Whispering Wednesday

Hari OM

The word did not so much get whispered. It was more the prompting of an image. I took the photo some while ago, but sorting files last week, it kinda struck deep.

HEART. It has become something of a loose symbol, an emoji and a hand-shaping for all who show themselves to camera and crowds. Wearing their hearts upon their sleeves, as it were.

In Vedanta, heart is understood to be of the mind. That is to say, in the context of emotion. When a concept or occurrence affects us physically, via the limbic, triggering the parasympathetic system, we tend to talk about our heart leaping, or coming into our throats and other similar terms. It is not entirely imagined. The rush of adrenaline that will have been triggered by the systems mentioned in response is all part of the fight or flight technology in our body. Even a positive event can trigger this. Excitement has the same causative response as fear. 

However, it is all triggered in the brain and the thoughts we have around it are purely of the mind. Nothing of the physical as such at all. And nothing to do with the actual organ we call the heart. 

This is true also when we talk about taking heart as in, having courage. The organ is not going to supply anything but the circulation of blood. The lungs are going to do nothing but exchange the air. The brain is going to do nothing but be the processor. 

The data is written into that processor by chitta (the memory of our spiritual selves and logger of current experiences), the buddhi (the analytical section of our mental selves), the manas (the river of thoughts - the output of the programming), and the ahangkaara (the ego-self which is the interface with the world, the 'keyboard' upon which our individual program is written).

Events happen, good or bad. The animal being reacts according to the physical responses required to deal with those situations. What happens to us as humans, though, is that we formulate thoughts and give words to express the effect upon us - the general word being 'feelings.' Further to that, we assign much precedence to those feelings and permit them importance, governance, that can often cause a great deal of trouble. Not just for ourselves, but for others. It is this animal part of us, where the buddhi has somehow become disengaged or is over-ridden by the ahangkaara and manas, that stirs up, and allows to rule, such things as the hatred and cynicism that has become so prevalent.

When we say of someone that they are permitting their hearts to rule their head, what we are really saying is that they are believing their ego and not their intellect. No matter how clever their words.

That requires of those who are faced with insult, abuse or any other negative, to 'find heart' and give voice to the effect upon them. 

In doing this, both sides need to rise into their buddhi. They need to be clear, analytical, truly above the animal responses. Sadly, this is something that appears to be lacking for many today. Too many are willing to sink into their lower selves and not seek to raise or put effort into improving themselves as human beings. To become the epitome of Love Universal that this symbol ought truly to represent.