Exploring Mind - Body - Spirit

Topics covered:

• What if one feels nothing in the heart center. Does that mean one doesn't have a heart?
• Does compassion really occur in the heart, or is it in the brain?
• How is compassion different from an emotion?
• Shifting awareness and shifting form

Does one have a (spiritual) heart even if one feels nothing in the heart center?

Meditations on the spiritual heart center, experienced in the middle of the chest, are usually done to evoke compassion. While the feelings can be comforting and pleasurable they are not a substitute for compassionate action. So if we are able to act compassionately, then we have a spiritual heart, whether or not we feel specific sensations in our heart.
The various statements about certain parts of the body being associated with certain kinds of spiritual energy are really more metaphors than anything else. Different traditions seem to have variations in what spiritual properties are associated with different parts of the body. There do seem to be some general tendencies, for example feelings of compassion are more associated with the center of the chest then sensations in the genital region. Or, opening one's hand seems to reduce feelings of anger and frustration more than clenching one's fist. However, these are still generalities. It is important for us as meditation practitioners to investigate how our awareness and attention vary our experience.
For some people, sensations in the heart center are very meaningful and lead to very positive changes in their actions and lives. For others, those sensations do not occur, but they have other experiences which lead them to experience meeting and love. One is not better or worse than the other. There are systems of meditation which involve placing awareness on specific regions of the body and focusing attention on sensations in those regions. There are other systems of meditation which do not involve that at all. Both types of meditation are equally enlightening. We have to find out what works for us.

Does compassion really occur in the heart, or is it in the brain?

The question as to whether the activity is in the brain or in the part of the body that is feeling the emotion seems somewhat irrelevant, at least from a practical perspective. If I feel something in my body and I direct my attention to that part of my body and it changes my experience in a constructive manner, or helps me to behave in a constructive manner, then that is what I do. It would probably be less helpful for me to try to figure out what part of my brain to pay attention to in the hope of altering some neurochemical processes. A very simple example of this is that if I want to hit a tennis ball then I keep my eye on the ball. I don't try to manipulate my neurotransmitters directly.
Instead of wondering where the "real" activity is taking place I think it is helpful to simply notice that if I place my attention on specific parts of my body with a certain intention I get certain kinds of results. If focusing my attention on the center of my chest helps me feel warmth, affection, or love, and those emotions make it easier for me to act in a loving manner, then I should focus my attention on the center of my chest when I need to act in a loving manner. If focusing my attention on the center of my chest does not help me act in a loving manner than when I need to act in a loving manner I need to find something else to focus my attention upon.

How is compassion different from an emotion?

Compassion is more than just an emotion or feeling. Compassion includes feelings, but also includes action and insight. Our feelings can motivate us to do something, but if we act simply to satisfy our feelings we can end up doing damage. Sometimes I have to ignore my feelings or go against them in order to act compassionately. For example, when we discipline our children we often have to act counter to our feelings of wanting to be kind. When we set boundaries with another person we have to go against our feeling of wanting to be nice.

Shifting awareness and shifting form

We can explore bringing our awareness and focusing our attention on different parts of the body or different forms to see what effects they generate. If experiencing Spirit as formless generates the effect that I need, then I don't need to experience any particular form. On the other hand, if experiencing Spirit in a particular form is helpful, then focusing my attention on that form they generate the effect that I need or that would be useful. Spirit can show up in an infinite number of forms and I need to play around with that to discover what forms are going to be most effective for me.
When we direct our attention toward a part of the body in order to generate a response, we do not necessarily need to know the anatomy of that part in order to generate the response. For example, if one is standing and directs attention to the sensations in the feet and experience how the body's weight is completely supported by the earth under thes feet than people often feel more secure and more stable. We don't need to know the anatomy of our feet in order to have the experience. Sometimes knowing the anatomy does enhance the experience but it is not always necessary.

Meditative exercise:

Bring a person to mind and simultaneously place your attention on a particular part of your body. Notice the thoughts, feelings, and images that arise. Now shift your awareness to a different part of your body. Notice any changes in your experience.

Spirit is constantly engaging in a play between formlessness and form. When we allow our experience to participate in that shift then our spirit is joining Spirit. We become used to generating different forms in our mind as we interact with both form and formlessness.

Meditative exercise:

Imagine a person who is in need, and imagine that your form is shifting to meet the need of that person. Let your imagination be creative here, do not limit yourself because you think "I can't take on that form." If a form arises quickly then let someone else come to mind and let a new form arise. The form may not be visual, sound is a form as well. It is a non-local form. We are not the source of the forms, we are the channel or instrument through which Spirit is expressing itself. We are one with Divine Light. And our form can shift as the Divine Light flows through us. This happens in our mind because our physical body is limited in how much it can shift form, however this prepares us to interact with Divine Light when we are no longer using our physical body.