Do not throw anyone out of your heart. Neem Karoli Baba
I received a lovely mail last night from a friend and it closed with the wish that I would have a "joyful heart". And I reflected that the last few days, with the hint of Spring in the air, and buds appearing on the trees, notwithstanding a touch of flu, my heart has been very joyful.
The whole purpose of our meditation practice is to experience joy, a joy that can exist even when we are having difficulties. Joy comes from plunging fully into one's own life's mystery and the mystery of life all around and seeing what an amazing adventure this is. Joy is connected to a heart that stays open, and welcomes, in friendliness, each moment, even those which were not expected. It arises when we allow ourselves to rest, to sit, to move away from the inner restlessness that makes us unhappy.
Sometimes we can look for joy in the wrong places, by being closed to events or people. What I am working at a lot these days is staying open, especially when my initial reaction is to close in on myself. In an interview Thich Nhat Hahn gave recently to Oprah Winfrey, he talked about the simple act of seeing flowers, and how seeing them brings joy, firstly by being grateful that his eyes are still well enough to see the beauty all around. He then moved on to a simple drinking of a cup of tea and how by discovering joy in the simple moments of each day, we can see it then in the bigger challenges, when the mind becomes confused and frightens itself.
A deeper wisdom begins to emerge. When some difficult challenge arises with work or with a person, we say to ourselves that it will not last forever. So we stay connected to our heart and remind ourselves not to freeze that into the whole picture, not to fall into our small selves. Rather, we try and see that it is supportable, and allow it to pass so that we am open to the next moment, the next joy. Every moment is precious. We are not going to get to do this day or this week over again.
Realizing this, I know everything that I do can make a difference and so I want everything that I do to be grounded in kindness. Fear sometimes makes us defensive. It has the potential to trap us from time to time. Kindness and friendship towards ourselves - and our fears - allows us to spot these traps and turn back outwards.
So I was grateful to my friend for the mail and for the wishes. It reminded me of metta practice, of wishing kindness to those who are dear and those with whom we may be having dificulty with at this moment:
May you feel happy and safe
May you feel protected
May you be healthy and strong
May your life develop with ease
