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“No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again.”

-Jack Kornfield

A Path With Heart

In undertaking a spiritual life, what matters is simple: We must make certain that our path is connected with our heart. Don Juan, in his teachings to Carlos Castaneda, put it this way:

Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself and yourself alone one question. Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good. If it doesn’t, it is of no use.

When we ask, “Am I following a path with heart?” we discover that no one can define for us exactly what our path should be. Instead, we must allow the mystery and beauty of this question to resonate within our being. Then somewhere within us an answer will come and understanding will arise. If we are still and listen deeply, even for a moment, we will know if we are following a path with heart.

In modern life we have become so busy with our daily affairs and thoughts that we have forgotten this essential art of taking time to converse with our heart. When we ask it about our current path, we must look at the values we have chosen to live by. Where do we put our time, our strength, our creativity, our love? Does what we are choosing reflect what we most deeply value?”

—Jack Kornfield

A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life