Where There is Heart, There is Plenty…
Consider your actions of today or this week? Do you do the kinds of things that come from the heart? Many of us, do things for others, but only feel resentful afterwards. But what if we only did things from the heart? Or better yet, did the things for others we don’t want to but never feel resentful. Think about it for a moment. What if you stopped choosing resentment and simply did things because you felt it was right, and you wanted to? I’m not saying, stop doing things for others if you don’t want to (although that is your choice and I do believe in freewill), I’m saying, do these things, but instead of negative thoughts and feelings, feel joy, pleasure, and happiness. You likely made a difference in someone else’s life by your actions, hopefully in a good way. So, don’t worry about the minute you lost, and feel good about the deed.
In a bigger way, do the kinds of things that come from the heart in EVERYTHING you do! In your life, in your hobbies, in work, in family, etc. Don’t waste your few years following someone else’s expectations. Do what you feel is right in your heart.
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With an Open Heart 
A beautiful quote… thanks for sharing.
Tiffany
You are most welcome: )
~Nina
Nice post! The question of free will that you bring is an interesting one because it is often misunderstood. Just doing or having the ability to do whatever crosses your mind is, the way I see things, not free will, but rather bondage. It is bondage because you don’t will what your mind desires. The desire to do something simply arises in your mind. And so in a sense by doing whatever comes into your mind you are allowing those desires which arise in your mind to take control over you. You are becoming their slave. This is what the job of mindfulness is. To bring those desires into awareness for what they are. Things which arise in your inner world, but which you have not willed to arise.
I have found that simply saying do what you want to people, from my experience, has always led to them creating pain and suffering to themselves and to those around them. It’s not that the advice is wrong, it’s just that the way most people see reality they won’t understand it. Imagine a couple for example. He, for some reason, gets angry at her. He goes to someone, be it a priest, a counselor, a guru, etc. and asks for advice on what he should do. If that person tells him “Don’t worry, everything is fine, you should follow your heart and do what you want”, then if in that moment he feels anger towards his woman he will probably do something stupid which he wouldn’t otherwise do after hearing this advice. He may decide to cheat on his woman for example. Because why not? He should just follow his heart and he is free and he can do whatever he wants. That is why I am always very careful with telling people do what you want. Because most people do not experientially know the difference between themselves and that which arises in their mind. So if a certain desire arises in their mind, they think it is THEIR desire. They think they possess that desire. And if one tells them they are free to do as they wish, then they will be encouraged to act out on that desire, because they see that desire as their will, instead of seeing it for what it is. This is why I usually tell people to forget about freedom in relationships. You are not free, you are entirely dependent on your partner and there are certain rules that you have to obey. I have found it that in this way people tend to cause much less harm. I also recommend meditation and spiritual practice to them, and I trust that as they progress they will learn for themselves how to take it from there.
hi tudor f.d.
that’s an interesting response .. can only come from someone with a lot of experience
I think that’s the beauty of free will
There is no right .. no wrong .. There are just actions and consequences.
Whether you’re in a relationship or not is immaterial, free will always exists.
As to what Nina wrote about doing things from the heart, the reverse is also true.
You musn’t do what does not come from the heart or resentment is bound to build up.
We aren’t all Buddha’s yet, are we ??
Yes you can say there is no right and no wrong, but the problem with that is that people misunderstand it. You know the truth cannot be told to anyone. The truth can only be experienced. The only good thing one can do is encourage people to search for the truth by themselves, and tell them certain things which, if believed, will help reduce suffering in the world. Telling people the truth is of no importance because they cannot understand it. When you tell them the truth, you have to spend so much time explaining it that it really does little to help them. Just give them the technique to get to it, guide them along the journey, that is all one can do. Explain to them what they will realize, but more than that can be harmful. Sure it may help a select few, but from experience I’ve seen that many people cause more harm by being told things such as “there is no right or wrong”.
Free will only really exists for the spiritual seeker who has at least had glimpses of the buddha state. The reason I say this is because if anyone were to tell someone who did not have glimpses of the buddha state yet that they have free will, they will immediately think that their free will means acting on the desires which arise in their mind. Consider the situation of a couple again. If you tell them that they are independent, if you tell them that they are free, then many problems arise. Suddenly one of them wants something and the other one wants something else. But because each believe they are free, they will fight for their own desire. They will not listen to the other, which will create conflicts and fights and not only this. These conflicts and fights will leave imprints on their consciousness which will go on driving their future actions. Much much suffering will be created just because they were told that they are free. So instead of telling them they are free, isn’t it better to tell them to seek to go beyond cravings and desires, to search for themselves, and at the same time tell them that they are NOT free, they are dependent on one another and they need to listen to one another? Once they believe they are dependent on one another, at least they will not cause any harm to each other. They will be very careful about doing things in accordance not only to their desires, but also to the desires of their partner. This creates less suffering for both of them. Once they reach deeper stages of meditation, whatever you told them won’t matter anymore since they will know for themselves. But telling someone who has never had a glimpse of the buddha state that they are free is usually a way to encourage them to bring more misery into the world. That is why it is my firm conviction that it should be avoided.
You are right in a sense. If everyone were a buddha, then we wouldn’t need any rules to prevent suffering. We only need rules to prevent suffering because people are not buddhas. So while people are not buddhas they need to follow rules, otherwise there will be much suffering. This is why the Gautama Siddhartha gave rules to his followers. That is why Jesus gave rules. That is why all spiritual teachers gave rules. Those who are alseep cannot distinguish between matters and so they risk causing great harm around them. So, in order to reduce suffering, they are told to follow certain rules.
beautiful post