Openhearted

The journey towards divinity is the same as the journey towards humanity. That journey is to surrender all the reasons we have for not keeping the heart open. That openhearted being is the human person, fully alive. The rest are the casualties of life, events of life that, for a time, render us distrustful.

Pain is a reality of life. The Buddha put it this way, "Life is dukka," and dukka, suffering or unsatisfactoriness has left its mark. It has done its part to close the heart to life. All know the pain of which I speak. It is the pain of hurt and never wanting to be hurt again, but there are no guarantees. The only guarantee is that you will be hurt again. The question is: Will you keep your heart open?

Only an open heart can experience beauty, love or God. Only an open heart can experience connection instead of indifference. Only an open heart can feel, period. There is a saying, "Do not be reckless with another's heart," but I say keep an open heart no matter what happens. That alone is the key to being alive instead of dead. As it says in scripture, "You have the reputation of being alive, but you're dead."

Love is our nature. It is the greatest truth about us. Pain or hurt may be there, but someday they won't be. That's true. As for Love? Love is the only reality that is eternal. It is the only reality that is always there. We have only to discover it. We have only to realize the deepest truth of what we are and be that openhearted empty-full-Presence.

We can be like a bright light that is always switched on, always broadcasting Love or we can find reasons to close our hearts. Believe me. There are plenty. The truth is no matter what you may be feeling personally, Love or openheartedness is always available. It is there waiting for you to surrender your pain. To be an openheart, not to have an openheart, is the real invitation.

Truthfully, the heart never closes. We just lose sight of our openheartedness because, for a while, our attention goes to the hurts, the fears and the distrust. It is not unlike clouds covering the sun. The sun is neither closed nor open, just shining. You don't experience it, because of the clouds, but it is so. Similarly, openhearted empty-full presence is always so. It's your nature. The rest is true just for now.