The Axial State of the Human Heart

Photo by Jenny Yeung (Getty Images)

Most of us have some general understanding of that somewhat nebulous concept of heart when we speak of “matters of the heart.” We understand that the reference is not to the physical organ that pumps blood throughout the body, but rather it is a more emotional/spiritual concept. Often such language about “the heart” refers to a realm where meaning is found in the life one leads. Our language is full of “heart” phrases such as, “He really put his heart into it;” “I know in my heart...;” “Our hearts are glad,” etc. 

We seem to have a common understanding of what we mean when we speak of “matters of the heart.” We may use that terminology to speak of love, family and caring as well as spirituality. Most of us are comfortable with that loosely defined category of the heart, seeing no need to be more specific. The heart is an immensely vibrant realm where we make meaning and find connection.

Early Seekers of the Heart

In a talk given to the novices at Gethsemani Abbey, Thomas Merton mentioned that the Desert Fathers saw the heart as an "axial organ" which provided an opening between the physical and spiritual worlds.[1] The Desert Fathers (actually there were some women among them as well as men) were part of an early Christian spiritual movement which had become frustrated by what was seen as the superficial encumbrance of the social structures of their day. They sought to remove themselves from the many and varied distractions of society by going to the desert, where they spent time in meditation and prayer. Those early spiritual pioneers saw the importance of attuning themselves to the heart. To them the heart was that aspect of our being that allows us a connection to another dimension of reality – that spiritual dimension that is different from the ordinary physical world.

Christine Valters Paintner, in her book, Desert Fathers and Mothers: Early Christian Wisdom Sayings, writes, “For desert elders the heart was the source of words and actions. It was considered to be an axial organ that centers the physical and spiritual dimensions of human life. The desert elders saw the heart as the center of our being, the place where we encounter God most intimately.”

Paintner goes on to quote another author, Cynthia Bourgeault who wrote The Wisdom Way of Knowing: Reclaiming an Ancient Tradition to Awaken the Heart. “Cynthia Bourgeault writes that the heart in biblical understanding is not ‘the seat of your personal emotional life. It is not the opposite of the head. Rather it is a sensitive mulitspectrum instrument of awareness: a huge realm of mind that includes both mental and affective operations (that is, both the ability both to think and feel) and both conscious and subconscious dimensions.’”[2]

Physical Benefits to Spiritual Practice

It seems that the early Desert Fathers who were focusing on the heart as “an axial organ” were involved in meditative practices not unlike what we see in Eastern religions as well. There was a physical discipline involved and a spiritual insight to be gained.

I have had an inclination toward spirituality and “matters of the heart” for most of my life, but it took many years of seeking for me to settle down into a specific practice of meditation. After I had become accustomed to meditation, I learned one day of the physical impact it can have.

I had volunteered to give blood at my work site during a blood drive. During the process, rather than get anxious about needle sticks and blood draws, I decided to assume what I call an inward meditative posture. By that I mean that I did dome conscious breathing and inward focusing – imagining myself looking at that “third eye” in the forehead region.

As the nurse was taking my vital signs prior to taking me back to the blood donation area, she became somewhat concerned when she found that my heart rate was 50. She asked if I were an athlete, since normally one would not otherwise have a resting heart rate of 50. While not an athlete, I was involved in a daily walking program at the time. I assured her that it was okay, I was just doing a “relaxation thing” before giving blood.

Since that day, I have checked my own pulse while beginning breathing exercises prior to meditation, and have noted a drop in heart rate along with the physical relaxation.

Finding a Spiritual Practice

I like the concept of the heart as an axial organ, something of a metaphysical “space” within our being where we can tap into a more meaningful reality. Most faith traditions have meditative practices that allow an individual to still himself or herself in order to find access to what some call the spiritual realm. Others are content to see meditative practice as a way to get in touch with their inner being where “soul work” can be done to move toward psychological wholeness.

