"........Rarely do we realize that we are in the midst of the extraordinary.Miracles occur all around us, signs from God show us the way, angels plead to be heard, but we pay little attention to them because we have been taught that we must follow certain formulas and rules if we want to find God. We do not recognize that God is wherever we allow Him/Her to enter.
Traditional religous practices are important:they allow us to share with others the communal experience of adoration and prayer.But we must never forget that spiritual experience is above all a practical experience of love. And with love, there are no rules.Some may try to control their emotions and develop strategies for their behavior;others may turn to reading books of advice from "experts" on relationships--but this is all folly. The heart decides, and what it decides is all the really matters.All of us have had this experience.At some point, we have each other said through our tears,"I'm suffering for a love that's not worth it".We suffer because we feel we are giving more that we receive.We suffer because our love is going unrecognized.We suffer because we are unable to impose our own rules.But ultimately there is no good reason for our suffering, for in every love lies the seed of our growth.The more we love, the closer we come to spiritual experience.Those who are truly enlightened, those whose souls are illuminated by love, have been able to overcome all of the inhibitions and preconceptions of their era.They have been able to sing, to laugh, and to pray out loud;they have danced and shared what Saint Paul called "the madness of saintliness" They have been joyful--because those who love conquer the world and have no fear of loss.True love is an act of total surrender.
........Sooner or later, we have to overcome our fears, because the spiritual path can only be travelled through the daily experience of love.
........To love is to be in communication with the other and to discover in that other the spark of God"
Paulo Coelho
Author's Note;By the River Piedra I sat down and wept
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Here's your comment : "WOW"
Not being the most keen of readers, I would never have imagined feeling the words of an author to be so truthful. Absolutely brilliant.. great insight..
True. Life does not work on formulas or facts. It works on experiences and reasons. Its only when the experiences that life has to offer grow on you, that you realize the true reason for your existance. And its only then, that the faith in you makes you see the existance of God.. even in the falling of leaves...
& then you know that even when things are falling apart, happiness exists. For its only when old leaves fall, the new ones can grow.
& when the new ones grow, the faith strengthens. & Its your faith that tells you that the stories you have read about Heaven & Hell are not just stories... the heart finds its own heaven in the blessings of life, the hug of a friend, the prayer of a mother.. & that the hell in life comes with the tragedies of life... the heart break, the trauma... the accidents
Its true. The heart decides.
& when it does, you find another world inside the world you live in. But to see this world, the leaves have to fall. For its only when the old leaves fall, the new ones can grow!
isbah,that was splendid!!, beautifully written (Y)(Y)(Y)
but sometimes, u just dont want an old leave falling, but u have to be strong enough to let it go.
Problem:
"Is heart right or brain?"
Example:
once upon a time in examination hall i was solving a problem. My firned was sitting in front of me he was attempting the same question but it was totally different than what i was doing. Now the war between heart and brain started.
My heart said "YOu are doing right, he is a dull guy he does'nt know how to solve the problem".
My brian said "he is a intelligent person and he must b doign it right."
I did listen to my heart and guess what happened. The heart decieved me and the quiestion was wrong which i was doing.
brain=right
heart=wrong
hence proved.
I see the part of emotion/heart in making decisions. But to exclusively rely on the heart in my opinion is a foly. I discuss some of the above in my blog post from last year:
http://hammadin.blogspot.com/2006/04/how-to-make-good-decisions.html
this from Sunnipath or divine love is also very interesting. It is by al-Shirazi.
http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=2551&CATE=150
Happy are the days of them that are infatuated by love for Him, whether they be sorrowed by separation from Him or made joyous by His presence.
They are mendicants who fly from worldly sovereignty; in the hope of meeting Him they are patient in their mendicity. Often have they drunk of the wine of anguish; be it bitter, they remain silent. In the remembrance of Him patience is not bitter, for wormwood is sweet from the hand of a friend.
They that are captive in the coils of His love, seek not to escape; they suffer reproach, but are monarchs in the seclusion of their mendication, and their way is not known. They are like the temple of Jerusalem, splendid of which is the interior, but whose outer wall is left in ruin.
Like moths, they burn themselves in the fire of love. Their beloved is in their breasts, yet do they seek Him; though near a fountain, their lips are parched.
Nice article Din.One should indeed attempt to strike an equilibrium b/w the heart and mind.But I second Cohelo,To add i would say a happy heart leads to a relaxed mind, a healthy body and a glowing soul. If the heart is not satisfied, the whole human system is at unrest.
Isbah i was just blown away by your comment! too good!
"Heart Decides", that's partially true. Because Heart is Emotion, which is essential for a normal life but to base your life on, you need Logic/Brain, the rational side of yours.
I am not disagreeing with any one but I personally believe that to follow only one power, either heart or Brain is not possible with in the frame of normality, and if implemented, leads towards an extremist attitude, which is not healthy sign to lead a normal life.
Though Paulo has advocated the importance of Heart but to prove his point he has used his brain.
We have agreed with his point because his philosophy has impressed upon our minds and our rational side has approved it with the reasoning which keeps on happening constantly, some where in our sub-conscious.
Well said hira :)
don't u think when it comes to matters of the heart, the heart should be listened too and given preference? it's only once in a blue moon that your heart rests on something--passions are driven by emotions u know :)
I agree with you but my point is, that there must be balance b/w emotion and logic.
Emotion should be followed but only after being teseted by Logic and Reason.
ofcourse, emotions shouldn't be followed blindly, the mind should be exercised too--but some give more weightage to reason than feelings anyhow, the whole point of this article is that most don't follow their feelings out of fear of struggle and hold back and miss out on the the best thing that could happen to them...read the book, you will love it I guarantee :)
I already am done with the book and I am a big fan of Paulo…and you are right, I loved it ;)... Please go for the rest of Trilogy too, if you have not been through it. You 'll enjoy that as well :)
This is a 'disturbing' question I'm putting up here. I've often thought of a certain possibility that maybe everything around us is not what it seems. This isn't happening at all. Maybe I am the only reality here. Can I trust people around me?
The most disturbing part is even if everything is what it seems can I trust myself? How do I know my emotions and feelings don't betray me? Can my faculty of logic and reasoning not be affected by them. What do I know of intentions hidden inside the innermost recesses of my subconscious?[1] Are they not clouded in a mist of emotions?
Only last night I had a dream. All I can say is that there were complex statements; questions, and conclusions; I thought I could never reach with any amount of conscious reflection. It's scary when you realize how far your subconscious can see, think and draw its own results.
[1] When I was leaving FAST some girls from batch 03 (I was their TA throughout) said to me that they were thankful for being helped out. I told them that I do not believe I ever helped anyone and put the same question to them.
Emotions may be misleading, at the same time reasons and logic can fail too.
Trust b/w ppl builds with time and interaction, its something that automatically happens.You can't enforce it.
The heart has its reason, that reason does not know.....
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