The journey from head to heart

Many of us at St. John's Center have really benefited from the teachings of Ringu Tulku Rinpoche because he's been to Tulsa several times and offered public lectures. We've also used his books in Karma Kagyu class and in ongoing class. Today I picked up a book by Rinpoche that I've spent a lot of time with - Path to Buddhahood - and found this wonderful paragraph in the conclusion:

When we listen to teachings, we often think we've understood everything, but it's a completely different matter once we try to put them into practice at home. We discover that they're not an integral part of us, that we haven't completely absorbed them yet. The Tibetans say that the journey from the head to the heart is the longest, and I think that's true. The essence of a real practice is to bring our intellectual understanding to the level of our heart, so as to feel it, to live it. When we understand deeply, the right attitude, the right words, the right action come to us spontaneously, effortlessly. And when we're confident, we act with joy and enthusiasm.

It has been my experience that the only way to make the journey from head to heart is through regular, consistent practice. This is why it's so important to come to class regularly and to meditate daily or almost daily. I think it works by a kind of saturation effect. It's not merely the content of what we learn that's so important. Rather, it's crucial that we soak ourselves in the teachings and the practice of the meditative tradition so that the applications will, indeed, be spontaneous. This stuff really works! But not without practice. So come to class and meditate - if only 5 or 10 minutes - every day. You will truly see the difference in your life if you do.