Embodying the 5 Essential Qualities of the Heart: A Ren Xue Pathway to Better Life
Amongst the business of our lives, many of us have lost the connection to our hearts. Yet the heart is the most powerful organ we have, going well beyond the anatomical functions. The heart is the home of all life-enhancing qualities, but we need to work hard to restore our hearts to its natural, pure state. In the profound teachings of Ren Xue, this work begins with the cultivation of the Five Essential Heart Qualities. Known as the Five Xin (“Xin” means “heart” in Chinese), they serve as a gateway to unlocking our innate capacity for better health, happiness, and sense of wellbeing. These qualities – Trust, Openness, Love, Gratitude, and Gongjing (True Respect) – are not mere concepts but powerful states of being that can transform our lives and relationships to both ourselves and the world.
Our teachers at the Institute for Compassion both follow and teach the Ren Xue pathway. Ren Xue’s mission is to uplift your own life and help other uplift theirs, leading to positive change in the lives of yourself and those around you.
Trust: The Key that Opens All Doors
Trust is the foundation upon which all other heart qualities are built. It is the unwavering faith in ourselves, in the wisdom of our bodies to heal, and in the inherent goodness of the universe. When we embrace trust in ourselves, trust in other, and trust in the wisdom of the universe, we break down the barriers that prevent us with truly connecting with others, fostering true understanding and connectedness. Think about when we receive full trust from others or ourselves, we feel nourished, encouraged, and empowered. Now think about how we feel when we are not trusted or do not trust others; we feel threatened, defensive and dishearten. - depleting our Qi. Trust has the immense power to create positive change in ourselves and others by receiving our trust. When others sense our trust, they will likely lower their guard and trust us in return. Trust builds trust.
Openness: Embracing the Free Flow of Qi
Openness is an expansion from trust. When the heart is open, Qi can flow freely within and around us. An open heart also keeps all other Qi pathways also open which is utmost important for heal thing and good health in every way. When we are open, we are in a healthy state, being unified, relaxed, calm natural and harmonious. Being open creates a positive cycle where maintaining a healthy state contributes to greater openness, and greater openness, in turn, enables us to sustain this state. When we are open, we gain the courage acknowledge and accept our problems and pain points. We can be honest with ourselves with true acceptance, rather than defaulting to old patterns of denying or avoiding our problems. This deep connection within will allow us to accept ourselves unconditionally and wholeheartedly, which will be life changing.
Love: The Expression of Our True Selves
Every human has a strong need to love and feel loved, it is imprinted in us as humans. Love is a natural state of being. Love is an unconditional expression of our true selves and pure hearts making us feel worthy, warm, and valuable. It nourishes our soul, softening our lives, and has strong healing powers .It connects us with ourselves and with others in the most intimate way, motivating us to cultivate our deepest natural qualities and accept responsibility in our interactions. True love is a sign of strength, not weakness. There is no expectation or attachment when we love in a pure way, meaning that there is no room for pain or disappointment when loving ourselves or others. There is no loss, only gain, in the realm of true love.
Gratitude: Perceiving the Interconnectedness of All Things
Gratitude is often seen as a value in human society. We teach our kids to say “thank you” when we receive support, nourishment, or items. But teaching value only as a value has its limitations, as we have become so accustomed to receiving things that we no longer see the value in receiving. We take the water from our taps, the food for dinner and the love from our parents for granted. But gratitude as a heart quality is less taught, yet holds a greater impact on society. Cultivating gratitude reminds us to appreciate everything. Gratitude is an essential part of human life, filling our hearts with joy, positivity, and lightness. It extends to others, to animate and inanimate objects, to ourselves, and to our bodies. As we have so much to be grateful for, we should aim to experience it in every moment. Focusing on gratitude by connecting our hearts with what we're grateful for helps us endure challenges and enables us to see the benefits hiding within apparently difficult experiences.
Gongjing: The Embodiment of True Respect and Humility
Gongjing is a very special and complex heart quality that embodies all other qualities above. It is a state of being deeply respectful, humble, trusting, open and pure. When one is in the state of true Gongjing, one gets the feeling of being in a higher state of life, where you become no longer the centre of your own reality. It takes the “me” out of the focus. As Gongjing develops, the distinctions between you and the external world are removed. The deeper our Gongjing, the more inner strength we generate. Gongjing arises from a true understanding that everything is a manifestation of the laws of the universe (Dao), and it helps us hold everyone and everything as equal, valuable, and part of the whole.
No matter how illusive they may seem, the Five Xin have always been in your heart. Most people are yet to uncover what already belongs to them, and it will take a lot of practice to rediscover them and feel them once more in their heart. After all, the main function of the heart is to feel. We need to feel those qualities in our own hearts to make it real. Once you begin on your journey to bring your heart back to its natural, healed state, throughout your whole body you will have a wonderful feeling that is beyond words. The world will suddenly seem a much better place, beautiful and harmonious. But in fact, it is not the world that is changing, it is you.