In our modern world, we have re-defined intellegence to mean something like the ability to collect, sort and retrieve information. Tests in schools are designed to judge how much one can remember, not how well one thinks. In fact, most modern institutions have been gradually phasing out the whole concept of education as a tool to better the world by creating philosophers and great thinkers. Great thinkers and philosophers are ignored or marginalized, and the anti-intellectual movement of some countries has become such an ingrained part of the culture that children don't even want to be thought of as 'smart'.
This is only because most of us have forgotten that intellegence comes from the heart, not from collections of information.
In many cultures, people identify themselves by pointing at the heart, not the head. In many languages, the words for intellegence, knowledge, spirit and other attributes of "that which separates humans from animals" are derived from the word for heart. We use the heart as a symbol for one's all, one's best or one's integrity, as in expressions like "he really put his heart into it" or "her heart is in the right place". It can be demonstrated that 'emotional intellegence' (which integrates the feeling world and the world of information), is a far more powerful indicator of success and happiness than the IQ, a culturally distinct measurement of information retention.
In almost all religious teachings, deist or not, one's compassion, love, joy and sense of equality are considered as either the manifestation of the best human qualities or an expression of an individual's closeness to god. The practice of cultivating these qualities is at the heart of Yoga, Tantra, Kabbalah and many other mystical exercise systems. The majority of these practices help turn the focus of attention on to the heart, consequently releasing its power. The experience of the conscious connection with the heart is usually followed by experiences such as lucid dreams, healing, siddhis (superpowers such as telepathy), and eventually states of ever increasing bliss.
Practitioners of the philosophical and metaphysical systems of both the East and the West tend to believe that intellegence that does not serve the betterment of the quality of life is, in fact, ignorance, and ignorance supports greater suffering. They also believe that improving one's own life improves the lives of those with whom one comes in contact. They worked towards a universally applicable 'language' composed of speech, bodily expression, and philosophy. When they found it, they realized that it was always there, waiting in the heart without a cause or reason for being there, radiant and full of joy.
It is really easy to bring the breath to the heart and abide in positive feeling for a little while, but very difficult to do without understanding of the immense power of the heart and its role in the life of a human being.
Most people think of the heart as a pump, but it is much more than that. The heart is the vibrational center of the human being, and, in fact, regulates the brain, the emotions and the chemistry of the body: it works from before birth, and life ceases when it stops operating. The heart is the most powerful organ in the body. It expresses itself in four ways -
Neurologically: Every beat of the heart generates a burst of neural activity that reaches the brain. The heart has a very complex system of neurons, and there are nerve cells there that are only now being understood, because their functions seem to be far more complex than most of those in the brain. The heart senses information regarding the hormones, the rates of electrical and mechanical vibration, internal pressure throughout the body, etc. It then sends this information to the brain via the vagus nerve and the spinal colums, so that the brain knows whether or not to produce more neurotransmitters, neuropeptides and so forth.
Biochemically: ANF has been called the balance hormone, and it is produced in the heart. This hormone regulates such important functions as blood pressure, fluid retention and electrolyte balance. ANF also has a very powerful effect on various organs such as the blood vessels, kidneys, adrenal glands and certain regions of the brain involved in regulatory functions. Anf has also been proven to be important to the immune and reproductive systems and to inhibit the release of hormones usually associated with stress.
Physically:The pulse is the result of the physical pressure wave produced by every beat of the heart. A skilled medical practitioner can gain a tremendous amount of information from the pulse - not only about one's physical state of health, but about their personalities, likes and dislikes, and even how they will react to circumstances.
Electromagnetically: The electromagnetic field produced by the heart is approximately 5,000 times more powerful than the field produced by the brain. In recent experiments, stimulating emotions in one person would register changes in the EKG of another person at a distance of several yards.
Modern scientists working in the field of neurocardiology have re-discovered what has been said for thousands of years - there are many supposedly automatic functions of the body that can be regulated, and many experiences of the consciousness that have not yet been explored. It has been proven that when focus is brought to the heart and a positive feeling like gratitude or compassion is generated, the heart signals become coherent. This coherent state automatically entrains the brain and regulates the body bringing rest, peace and focus to the body and mind. Habits of thought that no longer serve on, or even those that are keeping a person unhappy or ill can be completely eliminated - sometimes very quickly. All from simply bringing the focus and breath to the heart in peace, and offering the universe gratitude, love, compassion or appreciation, for just a few minutes a day.
© copyright Roy Kirkland 2007