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January/February 2006 Newsletter
Feature ArticleThe Heart’s Longing
Our heart’s longing is essential food for our spiritual growth. We can look at other living organisms, like flowers, and see that don’t long for anything. They grow, blossom, and die, nothing more. They do not have mistaken beliefs which get in the way of experiencing their intrinsic wholeness.Flowers do not experience confusion and do not have to surrender to something beyond their understanding. In fact, flowers point to the simplicity of our being enough, just as we are. So, how does our longing fit into developing more awareness? First, the mind must at least be open a crack to notice the heart’s longing. Although this longing is always available, we can be completely closed off from it. We need to understand the possibility that we can live with less suffering and confusion. Indeed, we must understand that we can grow. Our eyes must at least be open a little bit. Once we understand that we can change, we can develop the skills necessary to change. Then, we can welcome longing into our life, and open the way for our spiritual development. Usually, our experiences of longing come and go unrecognized. We hear an inspiring story or beautiful words, feel better for a moment, and then return to the status quo. Reading a self-help article may give us a temporary inkling of our possibility for growth. When that inkling becomes stronger, and we stay open, curiosity may be aroused. Activated curiosity about our present condition becomes the natural expression of our longing for wholeness. Then our curiosity can be directed towards the nature of our painful situation and the possibility for growth. |
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An excerpt from Padme’s book, Let’s Not Call It Meditation: Practical Guidance for People who Think They Can’t Sit Still and Quiet the Mind, available online in February ’06.