“The road your self must travel on lies in polishing the heart.”
Hakim Sanai (1044-1150) 

Cultivating the heart through mindfulness—its ever expansive, healing nature, opens the gateway to a love so deep and universal, offering a sacred homecoming. This homecoming is a sacred connection that is a living force in my life. From this wellspring, life’s meaning becomes a lived experience rather than a theoretical goal or aspiration. 

To be awake and aware are implicit in the meaning of the word Buddha. What are we awakening to? What do we want to cultivate awareness of? How does a BuddhaLIFE cultivate my heart through mindfulness? 

Mindfulness practices such as shamatha (calm abiding) or vipashyana (clear seeing) have undoubtedly cultivated a greater awareness. This awareness has helped me move from overly doing to more of being. The mind becomes more spacious in its emptiness, compassion and loving-kindness take firmer root and greater outer expression. Afflictive emotions, also known as the five poisons, dissipate in strength. Gaining an understanding of impermanence and the ever-changing nature of existence has also helped lessen attachment and aversion and has strengthened equanimity. Traveling this middle path has led to healing of old habits and tendencies as karmic samskaras have found resolution, leading to a lighter, fresher, fuller expression of my essential nature. In short, it is an awakening to this essential nature, known in Buddhism as Buddha Nature, which is the essential nature existing in all living beings. The heart is fuller in its expression of the four immeasurables: loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity. 

The ease and comfort of the thinking mind fueled the journey of my foundational years. The strength and power of the doing mind still holds great power. But with the aid of greater mindful awareness, both in meditation practice and throughout daily life, I can bring greater awareness to the fore. Am I calm or agitated? Am I connected to my breath? Do I feel the heart connection? When I do feel that connection, my voice gets softer, my speaking a little slower, my perspective less attached, and my heart melts ever so gently, connecting to and beyond myself; experiencing a greater spaciousness of mind and expansiveness of heart. 

His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama often says, “Kindness is my religion.” Tibetan Buddhism has heavily influenced my journey, but it is these four words from one of the most learned of all Tibetan Buddhists that reminds me how clear and simple it is. When I reflect and ask myself if these practices and concepts have brought out more kindness in me, the answer is yes. Do I naturally express more loving-kindness to those in my life? Do I feel a greater connection to those beyond my circle? To those suffering? Beyond humans to creatures, plants and all living beings? The answer is that as I journey down this path, these qualities manifest more naturally and more frequently with each step. 

By living life both in and out of a sitting practice through the lens of mindfulness, the energy behind every intention—of every thought, every action, and every word, contains the potency of expanding the heart. The potential is always there and so every moment becomes an opportunity. This cultivation of the heart through mindfulness has enriched my journey with immeasurable meaning. 

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~Lauren Alderfer is an international educator for over 30 years who has worked in US-based overseas schools and has been a professor in several graduate programs in the US. She has written and collaborated on books about mindfulness for adults, teachers, and children. Dr. Lauren is a long-time mindful practitioner and certified yoga therapist.
www.LaurenAlderfer.com

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