Advice to Myself – Spacious Heart

 “The little space within the heart is as great as the vast universe…”
~Swami Prabhavananda

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What happens if I stay open-hearted and vulnerable, no matter what happens around me?

Can I be spacious and hard-hearted?
No, when my heart is open and spacious, my mean malicious thoughts just blow away.

Can I have a spacious heart and be sad?
Not for long – if I hold my heart open and allow my grief and sadness to flow, they wash away.

Isn’t that what Jesus and Gandhi and Buddha taught – to stay open-hearted and spacious?

I am reminded of a story I read once about the Dalai Lama; a woman came to see the Dalai Lama and told him a story of how she and other Buddhist nuns had been put down, abused and mistreated by the male monks in their spiritual communities. Upon hearing her story, the Dalai Lama bowed his head and wept. He wept openly in the middle of his great hall, surrounded by his advisors. He wept openly in front of the many important people who were waiting to speak to him.  And everyone in the great hall that day, was changed. The Dalai Lama embodied vulnerability and spacious heart for everyone to see and feel.

I choose a spacious heart today
I choose spacious even when it feels vulnerable.
I choose spacious even when it gets scary.
I choose spacious.

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Defintion: Spa·cious  –  /ˈspāSHəs/

Adjective: Having ample space. capacious – roomy – wide – large – ample – extensive

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