Testimonials: Open Heart Stories

Before learning to open my heart, I didn’t do much, spiritually speaking:  I grew up, got married, bought a house, and had two boys.  Praying and meditating were not part of my routine.  Then, one day I was guided to touch my heart and to do Open Heart Prayer…  My world hasn’t been the same since!

Life took on a different meaning; it isn’t the struggle it used to be.  Before opening my heart, I would become so angry if a mess was made in the house, or I would grow worried about bills, or get stressed out if the boys were running wild, etc.

But since learning about the heart, I look at everything differently. When my boys are upset, instead of getting so anxious, I smile at them and do everything I can to guide and remind them about their heart.  As far as messes go, messes can be cleaned up.  So much stress has been eliminated since opening my heart—and whatever stress I do feel now, touching my heart and smiling for a few minutes takes care of it.

The best part, though, of having my heart opened by True Source is being so much closer: feeling how True Source Loves us so completely, and relying on the Blessing to really love True Source more.  Praying is also so beautiful, and leaves me feeling so sweet and tender…so Loved every moment.  It doesn’t matter what I’m doing; I know True Source is always helping us, always Loving us completely.

One very clear realization I had when connecting with my heart was the thought that this is so normal…so natural I think that was a turning point of realizing something big.

Through the “eyes” of our heart, we can see beyond the stories that separate us from others, and instead start to witness the things that connect us. For me, it was the beginning of the relationship with unconditional Love.

Opening my heart has connected me to the mightiest force in existence: True Source. And it is true. It is real. Not an idea or a concept, but a feeling so actual and beautiful that I know—beyond any knowing my brain can ever give me—that this is the Truth, Infinite Love and Light.

Now I know I don’t have a heart; I am a heart. The heart’s natural role is to share with others the Love and Light that flows from True Source. What a beautiful journey it continues to be, re-discovering who I really am.

Using my heart has changed my prayer life.  I am now able to feel and experience the Love within my heart, as well as my spiritual connection to the Creator, the True Source.  Praying from the heart—not just with words—allows me to feel and be grateful for the many blessings received; helps me to surrender my problems to, and rely on the Creator’s Love to work on my heart and life; and helps me to realize the importance of forgiving and asking for forgiveness.

At home, being within my heart helps me to smile and be more joyful when interacting with family members.  (It also changes doing housework, which in the past caused resentment).  Caring for family members by sharing the Creator’s Love is so wonderful, as interactions from the heart with loved ones are now gentler, more patient, and more loving.

The way of experiencing and using the heart is the most joyful and wonderful way to live—sharing the Love with others, and loving our Creator, the True Source, more and more.

Back then I was Miss Super Busy, with two cellphones and a pager, determined to succeed in the cutthroat business of real estate.  I wanted to be the top agent, selling several properties each month.  But at the time, making just one deal was already challenging.

Yet I was such a workaholic that I kept telling myself, “I am happy being a workaholic.”  I often worked until 2:00 am, on Christmas, on New Years, you name it.

Then one day, I attended a workshop given by Padmacahaya, at the insistence of my brother.  In the middle of meditating, I was awestruck and thought, “Wow, this is really beautiful.”  At that moment, something deep within my heart was touched by the smallest drop of Love…and the most beautiful feeling in the world woke me up from my so-called reality.

Tears came running down my face for over an hour as I kept apologizing, many times over.  I had realized the presence of our wonderful and so Loving Divine Father.  I felt how Loved I was, despite all my wrongdoings.  From that moment on, I vowed to live my life for True Source, because no one has ever Loved me the way True Source does.  I had a purpose.

After opening my heart, I made not one deal, not two, but a whopping 14 deals in one month—and my success has continued with me working even less hours, and my commissions increasing.  But instead of getting excited and driven to sell more, I just realize I am continually blessed.

Looking back, I can see that we are so good at fooling ourselves.  I have now become so much more open-minded, patient, and caring towards others.  Before I couldn’t even say the word “love” without feeling uncomfortable; now I say it often everyday, with joy in my heart.  I am truly grateful to True Source to have been touched and awakened.

Before learning about the heart, when I prayed to True Source, it felt flat, and I was never sure if my prayers were heard.  I remember how I prayed only when I had problems in my life, or because at school or at church a bunch of us were being told to pray together.  Words came out of me without any feeling; I was simply reading prayer lines.

Now it is completely different: prayers have become beautiful, and I am able to go into a deep state of connection.  I feel how I am communicating with True Source—how my prayers reach up to True Source, Lovingly listening, and are accepted with the beauty of Love.

After riding the waves of life for 48 years, I started looking for the real meaning of this existence.  Inadvertently, I came across the Open Heart Workshops given by Padmacahaya Institute, and my searching ended here.

In learning about the heart, my life changed.  Anger, arrogance, and other negative emotions dissipated—not because I was holding myself back from expressing them, but because they naturally started to resolve from within.  As a result, my life has become more in harmony with my own family, and with other people.

In the past, I sought success for its own sake in this material life.  But with the heart, I realized how temporary life is; how we should enjoy it in good health, calmness, and happiness.  Mere worldly success did not bring me those wonderful things.

