Question: How can we stay in the heart when we are doing tasks which involve the mind?¹²⁹

Sri Chinmoy: We can remain in the heart even when the mind is necessary to perform specific tasks if we feel that we are only the heart. Right now we feel that we have a body, vital, mind, heart and soul. Since we feel that we have many levels of being, naturally we are tempted or inspired to use them when we feel it is necessary. But if we can make ourselves feel that what we have and what we are is only the aspiring, all-loving, all-illumining heart, then the consciousness of the heart will come to the fore and inundate our whole being from top to bottom — from the soles of our feet to the crown of our head.

If we repeat, “I am the heart, I am the heart,” then we will have only the heart’s consciousness no matter what we do. Then everything that we try to give or achieve automatically will be done in and through the heart, and the heart will take care of the so-called problems that we face in our day-to-day multifarious activities. Since we will not be using the mind as such, the problem of the mind’s involvement in these activities will not arise. After some time, when we learn to live in the heart and become the heart, we can go deeper within and feel that we are not the heart but actually the soul. But that is more difficult.