The Way of the Intelligent Heart

see also the thread-- Piercing the Veil

 

The Way of the Intelligent Heart

From all sides at each moment, the summons to Love rushes to us. 'Do you want to come with us?' ~ Rumi

Western civilizations revere brain intelligence to the point that we've all but forgotten there are other forms of intelligence available to us. As a result, it comes as no surprise that we often think of spiritual awakening as an intellectual pursuit. We devise steps, methods and formulas that titillate the brain and spend years refining every nuance.

The brain loves everything that keeps it engaged and it will happily lead us around and around in circles as long as it's able to remain at the center of that circle. Methods can be helpful, but there's a more direct path: the way of the intelligent heart.

We all associate the heart with love, but in our world, love is often about levels and conditions. The heart is seen as the seat of sentimental emotion, something that can easily lead us astray and cause us pain. But when spiritual masters speak of love, it is not an emotion, but a state of being that originates in the intelligent heart.

The heart actually contains at least forty thousand neurons, which rivals the subcortical centers in the brain. We've been taught that the brain is the command center for the heart, but it often works the other way around. When the brain sends a signal, the heart may choose to disregard it, but when the heart sends a message to the brain, the brain obeys.

Spiritual masters like Rumi have long recognized that it's the heart that serves as a bridge to the Divine, and that bridge is crossed with unconditional love. When Shams-iTabrizi, Rumi's teacher, said "The door of the heart must be opened," he was encouraging us to see past the emotional love to the fullness of intelligent love that embraces all without distinction.

The ancient writer of the Mundaka Upanishad recognized the difference between brain and heart intelligence when s/he said, "The Lord of Love may be known through love but not through thought." The brain dislikes the path of love because it's exquisitely simple. There are no secrets, methods or formulas involved, we just love. We can still benefit from Rumi's sage advice, "Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all barriers within yourself that you have built against it."

As our love expands, the veils that have caused us to see a world of separate forms fall away, and we recognize the interconnected oneness of everything in existence. When we can say, "I love you like everybody" to everybody and everything, then we are love.

The brain is afraid of all-encompassing love. Its logic tells us that we must get something in return for everything we give. It is wrong. The path of the intelligent heart will lead you to a level of love, joy and peace beyond anything this world recognizes. Although most people believe "you can't take it with you," we're betting you can always take love.

Love is the only reality, and it is not a mere sentiment. It is the ultimate truth that lies at the heart of creation. -- Tagore

~ Lee & Stephen Hager www.thebeginningoffearlessness.com/blog

 

tscout's picture

         I just happened upon a book of Rumi's in the last month, and, although I read it years ago, I relished every word this time, and have been completely engrossed in it. I especially loved the group of poems on fasting, they described my experience so well. do not seek out love, but seek within for the barriers you have built against it. Although alot of Rumi was hard to decipher for me, it doesn't get any clearer than that. Thanx FFG,,,,,,,,,L,,,,,,,,,,T

tscout's picture

   Just wanted to add that I have really been appreciating these simple truths that you and Fred have been posting the last few days,weeks, whatever, i have no sense of time anymore. I think they are especially relevant to balance all the fear based posts being put up here. Nothing against them, they are necessary to keep informed, but the reminder to do our internal work is what we need to hear. otherwise, we are slowly drawn in to the strong emotions based in those other posts. So thanks again to you, and Fred, your really on a roll,ha!....L,,,,,T

I bless you with Love, Ts... It is important to be aware of the changes around the world and at the same time transmute those changes from within the Self... creating greater and greater expansion of awareness and opening of the heart.

I bless all with Love.  Only fools believe Love is blind.

--Fairy

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