Those of us in the United States who find our cultural inheritance in “Western Civilization” often find ourselves at a loss in terms of spiritual connectedness. We live in a culture that values material acquisition, money, and business acumen. Much of what we value and strive for is material gain, so we find ourselves ill-prepared for spiritual practice.  

In many ways, we are like those early desert fathers (and mothers) who were the precursors to later monastic movements. Just as they saw a need to get away from the distractions of society, many today see a need to get away from the noisy materialism of our day. 

The good news is that there are more and more avenues for spiritual practice that are coming available to the serious seeker. Moreover, we do not have to flee to the desert or to a monastery to find a spiritual practice.

• Jack Kornfield has been teaching westerners for years about how to integrate spirituality into everyday life. A skillful teacher of Buddhist meditation, his wonderful book, A Path with Heart is a warm, accessible introduction to meditative practices that can calm the spirit, clear the mind, and help one to gain meaningful insight into the life he/she is living out in the world. Check out Jack Kornfield’s website here. 
• Father Thomas Keating has been a leading proponent and teacher of centering prayer, which is a meditative spiritual practice that many Christians are more comfortable with in their tradition. Cynthia Bourgeault, quoted earlier, is also a teacher and practitioner of centering prayer. You can see Father Keating’s website here.
• The Abbey of the Arts is an “online monastery” offering resources, pilgrimages and retreats which seek to integrate contemplative practice and creative expression while drawing upon monastic spirituality. “We support you in becoming a monk in the world and an artist in everyday life. We believe in nourishing an earth-cherishing consciousness.  We are an open and affirming community and strive to be radically inclusive. Poetry is our nourishment.  Art inspires our souls.  We dance for the joy of it.”  Christine Valters Paintner, whose book is quoted above, is the online abbess for the Abbey of the Arts. You can view their website here.

There are many other resources available to assist the spiritual traveler in matters of the heart. The main thing is to understand that we all have the capacity to enter into that “axial state” of the heart where we can gain insight from the spiritual dimension which will heighten the beauty and meaning of our everyday reality.

For more of my musings on the topic of spirituality, check out the following: 

• Western Zen
• Spirit Work, Soul Work
• Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the Dharma
• On Poetry, Prayer, and Gratitude
• “Lead All Souls to Heaven” 
• Experiencing Wonder in Worship
• Form and Freedom in Prayer

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References:
[1] Seeing the World in A Grain of Sand: Thomas Merton on Poetry (conferences given to novice monks at Gethsemani Abbey, 1964-1965), Now You Know Media

[2] Desert Fathers and Mothers: Early Christian Wisdom Sayings, by Christine Valters Paintner(Skylight paths, 2012) p. 26 (For a review of Paintner's book, go here)

Spiritual Fusion - East meets West
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Are All Religions the Same?

Stephen Prothero has a new book out, God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World — and Why Their Differences Matter. Prothero is very gifted in presenting matters of faith and religion to the American public. His previous books include American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon, and Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know and Doesn’t. In his latest book, Prothero argues that we are not advancing toward a better world by claiming that all religions are essentially the same. He opts for realism over idealism and says we do more good by a healthy understanding of the differences found the world’s religions. Click here for an article by Stephen Prothero about his book.

I am one of those who may lean too far in the “all religions are the same” category. My wife and I have had this same discussion. My view is usually something like, “Religion is a universal human trait. Because religious practice arises in every human culture, it will follow similar patterns.” Or I’ll say, “When you read the mystics and spiritual masters of each religion, you find the same concern for compassion toward other people and acknowledgement of a reality greater than ourselves.” Then my wife will say something like, “I’m sorry, but you cannot tell me that those (suicide bombers, fundamentalist Christians, or any number of representatives of unhealthy religion) are in the same path as the Dalai Lama (or some other representative of healthy religion).”