By using my heart, wherever I am, I can avoid bad situations, and be within the peace, beauty, and joy of life…while continuing to be productive and enjoying it.

My life shifted after I opened my heart.  The facts of my external life are still the same; but my heart attitude and my whole self have changed, and are still changing.

Now that I have found my heart, I am able to stop worrying about my situations, and have even become grateful for them.  In my daily life, I am more relaxed and not stressed out anymore (even though sometimes I am extremely busy, and my job is filled with turbulence).  Surrendering to True Source, feeling the joy and peace, has also helped my biggest burden—a suppressive, desolate sadness because of loneliness—to lift more and more.

With our hearts, we are able to feel and to realize the presence, beauty, clarity, and the absoluteness of Divine Love for every being.  To be allowed to experience this is the biggest joy I can imagine.

Thank You, True Source!

I am a mother with six children and ten grandchildren.  In the religious sermons that I attended, I kept hearing that praying must be accompanied with a smile and that it must come from the heart.  With all the prayers that I did, I was quite content with my connection with True Source.

Then I started learning how to open and use my heart.  I could feel the differences clearly before and after opening and using my heart.  I became calmer, more peaceful, and more joyful.  It was beautiful.  I was able to get into a deep state when I pray, and I could really feel the beautiful connection every time I called out to True Source.  I also started to feel the longing for True Source, and I surrendered more.

When I went on my pilgrimage again, I could definitely feel the difference between that pilgrimage and the previous one.  I was filled with peace, joy, and beautiful feeling.  Everything became more beautiful without anything holding my feeling back.  Neither the hot weather nor the throngs of people could affect me.  I was able to be there with gratitude and sincerity.

I have never been taught how to open my heart and go into my heart in my many years as a priest and a missionary.  By opening my heart, I am able to feel, enjoy, and be grateful for God’s ever-present Love, which is a blessing for both myself and the congregation that I serve.

Often, I find myself sharing that before opening my heart, I sincerely believed that I was making great spiritual progress.  But as I reflect back, it seems as though it was all a dream—quite unreal,quite empty and devoid of feeling. Now, as I enjoy the experience of learning to open my heart, the feeling is so wonderful, so beautiful…tears of joy arise.

I continue to honor the traditions I grew up in as a Buddhist Lama.  Externally, there will always be diversity within spirituality.  I spent a whole life building bridges between cultures and spiritual traditions, and encouraging all I met to be more tolerant and open.  But internally, at last, I have truly found, truly experienced our unity, our common ground.  Real unity, within the realm of the heart.

Thank you, Mr. Irmansyah Effendi, for guiding me in not only getting to know myself, but to feel my true self—proving to myself beyond my knowledge the presence of the Divine Source.

Since elementary school, I have been exposed to spiritual life because I saw my parents meditate and give praise to for at least 30 minutes after certain prayers.  One lesson that is still etched in my memory is that there is an agreement between our spirit and our Source in the spirit world.  Ever since then, I devoured spiritual books.

When I was at a boarding school, without my parents’ knowledge, I studied at two different schools with two different teachings.  Both taught me the use of my heart in following the teachings of my religion.  This was truly the beginning of my spiritual life.

I thought my spiritual search was over then; but I was wrong.  I came across books written by Mr. Irmansyah Effendi, M.Sc. about soul consciousness, Inner Heart, and the activating of the Divine Energy within.  After I bought the books and read all of them, I wanted to know more and wanted to learn about channeling energy, even though I doubted that there was Divine Energy outside of my religion.

I felt I must be objective, however, and came to the conclusion that in each being there is a divine potential.  Perhaps brain / thought would question this method, but the True Source’s Will is the truth.  I knew that with surrendering from the heart and with the Creator’s Love, all human hearts will be directed to and will long for the Creator.

After I thought about the effects and the benefits that could be gained, I prayed asking for the Creator’s blessings and protection, and then attended the workshops.

Still, I thought that being able to channel Divine Energy and obtaining wonderful realizations about the Divine was the end of this.  I was wrong again:  Later, Mr. Effendi started the Open Heart Workshops, which I also attended.  Here, my heart discovered, “This is what I have been looking for.”

No words can describe the deep longing I have for True Source, in times of spiritual devotion as well as in my daily life.  I am now more loving towards others and simply more patient.

I had long held the belief that truth was found only in the depth of the heart, and I reflected on this belief in two of the three books that I had written.  I felt that our heart is the main key in solving all the problems we have—and with this awareness, I thought that I had used my heart in making decisions in my life.  Only after attending a number of workshops given by Padmacahaya, however, did I realize I had not used my heart well at all.

After I took the workshops, I slowly began to realize the main purpose of the courses was to help participants open their hearts and improve their personal connection with True Source.

I began to feel how my heart was opening up more; it was awakened, and started to bloom beautifully.  I also began to see that our heart is very deep—beyond what we can imagine.  In opening my heart, I was able to feel how True Source loves me and all of His creations.  My heart feels joy and peace that are beyond what I have ever experienced before.

