The Open Heart

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By Pichaya Avery

One of my favorite spiritual exercises is called “The Open Heart.”1 It involves loving or caring for someone or something more than we do ourselves. I practice this daily and have experienced a variety of profound results. 

I love cooking and baking for family, friends, and neighbors. On one particularly crisp winter morning, I was given an opportunity to express my love to a stranger. As I was preparing to leave home to facilitate a Satsang class, I was guided to do something I would not normally do. In addition to the homemade chocolate chips cookies that I brought every month, I included a bunch of bananas and a $20 bill. 

When I arrived at the Spiritual Center, I carried in the cookies but, for some reason, left the bananas in the trunk of my car. As I walked through the door, I debated whether I should go back for them. Then, the Inner Teacher whispered, “Leave them there.” I followed the guidance but wondered, Why? 

After our class had ended, my heart was fully open. I was grateful for our spiritual discussion and the time spent with friends. While walking toward my car, I noticed a woman about forty feet away, pushing a shopping cart.

As she drew closer, I could hear the rattling of cans and the clinking of bottles. She greeted me with a genuine smile. Our eyes met, Soul to Soul. Pointing to my white faux fur coat, she exclaimed, “You have a beautiful coat!” 

Immediately, I wanted to give it to her. I smiled back and asked, “Would you like to have it?” Her eyes lit up as she pointed to my favorite white faux-fur vest that I was wearing beneath my coat. 

“I like this one,” the woman said sweetly. 

This surprised me. I thought she could really use my heavy coat to keep her warm since it was freezing cold. As I removed my coat and vest, I said to her, “If it fits, then it’s yours.” When she tried it on, it fit perfectly. 

My heart danced when I saw the woman beaming as she ran her fingers through the furry soft vest. Thinking she could also use a winter coat. I offered mine to her a second time. “Would you like this coat, too?” I asked. “They go very well together.” 

“No, thank you.” She shook her head and continued caressing her new vest as if she were petting a cat and hearing it purr. 

All of a sudden, I remembered the bananas in the trunk and the $20 bill in my purse. When I offered her these gifts, she smiled broadly and exclaimed, “I love bananas. Thank you.” I drove home floating on cloud nine realizing that The Open Heart spiritual exercise is a powerful way to share the Inner Teacher’s love with those I encounter. 

1. Harold Klemp, The Spiritual Exercises of ECK (website currently offline)
* Story is from The Golden Book of HU by Michael and Pichaya Avery

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