Monday Musings: Connecting with Our One Heart of Gold

My life has been spent searching.

Even before I knew what I was looking for, everything that has happened to me has led me into the presence of love, whether it was the physical presence of my guru or the presence of love deep within my own heart.

No matter what my life may look like from the outside, on the inside it is a constant process of turning toward that place, of trying to come face-to-face with love.

The more I chant and share my path with seekers from so many different countries and cultures, the more I am being transformed myself....

Chanting alone is not my path. It is my main practice, but my life—and everything in it—is my path...

When we do kirtan, the practice of what in India is called "chanting the Divine Name" over the course of a few hours, we are letting go of our "stories" and offering ourselves into the moment over and over again.

Chanting is a way of deepening the moment, of deepening our connection with ourselves, the world around us, and other beings. The Sanskrit chants that we sing—recognized for millennia as the Names of God—come from a place deep within each of us, so they have the power to draw us back within.

If we go deep enough, we will all arrive at the same place, our deepest Being.

When you hear my story, maybe it will resonate in your heart because, even though all of us walk our different paths and live our different lives, we are all headed to the same place: our One Heart of Gold.

— Krishna Das, in describing his book Chants of a Lifetime, which is being released today.

If you haven't yet experienced it, a kirtan is a musical call-and-response of Sanskrit devotionals. (I'm over-simplifying here I realize.)

I find it to be both spiritually peaceful and energizing. I leave feeling so blissed out I want to kiss everyone I pass on the street.

In my limited experience, kirtans have the kind of groovy vibe you might expect to find at a Grateful Dead show, without the drugs. Expect to see some people swaying, playing a shaker, clapping or sitting lotus style looking like the Buddha under the bodhi tree.

I have a couple Krishna Das CD's and I find his deep voice soothing. In Milwaukee, we have one of the largest gatherings in the country, thanks to Ragani. You can find other kirtan events listed here.

So, kirtan works for me and Krishna Das as one way to connect to our "one heart of gold."

But, of course, it's not the only way.

Tell me, what might you do or experience this week that would bring you closer to experiencing our One Heart of Gold?

Photograph taken by me, Sunflower from garden, August 2009

P.S. Here is a video of Krisna Das. Also, here is a link to a phone interview he did for RockOm.net.

Direct Link to video here.