Milestones of the Heart - Part I

The path ascending to heaven is of an exceptionally special structure. Its early stages are marked with very clear milestones. It starts with believing in the Oneness of the Lord, to taming man's barbarous inclinations like murder, theft or such extremes, passing through behaving one's fatal desires of lust or greed or addiction. Going across any of these stages can be easily identified by avoiding the wrong deed and adopting the righteous one instead. These stages depend on knowing the truth, having the ability of taking a decision, and committing oneself to it. So it is a matter of enlightenment first, then strength and determination.

However, once these basic areas have been covered in a perfect manner, leaving no traces behind and turning into commonsense concepts, one would move into a plain area with hidden markers. No definite milestones to head to or even point to as a guiding light. Reaching the area of the heart is the hardest of all the previous stages. Deciding to pray and committing oneself to it is one hard thing, but perfecting the prayer and reaching a high state of humbleness during prayer is another thing. Stopping practicing what is prohibited by the Lord can be difficult, but it cannot be compared to elevating oneself above the level of the body; the clay, and reaching to the level of the soul; the light.

It is even harder to put one's hand on the defect in such a stage. Knowing that you already avoid all that is clearly sinful leaves no place for clarity and assurance. You have to dig deeper, and aim higher. Being taken away in the hectic everyday life of work and family, with rituals becoming more like habits, just like waking up, washing one's face or driving to work, is indeed more challenging, that is if we stop to think about it for a change! To avoid major sins, or what we think of as major sins, is a lot more easier than to know one's personalised defects; those of the heart. Knowing one's weakness, knowing where things go wrong, where priorities bounce and boundaries seem uncertain, is where no milestones are within reach to cling to. It is where things are flexible and elastic, and left to your own judgment, ethical standards, and ways of heart.

At such a stage, defining your own milestones is the key to advancing. Standing in the vast untrodden area of the heart can lead to frustration and disappointment. However, no one can guide you to be a better person or to have a purer heart, because no one knows you deep inside like you know yourself. Enlightenment, being the first milestone, is when you know yourself. Monitoring one's behaviour, measuring one's responses and reactions, and putting one's hand on the bounces of the heart and haziness of the grey in between what is right and what is wrong, though more difficult, are extremely crucial for a milestone to appear. Constructing one's own lighthouse is the clue to certainty and thus advancement.

P.S. please share in your journey with and to your milestones.

To be continued.