What fills the heart with love? When I ask myself that question, so many images come rushing to my mind. Yesterday afternoon my heart was filled with love as my son showed me card trick after card trick… then in the evening, my heart was filled with love as the setting sun broke through the storm clouds and shone on the pine tree in my front yard. This morning, my heart was filled with love as I thought about my upcoming journey to see Ammachi. (www.amma.org.)

As my heart melted into the Love that is Amma’s embrace, I remembered this teaching: at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Barcelona, Spain (2004), Amma gave a speech entitled “May Peace and Happiness Prevail.” She said, “If in future, there is a Third World War, let it not be a war between countries, but rather a war against our common enemy, poverty. In today’s world, people experience two types of poverty: the poverty caused by lack of food, clothing, and shelter, and the poverty caused by lack of love and compassion. Of these two, the second type needs to be considered first — because if we have love and compassion in our hearts, then we will wholeheartedly serve those who suffer from lack of food, clothing, and shelter.”

So what can we do to increase the love in our hearts? Regular daily spiritual practices increase our love and compassion. One spiritual practice is studying spiritual teachings and applying them in our daily lives. Increasing the love in our own hearts does ripple out and brings more Peace and Happiness to others. Cultivating the Witness helps us to see all the things that block us from feeling the love and compassion in our hearts. Once we see and accept the blocks, they begin to dissolve right in front of our eyes.

May we each increase the love in our hearts today.

May all beings everywhere know Peace and Happiness.

Om Shanti (Peace),

Yogini Tejaswini

Photo of evening sunlight on pine tree by Teja Shankara.