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TOPIC: The Heart Human and Divine  (by Cherag Regina Coeli McKnight)  

From the Spirit of the Divine Feminine 
Prayer to Quan Yin 

Divine Mother of All Beings 
Great Goddess of Compassion and Mercy 
May my heart be home to you 
like your island in the sea. 
May I feel your presence guiding me in fear and rage. 
And may I walk in your Bodhisattva Way with trust and gladness. 

From the Hindu Scriptures 
The Upanishads 

This Atma (Soul), which dwells in the heart, is smaller than a grain of rice, smaller than a grain of barley, smaller than a grain of mustard, smaller than a grain of millet, smaller than the germ which is in the grain of millet.  This Atma, which dwells in the heart, is also greater than the earth, greater than the atmosphere, greater than the sky, greater than all the worlds together. 

Containing all works, containing all desires, containing all odors, containing all tastes, encompassing this whole world, the unspeaking, the unconcerned--this Atma within the heart, this is Brahma.  Into It I shall enter on departing hence. 

From the Buddhist Scriptures 
from the writings of the Zen monk Eisai 

The Dwelling of the Tathagata is the great compassionate heart within all living beings. 

In virtue of this miraculous power, transcending human intelligence, 
residing in the center of the smallest atom, the Tathagata preaches the doctrine of perfect serenity. 

Find Buddha in your own heart, whose essential nature is the Buddha himself. 

From the Zoroastrian Scriptures 
Yasna 28 

O thou Divine Righteousness, and thou Benevolent Mind of Diety, I will worship you, and Ahura Mazda, who has no first, for all of whom Armaiti, the Pious ready mind within us, causes the Imperishable Kingdom to advance.  While I thus utter my supplications to You, come Ye to my Heart. 

From the Native American Tradition 
From Black Elk 

The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of men when they realize their relationship, their oneness, with the universe and all its Powers, and when they realize that at the center of the Universe dwells Wakan-Tanka, and that this center is really everywhere.  It is within each of us.  This is the real peace, and the others are but reflections of this.  The second peace is that which is made between two individuals, and the third peace is that which is made between two nations.  But above all you should understand that there can never be a peace between nations until first is known, that true peace which is within the hearts of men. 

From the Christian Scriptures 

Ephesians 1: 18 
"May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened... 

I Corinthians 12:13 
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bound or free:  and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. 

From the Hebrew Scriptures 
Ecclesiastes: 

He set his eye upon their hearts to show them the greatness of his works. 

From the Scriptures of Islam 
Koran 

33.6 
The Prophet is closer to the believers than their selves. 
My earth and My heaven contain Me not, but the heart of my faithful servant containeth Me 

We verily created man and We know what his soul whispereth to him.  We are nearer to him than his jugular vein. 

From the Writings of Hazrat Inayat Khan :  Gayan, 

Man looks for wonders.  If he only saw how very wornderful is the heart of man! 

The heart of man is a temple;  when its door is closed to man, it is also closed to God. 

Man as a human being is capable of loving one, but his soul as the light of God is capable of loving not only the world, but even a thousand worlds;  for the heart of man is larger than the whole universe. 


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