Are the "mind" and the "heart" separate?

Let's start by accepting that those who follow the "way" of the head or the heart are actually being distracted and turning from consciousness. If you want to find the face you were born with, the true you, you cannot follow these "ways. So, that tells us that we must begin to witness both ways. We understand that the brain is associated with learning, logic, and analysis. It is the organ or vessel that makes life more complex by constantly asking "why?" The heart is considered the emotional vessel or organ. This means that it operates blindly. For instance, some say that it is the head that gives us specific theologies while it is the heart that is devoted and prayerful. This perception tells us that they have a clear relationship. In a state of awareness, you can watch as the heart beats with emotion and the brain spins in thought. The key is to prevent either of these organs from becoming the master. Rather, you must travel through the head and the heart on the way to truth. How is that possible? Consciousness lies behind the mind and the heart. It can use both in a harmonious way; in a way that neither the mind nor the heart can do independently. Example, cold reason cannot love unconditionally and, yet, a hearts unconditional love can be tragically blind. Separately neither brings truth nor balance. But a witnessing consciousness can allow you to harmonize both. It is meditation that can allow you to create a "synthesis" between the two. For instance, there is an old tale: A village had a blind beggar and a legless beggar. They were always competing for coins. One day there was a large fire in the town and both were in great danger of being killed. The blind man could not navigate through the chaos, and the legless man could not run. It was only by working together, with the blind man carrying the legless man guiding him, that both reached safety. This is how you must join the heart and the head, and you must allow the heart (emotions) to lead the mind (thought). And, though you will witness both, it is always going to be your consciousness or spirit that is the higher

authority, the one that guides you through the dangerous fires of the world. Spirit referring to consciousness or personality. Obviously, this means that the reasoning mind has to be set aside. This is a tremendous challenge in the modern world. Why? Weve all seen that the emotions rule beneath a thin veneer of a justifying so-called, rational mind. It is the thing that leads to war, destruction, and turmoil. When your mind stops identifying (recall the tale of the old man with the burning house) you gain clarity. You watch and witness and the thoughts fade. By the same token, you must also watch the emotions, these responses to the thoughts. These too fade when observed and witnessed. All that remains afterward is truth and consciousness. Naturally, it all begins with "silencing the mind.