I am now convinced that mindfulness is an affair of the heart. That isn’t what the word “mindfulness” would typically suggest. Even meditation sounds like an exercise of the mind, a form of concentration or contemplation. For me, and as the Heart Sutra implies, insight and deep absorption are a lived and engaged experience of the heart.
There certainly is a role for a quiet and focused mind. But it is the heart that teaches and engages. The path to insight is not a cerebral adventure. It is not an exercise in understanding. Actually, it largely requires removing the disturbances and distractions of an active mind. Understanding is helpful by removing obstacles that the mind might create by resisting the movement of the heart.