalai Lama -- it's beautiful and profound. It reminds me of the scripture passage about pray for those who persecute you... [View Full Comment]
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On Sep 29, 2012 Ricky wrote :
I have come to realize I can’t live any other way, than from the heart. Nothing else has meaning. We are all connected as One. The Four Immeasurables, the Four Qualities of the Heart, are a most outstanding guide for this way of living. The four are Maitri, friendliness; Karuna, compassion; Mudita, delighting in the joy of others; and Upeksha, practicing equanimity. In some circles, the heart is center for the Big Mind. The Heartmath Institute (highlighted in the documentary ‘I AM’) shares that the heart is the energetic center of us, and has more radiant vibration than any other area. This would make sense on a physiological plane, but when you live from the heart, you recognize it from a deep connection with the emotional, mental, intuitive, and spiritual plane as well.
Every day I wake up with gratitude for another opportunity to share my life with all others around me. And there are a lot of others around me.&... [View Full Comment]
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On Sep 28, 2012 Conrad P. Pritscher wrote :
Thank you for the opportunity to respond. "Living from the heart", to me, means noticing that I am one with everyone and everything. That is beyond "philosophical." As a Western student, I have been taught that being philosophical is being somewhat different from living from the heart as St. Exuperey's "Little Prince." I have been told that the ancient Chinese word "hsin" means "heart/mind." I find that useful, as I find it useful to notice that the ancient Chinese never separated philosophy from poetry. I notice that at one time I hated Richard Nixon. I am now sorry about that hating and while I do not love him as I love my wife and family, I intellectually love him without a lot of feeling because I think that is best and because I am one with Richard Nixon. Karl Rove and some Republicans are difficult to love, but when I stop to think about it I find that I too have some of hi... [View Full Comment]