LESSON OF THE DAY 792

Ayahs of the Day:
Say, "Travel the earth and see how the sinners ended up." But don't grieve over them, and don't be troubled by what they plot. [27: 69,70]

Hadith of the Day:
The intelligent one is the one who remembers death most often, and prepares for it. They leave this world in honor and with the blessings of the Hereafter. [Ibn Abi Dunya]

Wise Quote of the Day:
Hidden creatures good and bad always touch the heart. The touch of the angel is inspiration; Satanic touches temptations untold. Tarry with patience until your confusion is resolved and you know whom you rejected and who became the leader of your heart. [Mawlana Rumi]

Guidance of the Day:
Empathy cannot happen from the mind. It is a pure heart function. Often it is the proverbial breaking of the heart that ushers in the powerful onset of empathy. Though pain may crack the heart open----leaving us raw----rather than taking something away from us, it offers us a chance to be present to our own life process, to feel the heart stirrings-----even though there is pain. The only thing wrong with pain is when we run from it. Pain is often the impetus that motivates us as we strive to open fully to ourselves, to others, and to life. Our spiritual practice can put both the pain and the capacity to love into a framework.

The capacity to love, to develop in heart and empathy, is fundamental to our worldwide survival. Living from the heart offers the ability to look into another's eyes, see into his or her life, so as to cultivate an understanding of what it's like to walk in his or her shoes. A person who is functioning from the heart assesses problems with an eye focused not only on the individual but also on what is best for the collective. We all know exercise is good for us, but how easy is it to maintain a regimen? Similarly, though living from the heart offers rich rewards, this state is difficult to achieve and maintain. Looking at "family as a spiritual practice," we can interpret the dissension that inevitably erupts as an invitation to heart exercise. [Handbook for the Heart]

Food for Thought:
Live your life while you have it. Life is a splendid gift. There is nothing small in it. For the greatest things grow by God's law out of the smallest. But to live your life you must discipline it. Make your thoughts, your acts, all work to the same end and that end, not self but God. That is what we call character.