Heart Centered Practice: Fullness, engagement and embodiment
I used to focus on heart centered practices - mainly the heart prayer, Christ meditation (visualizing Christ in the heart and about 5 feet away in all six directions), and gratitude (for everything happening, through for instance repeating the word "thanks" as a mantra) - and it seems that they are slowly coming back. There is a quite different embodiment that comes from heart-centered practices, a different sense of engagement in the world.
There are many ways of talking about this, and I am only scratching the surface here as with everything else (and am obviously far behind many others who have explored this).
Where inquiry and basic sitting practice gives insight and clarity, heart-centeredness gives engagement. The first is a zero/first person relationship with God, and the second a second person relationship with God. One gives the context, the other the content. One gives clarity and space, the other fullness and richness. One gives equanimity, the other joy, gratitude and compassion.
And both seem needed, at least in my case.
There is a continuing deepening into the heart and living from the heart possible, before and after a nondual awakening.
Labels: big heart, christianity, compassion, engagement, practice