Aspiration connects to the very fundamental wish of the heart, and acts as the basis for energy. What does the heart really rise up for? Rather than just getting by in life, where is the sense of purpose and meaning that brings forth the best in us? All of our actions and words should proceed from that place of faith. Body helps ground and moderate that energy.

Investigate feeling as an energy rather than as content. Refer to that which is affected, the heart itself. It’s up to us to apply energy, investigate, turn the mind around, turn the heart, get it to see clearly. Use body to stabilize and simplify content, and the concoction of thought dissipates. This is release; the heart becomes unrestricted.

Practice with directly experienced meanings, dhammas, qualities that touch the heart. Looking into causes and conditions, we begin to sense, this is causing certain phenomena to cease or arise. See where it goes; dhammas lead on by themselves. If you stay in touch with them they lead on to further clearance, or to further stress and suffering.

A lot of our practice is to recognize the ‘I am’ cannot do it – it has to be understood carefully as energies, habits, stories. Find another vehicle, the 5 indriya, the spiritual allies. The beauty of the practice is it works beyond the ‘I am’. The ‘I ‘can’t do it, but the indriya can. Give them a chance to keep working, and nature of citta is it does recognize these transpersonal qualities, like when a dog knows where its true master is.

The thinking mind conceives, weaves into being other people and self; it’s very convincing. But there is a choice – you can refer to things, people, situations – or you can refer to where faith arises. Turn to that faith-vehicle and let the energies and the tonality of faith, generosity and virtue shape mind (or ‘heart’ citta). Then you find a proper basis for mindfulness.

The mind is affected by the world of sense consciousness – creates boundaries and generates a self. But what’s to be cultivated is the unconditioned where those limitations and differentiations don’t exist. Relax the boundaries with the practice of goodwill. Incline towards harmony, respect, integrity, and paying careful attention, for your welfare and the welfare of others. This is an end to our proliferations.

Our practice comes down to building up Path factors. Building up skills of integrity, loving-kindness, clarity of mind, and calm in order to be able to fruitfully meet dukkha. Clearing the ground, so citta is properly fed and encouraged to meet where the sense of self, the identification experience, comes to light – then citta can speak from its depth.