“It’s too good to be true” is what people say, and that would seem the case from the outside.  Words cannot ever be enough to describe this beautiful and joyful experience, which must be experienced firsthand.  As someone who thought he had used his heart, but has now realized he was wrong and is starting to learn how, I feel that the opportunity to open your heart to True Source is a priceless blessing that should be accepted with open arms.

In my role as a priest, I feel I am able to live my life and serve my congregation by using my heart.  I pray more often than before, and enjoy my prayers more because I pray using my heart now.  (I had not realized that my heart was often asleep when I prayed before).  And with my heart opening bigger, I also feel that I am able to rely on True Source’s Love in doing my assignment.

For all of the Blessings I have received, I would like to express my utmost gratitude to the Most Loving True Source and to Mr. Effendi, who tirelessly teaches and guides so many people to open their hearts to love True Source more.

By the time I was 17 years old, I had realized that loving was the deepest, truest goal of my life: both loving True Source and sharing love with others.  So I was a bit of a know-it-all when a friend told me about the heart—wanting to prove to him that this was something I already understood, and was moderately proficient at doing.

Underneath, however, I was drowning.  I felt desperate for something more real.  I had knowing in my philosophy and inner wisdom, but was not able to live those things.  Though I longed to serve others, I felt blocked in being able to move beyond concerns about my safety, ideas of happiness, and fears.  All too often, and especially in public places, I closed down inside to protect my tender feelings, and my heart and chest felt tight.  Talking myself into changing or rehearsing the ideas and wisdom of others would last a few days, but then melt away as I fell back into habits.

I had practiced many different meditation techniques, been guided by angels, spent weeks in silence, and changed my life situation over and over again: single, married, celibate monk, homeowner.  Yet the rut of ME still held me.  How were those enlightened beings able to move out of this?  I had nearly decided that I just was not able to do it.  They had somehow been born into it or especially blessed.  I was not one of them.

After all those years of longing, it only took a few minutes to be guided to feel my heart.  The moment is fresh for me.  I was able to reach up inside and feel my connection, my very own connection with the Divine Source.  The direct link between my consciousness and true Love, joy, and peace was under my nose; not above it in my head.

I could feel there was a lot of housekeeping to be done on my heart.  Sadness lay around it, but a beautiful stillness I had never felt from my head radiated from within.  This was not just quietness, as one feels when thoughts have calmed, but stillness, peace, and a feeling of something much more…of being Home.  I was being welcomed back, step-by-step, to my True Self.  My life found its direction.  This beautiful gift is for all of us, no matter who we are and what our situation, if we have the longing.

I actually shared the experience of the heart with one of my counseling clients, because I felt this longing from her.  After a few minutes of relaxing and smiling to her heart, she exclaimed with anguish, “It’s covered with black!” and a few moments later, “It’s gotten so small!”  Though she had not realized it before that moment, my client remembered about the heart and how beautiful it is supposed to be—blooming huge and radiating the Love and Light.

Opening your eyes to your heart opens your eyes to all in its true form and place, clarifying everything else in your life.  Nothing, absolutely nothing comes close to the feeling of it: not what the five senses can understand, no emotion, no experience, no joy from something in the world.

As I write this, it has been four years since I first learned to feel my heart.  I could fill one hundred pages, one thousand pages, with one word: “gratitude.”

As a spiritual aspirant for over 30 years, and in my profession as a Ph.D. psychologist, I have experienced and taught numerous practices and approaches for enhancing wellbeing and spiritual growth.

In these, I used to believe I knew about being in my heart, and did not realize that I was still primarily head-centered.  I spent countless hours doing disciplined meditation practices, and could easily experience the calm space between my thoughts.  However, with all of those practices, I never got to experience the depth of my heart.  I have come to realize that mindfulness is not the same as “heartfulness.”

If we reflect back to the most special times in which we felt so deeply touched, grateful, and connected to life—whether that was the birth of a child, a tranquil moment in nature, a peak experience, or time of spiritual communion—it was our heart that was touched.  In that moment, we were connected with our heart, and that is why it felt so special and precious.

Over the entire span of a person’s life, when all is said and done, and when one is about to leave this earthly plane, it is these few heartfelt experiences that give them their greatest sense of satisfaction and joy.

My happiness comes from the realization that our heart is not reserved for just a handful of special moments.  We are meant to live as a heart, so that every moment can be special and precious, and so life is filled with abundant love and joy.

When our hearts are open, we become less and less bothered by idiosyncrasies or differences in people.  Relationships begin to bring great joy; we become more accepting of our shortcomings, as well as others’; we easily forgive, and share from our heart.

The quality of life improves as people realize that what used to push their buttons, or create emotional reactivity, no longer does so.  And if negativity is triggered, it is significantly diminished compared to previous patterns.  They feel more sweetness and joy in their relationships, and allow the intelligence of the heart to guide their lives.

Open hearts live authentically with love, humbleness, and gratitude.  And the more that we are able to open our hearts, the more we are able to experience a tangible connection to the Source of Love and Light.

I am so happy that I know from the core of my heart that this is something reachable and achievable for all of us.  It is our birthright.  I am so grateful that True Source is supporting us to fulfill this ultimate destiny.

Next Testimonials: Spiritual Sharing