The Buddhist Path to Simplicity by Christina Feldman

Author:Christina Feldman [Christina Feldman]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Buddhism, Not Read
ISBN: 9780007483334
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

The Wilderness of the Heart

We all encounter what the Buddha called, “the wilderness of the heart.” It is the tumultuous world of our fears and doubts, the powerful emotional patterns that entangle us, the complex psychological habits, and the whole world of reactivity rooted in past experience. The wilderness of the heart holds the insistent visitors of emotional complexity that will never be dissolved by willpower, resistance, or the imposition of resolve. We are easily lost in this wilderness, feeling trapped and powerless. Simplicity, balance, and freedom seem like distant destinations.

We are emotional beings. Within our hearts we experience all the tones on the emotional scale. Rage, fear, jealousy, insecurity, hatred, and doubt all come to visit us. Moments of joy and delight, the times our hearts are filled with love and compassion, the spontaneous gestures of generosity, kindness, and warmth that move us deeply, are also part of our emotional landscape. In our spiritual path the same intensity is mirrored; we may encounter emotional ecstasy and the dark nights of the heart. There are times when we feel saturated with bliss, rapture, joy, and loving kindness. The taste of deep attention, peace, and stillness is the taste of happiness. There are also moments when we experience a seemingly bottomless pit of doubt, fear, and existential anxiety, as well as the emergence of previously unknown levels of rage, need, or terror. Our laughter and our tears have their origins within our hearts. The emergence of freedom follows a spiritual descent that touches every aspect of our being, including our emotional lives. Our emotional world invites a tender mindfulness; to understand the landscape of our hearts is to discover the source of love, generosity, compassion, and kindness.

Our emotional world can feel powerful and dangerous. There is no other dimension of our being that involves as much thinking, energy, and time. The emotions we experience can be so compelling, out of control, and unpredictable. We tend to divide our emotions into categories of positive and negative, acceptable or unacceptable. The emotions we deem to be negative or unflattering, such as greed, anger, or loneliness, we want to flee from or subdue. We regard these emotional forces as personal flaws. We attempt to cut ourselves off from emotions that are difficult, creating a dangerous schism within ourselves. Our bodies store the emotional wounds, and the emotions we have subdued out of fear may return to shatter us in moments when we are most vulnerable.

The emotions we hold to be acceptable or positive—such as love, compassion, and joy—we pursue, try to maintain, and yearn for. They delight us and connect us with others, bringing a deep sensitivity and happiness to our lives. We appreciate that the moments of greatest happiness and oneness in our lives come in those moments when are hearts are awakened. Sometimes the simplest of connections—listening to the laughter of a child or the caring words of another—have the power to touch us and remind us of the significance of heartfelt connection.

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