“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” -Aristotle
DIVO-tional...
In yoga, they refer to the lens that we, as individuals, perceive and interact through as the Citta (“Chih-tah”). Roughly translated, it is the heart-mind. It influences EVERYTHING in our daily lives, all the way up to our global lives, and beyond. If it is dirty and affected from life experiences, it effects the way we receive and give to the world. The goal of yoga, among other things, is to clean this lens, so that there is a pure projection and reception of thoughts, words, and deeds. It seems no surprise a philosopher would say something to this effect. Humans are not one dimensional, heck they’re way more than just three dimensional, even if that’s the plane of existence currently manifest. It takes a combination of the two aspects of self, in tandem, to create a change or an inception of clarity regarding a topic. Otherwise, it is just rote and intellectually flat. There is a reason why experiences of HIGH emotion, imprint things deeply upon our being, for better or for worse. Be wise to understand the power contained in, not only a heart-mind, but a clear one divested of attachment and worldly grimes, such that they are. A mind without heart is just a distraction to avoid sensing and feeling, but let us be poignant and point out that unexpressed emotions WILL eventually spill over, as any cup shall overfloweth when filled past the brim, even the deepest of chalices has a limit. Such a flood need not be required if time and care is given to functionally experiencing emotions. However the flood, too, serves purpose. There is nothing like a catastrophe to shake someone awake and weld the heart and mind together like thunder needs lightning. Dramatic, nor irony, are foreign concepts to the universe, life, and humans for that matter. The question then becomes, how much do you have to go through before enough IS, in fact, enough? What floor do you want to get off the elevator? The bottom floor will come eventually, but why go all the way down if you don’t have to? Can you clear your heart and your mind, conjoin them as the eternal twins they are? Could you, then, spend your life clearing and cleaning them through reflection and deliberate action, so that your education, as Aristotle eloquently states, is an education, of a REAL nature?
On this day, I will acknowledge my heart and mind as an interplay of self that affords me a unique experience and expression through this life of mine. I will set an intention to ALWAYS, do my best, to educate both heart and mind as if there were little to no difference between them in the first place. I am WHOLE! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