Explosion of the Heart
Nothing changes, and nothing is the same anymore after such individual experience. An open landscape may emerge for all to be one.
Peak experience
Maslow called it a peak experience, but, indeed, it is an explosion of the heart.
It can happen in very diverse circumstances. We’ll see three examples.
An explosion of the heart always deserves full respect.
It’s a sudden loss of conceptual control. That’s probably why it’s looked upon as irrational. A better term would be a-rational, like a flower or the sunshine.
It’s an experience that can change a person to the core, shaking up things from a bit to essentially. The shaking-up can be followed by a twirling-down into a different configuration, a different-enough mental landscape.
Much if not most, if not almost everything, depends on what one does with the experience after the experience. How does it help form the new landscape?
Neuro-stuff
I don’t know which hormones and neurotransmitters play a role ― in any case: dopamine, oxytocin, endorphins, cannabinoids, serotonin, and many others.
In the neurophysiological sense, more interesting is what happens with mental-neuronal patterns in such a state or which kind may provoke it. Note that this doesn’t analyze the happening out of the mental or even spiritual sphere. These are different views upon the one thing that only gets more fascinating.
It would be an intriguing line of research. I think it will show much parallelism, one way or another. [see: “What is ‘Parallel’?”]
Meditation
[see: “Meditation, a World of Difference”]
An explosion of the heart sometimes happens during meditation, mostly after two days during a multiple-day sesshin (meditation retreat).
A meditative opening-of-the-heart is one of many windows. It should not be reduced to another window ― neither should the view one gets through any of these windows.
It can also happen at any time of the day ― no formal meditation needed. Prior formal meditation may enhance the occurrence. One can see it as a product of a meditative mindset.
Related to meditation is Compassion also in such explosive invitation. [see: “Compassion, basically“]
Orgasm
An orgasm can be an explosion of the heart. It can also be an intro-injection of meaningless 5-cent-joy. The difference is depth. It doesn’t show at the surface. It shows when you’re there. One who knows both can notice the difference from the inside. Even so, one can fall from one into the other.
Of course, nature did it right in giving us the orgasm-thing as a doorway in specific circumstances. It may bring people together, like shaking up and falling into the other. The man who falls asleep after an orgasm – as regularly happens – actually may be falling further in love. Dreams can help there too. Everything that comes naturally can have a proper place. It’s upon the human being – with this hugely complicating consciousness – to make the best of it. There are many ways to do so.
Religious peak experience
In this field, it may be seen as a mystical experience that can be viewed as such by the person (and others), or it can be witnessed as a passing-by feeling ― depth involved but not seen as ‘special.’
I don’t think any organized religion is worth its buck if it doesn’t profoundly help in shaping such experiences, including their aftermath. Note that this is pure depth. There is no importance in the concrete layers except in their relation to depth.
Organized religion may open this or precisely close it down, both to the extreme. To me, this forms an essential factor in the quality of the religion. A religion that strives for openness is a religion of Compassion. Contrary to this, the closing down may aim to control the believers in favor of the organization’s worldly success. One should be very critical about the point of this. Especially nowadays, with a worldwide coming-together – or the potential to do so – of all people and religions on the planet, no religion should have itself as aim.
Religious explosions of the heart should help form a single religious landscape with many diverse elements, much to explore and experience.
But still, and for always, one landscape.
This is the landscape that may appear after many explosions have opened it to the heart.
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