For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be. – Matthew 6:21.
Instead of valuing and building treasures on earth, Christ urged his followers to store up treasures in heaven. – Matthew 6:19-20.
The heart is considered to be the seat of life in the Bible. Hence it means mind, soul, spirit or one’s entire emotional nature and understanding.
In Buddhism, treasures of the heart are the riches that we build within our lives. This indicates the kind of inner strength that cannot be defeated by any tribulation. It refers to the power to live out our lives in a creative way, with constant joy, fulfillment and vitality. Seven treasures are also mentioned, and these are:
- faith
- virtue/morality
- moral shame
- moral dread
- learning
- generosity
- wisdom
In Hinduism we have six treasures:
- Shama: inner silence and calmness. It is achieved by withdrawing one’s mind and senses and focusing on the inner self.
- Dama: self-control. We learn to control our thoughts and emotions.
- Shraddha: trust in ourselves and a higher being.
- Titiksha: have faith in your pursuit of truth. Have equanimity.
- Uparati: being fearless.
- Samadhana: be an observer and focused on one’s goal.
If we can only practice self-observation and atmabhava, we can have a treasure trove in our hearts.
Aim Hrim Klim
Photo by Ashin K Suresh on Unsplash