Prothero’s point is well taken, however, that we cannot just gloss over religious differences and think that all religions are the same. It is also true that what a person believes about God or ultimate reality will affect how that person engages with others in society. Prothero uses a sports analogy to drive home his point. You cannot say that baseball, football and basketball are the same, because they have different goals and rules. You cannot say that baseball is superior because it scores more runs, when the other sports do not even have scoring runs as a goal. I have a clergy friend who was telling me about an interfaith group she was a part of. There were Buddhists, Muslims, Jews and Christians in the group, and they did not try to say that they believed the same things. What they were trying to do was to find ways to live together and projects in which they could cooperate. So I can agree that all religions are not the same.

Prothero uses the sports analogy. I might use a different analogy, though. People throughout the world speak different languages. Even though these languages are not the same, and often concepts are lost or diminished by attempts at translation, each language has grammar and syntax, and each language has communication as its purpose. So in some sense, languages are the same even though the words and sounds are completely different.

I really love matters of interfaith. As a religious person, I am fascinated by other religious people and am often surprised when I find ministers whose livelihood is religion to be so uninterested in other people’s religions. I have spent much time with other communities of faith, not in any official capacity, just as a face in the crowd – a present observer. What I have discovered is that the way to really get to know a faith community is to sojourn long enough to know what songs they sing together, how they treat one another, and what they contribute to the larger community and the world. This gives me more understanding than studying theological treatises or reading position papers.

I have also found my own faith practice enriched by encounters with other faith practitioners. One of my favorite books that I found at the library years ago was The Search for God at Harvard, by Ari L. Goldman. Goldman’s approach is different from Prothero’s. Goldman is a journalist and an observant Jew. The book is about his experience taking a year’s leave of absence to study at Harvard Divinity. He states that his preconceived notion was, “If you know one religion, you know them all.” Diana Eck, professor of World Religions at Harvard, gave him a wake-up call on the first day of class when she said, “If you know one religion, you don’t know any.” Goldman came to understand that “It is unfair and unwise to understand one religion by the yardstick of another.” The author came to appreciate other faiths in the course of his studies by seeing them from the inside. There is a good review of the book I found online at http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/oct1991/v48-3-bookreview1.htm

The reviewer includes a quote from the book that gives a good flavor of Goldman’s intent in writing the book:
"I am sitting in a black Baptist church and feel swept away by the incredible combination of pain, joy and music ricocheting through the building. I am sitting in a Russian Orthodox Church surrounded by statues and icons, and feel a sense of mystery and transcendence. I am sitting among Quakers at a Friends' meeting and feel a serenity I have never before known. In each case I leave as a Jew, rooted in the richness of my own faith but nourished by the faith of others."

Another book that I found at the library which I loved so much, I had to buy it is The Jew in the Lotus, by Roger Kamenetz. The author is a poet and English professor, and not-so-observant Jew who was invited to accompany and chronicle a delegation of rabbis who travel to Dharamsala, India for dialogue with the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama had invited them for a visit because he wanted to learn from them “the secret of Jewish spiritual survival in exile.” The book is a wonderful discovery of Tibetan Buddhism and Judaism (with delightful input from Hassidic scholar Zalman Shachter-Shalomi). The effect upon Kamenetz was a rediscovery of his Jewish roots. Click here for a review of the book. Kamenetz’s own account of “What I Learned about Judaism from the Dalai Lama” can be found here.

A third treasured book that I read years ago is A Path with Heart: A Guide through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life, by Jack Kornfield. Kornfield is a prominent interpreter of Buddhism to modern American life. His book was one of the most affirming books to my own Christian practice that I have read. I mention it just as an example of the value of learning from other faith practices.

Prothero is correct in explaining that we cannot gloss over religious differences and claim that we are all really saying the same thing. He also gives some helpful information about the different goals of the different religions. As a seeker, however, I must add that Ari Goldman’s approach (and Kamanetz’s discovery) of having one’s one faith strengthened by encounters with other faiths is very appealing to me.

So are all religions the same, or are they different. My answer is a resounding “Yes!” (Those with mystical tendencies will understand).



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