Right in the center of your spiritual self

by Dub Riley

Terms of endearment. Isn't the phrase itself a thing of beauty?! How simple it is to repose in reverence for something or someone higher than yourself! Ah, take my hand and we will dance for joy! We breathe fresh wonderful air, and celebrate our existence.

Would you care to hear a few meandering reflections? Some of you know because we've discussed it directly, and some of you have gleaned it by reading, literally between the lines of this blog or on Facebook. Smiling Heart is a repository. But it has a soul. I hope you feel the purplish flower and the Taoist illustration of five elements represents the soul of our lovely little experiment.

The image is just a quick photoshop project.  When I searched for something available to "snag," there wasn't anything which seemed to encapsulate that orchestral sound which was in my head. So the maestro guided me to merge the five pointed flower with the Taoist illustration and the fragrance and comfort of the purple hue in the photograph simply knocked me off my feet.

Miss Joellen Lucas Floyd has always been a spirit of uncommon beauty. But when I asked her why she wasn't publishing anything, she stammered with reasons and justification for the deprivation she inflicted on such a willing audience.

"I've always written for various non-profit businesses I've been associated with." Or, to help other people with their business plans or their projects, she would make time for eloquence on their behalf.

"But Jo," I urged. "You have such a gift. People will gather and will fall in to a kind of reverence for the things of beauty you can describe. You may even find that you enjoy it!" I continued.

Now you may not know that once, many moons ago, cautious observers--that while on the phone, I shared with Jo the ancient technique which has been modernized and adapted and which Mantak Chia renamed, Inner Smile. I learned it in lineage from Mantak's protege and current teacher of eminence, Michael Winn. I traveled to the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains to a retreat in Asheville, North Carolina after two years of communicating on-line and reading his materials. I had already been a zen and Taoist student for over thirty years when I found Michael. Anyway, Inner Smile is much more than I could have possibly understood when I first received the initiation.

Jo was so moved by the experience of the phone meditation that she asked me to record it. I protested and said that a Google search will take you to untold documents and lessons about it, by teachers and witnesses whose expertise makes my own meager ability look like child's play. "No," she offered in her usual gracious way, "I would appreciate it if you would record it, just like you gave it to me, so I can practice it on my own."

So that resulted in the original voice meditation which then became a video, which is now gone from the blog. We don't really understand what military presence came and snatched it away, but alas it has been replaced with another one, somewhere here.

I think that this preoccupation of mine, to return to the subject of the meditation often, is not the best use of my energy or yours. And honestly, the point of this essay isn't to position Inner Smile in a positive light (Oh, that it shines so wonderfully!). The point is to reflect on our heart center, and the wonderful healing that can come from such simple inner reflection.

Before ruminating about the region in the upper portion of our chests, the story of how Jo and I came to launch this resting spot...

We hope every visitor and every guest author will take comfort here. We can't claim it as our gift to you, because we've been rewarded many times over by comments and by writing of others. We humbly offer our appreciation to you for having your eyes and hearts here in this space. Thank you!

It was just a natural unfolding. We had expressed our enthusiasm to each other as pen pals. First I wrote something. Then she added a second. And about then I posted the original video of Inner Smile. Now, quite a few more have been added and our friends have joined with essays and a small group of followers contribute comments. How fun!

The Tao te Ching talks about the start of the universe and the resulting time we're in:

The one begat two,
the two begat three,
and the three begat the ten thousand things.

So it is, that by five, I included all of the ten thousand things of all creation, and as many authors and readers, to be embraced in the concept of five.

Now back to the reflections about our heart centers and what can be done by putting our attention there. One of the miracles of the inner smile practice is the chance to release harmful emotions. It is thought by the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine that we store harmful emotions in certain parts of our body. These harmful emotions result in all kinds of blockages which result in all kinds of illness.

It is also taught that in our heart center, what we hold on to is negativity and judgement. I don't need to elaborate on the harm these vile emotions can cause to the person who chooses to possess them. Believe me when I say, that the amount of work still remaining for me to release these distrubances to my peace is massive! So I'm not here to shine as a spirit free of flaws. Nor am I here to hold myself out as a teacher, because I am a student myself.

But simply smiling in to our heart center and making the choice to release negativity and judgement (which includes judgement of yourself my lovely gentle friends), you will witness a rumbling and a rising joy instantly. I promise. It is so simple!

Wow. Aren't we a pretty bunch!