Talk to Your Brain and Heart

One day in a dream, my heart spoke to me.
"I'm beating hard, but what am I beating for?"
Then my brain appeared and asked.
"I have been working constantly since the moment you were born, but why should I exist?"

Let's say that you were working hard at something, when you suddenly wondered what the purpose of your work was, so you asked the person who had you do it, "What is the purpose of this work?" How would you feel if he responded, "It's none of your business. You're paid for your work. Just keep doing what you've been doing, and don't ask me useless questions"? Obviously, you wouldn't feel good. You would work reluctantly, but you wouldn't be happy about it.

We humans are animals who search for meaning. We constantly ask and want to know what the meaning of the work we do is. We find the will to work harder, even if someone doesn't make us, when we know the true meaning of the work, and when that meaning gives us joy and satisfaction.

I think this is also true of our brains and hearts. Of course, our brains and hearts operate on their own, even though we're not aware of it. They support us when we're happy and unhappy, when we do good deeds and bad, without making those distinctions. Our brains and hearts, though, are not simple machines. They ceaselessly react to and interact with our thoughts and feelings. Consequently, depending on what messages we give our brains and hearts and on how we manage them, we can maximize their functions or just leave them as they are. They can be wonderful helpers in our lives, or they can be hecklers who get in our way, depending on what we do.

In my dream, I answered my brain and heart this way:

"My brain, my heart . . . Thank you for always being with me. Thank you for working hard for me, whether I recognized it or not. I want to help people discover their true value. I want to tell them that everyone has a great power they can use to change their lives and change the world. So I want to contribute to making the earth and humanity healthier, more beautiful, and happier. For that goal, I've decided to live 120 years in good health. I hope you will respect and support my choice. You'll join me in being healthy until I reach the age of 120, right?"

I felt my brain and heart say, "Yes!"

We should take time more often to feel and talk to our bodies. Our bodies are part of nature. The heart and brain were not created artificially. We have been a part of nature since the moment we existed in this world.

The artificial is not perfect. Nature, though, is perfect. Nature knows everything. Our brains, because they are a part of nature, have the wisdom to know what perfect harmony and balance are. So, if we quietly ask our brains, we can diagnose our problems, and we can find for ourselves clues to solving them. We can know what our brains truly want if we quietly listen to what our hearts are saying. We will clearly be confronted by limits, however, if we only look for answers outside ourselves, without talking to nature inside us.

When in a natural setting, we sometimes hear the voice of nature questioning us. The warm morning sunlight shining through the trees, refreshing air entering our lungs, and the stars sparkling in the night skies of autumn ask us: "Are you happy now?" "What are you living for?" These are moments when the souls inside us awaken as the life energy filling nature interacts with nature inside us.

If we commune with our brains and hearts for a while, we find that there are times when the forests, trees, wind, and sunshine talk to us because our bodies are also a part of nature. "What are you rushing after now?" "Are you satisfied with your life now?" At those times, we shouldn't suppress their voices, saying, "Hey, I don't know either. Why are you irritating me by asking such things. Just do your job." You should try meditating on such questions arising inside you.

Since writing the book, I've Decided to Live 120 Years, I've been talking more enthusiastically with my brain and heart. I consciously made a choice to live 120 years, but I need the full support of my brain and heart to actually do that.

There will be a difference between giving a message to my brain that says, "I'm going to live 120 years, so please work hard for me," and saying, "I've lived long enough. My life has passed its peak. So be aware that I'm getting ready for the end of my life." If I keep telling my heart and brain, "I'll live 120 years," they will be shocked. They'll definitely get ready, too, "Oh! I should really wake up and pay attention!"

If you make a new choice for your life and tell your brain and heart about it, they will start moving to aid you in your choice. Don't stop with one or two talks; do it often, every day if possible. I'll introduce you to a form of meditation for talking to your brain and heart.

Meditation for Talking with Your Brain and Heart

Sit comfortably in a chair or on the floor and close your eyes. Raise your right hand and place it over the left side of your chest. Quietly control your breathing and try to feel your heart. The beating of your heart is one of the most powerful vital phenomena in your body. Quietly feel that heartbeat. Listen to the sound of your heart beating. Feel your heart throbbing through your body and pulsing out into the void.

Your heart is beating. Energy is flowing in your body. You feel your life. It's beautiful and precious. It's perfect.

Ask your brain. What will I do with this life? What will I do through this precious, beautiful life? Your brain will say something to you. Quietly listen to its words. Do its words ring true? Do they resonate in your soul?

Now it's your turn to answer your brain and heart. Speak with truth. Speak to them with truth that can move your soul. Tell them what you will do with this life. Tell your brain and heart, I will continue to make changes in my life.

Take a deep breath, and exhale. Quietly open your eyes.

Through this meditation, I want you to confidently tell your brain and heart what you want to do, the purpose in life you have chosen. As you commune with nature existing inside you, I want you to declare to your brain and heart that you will boldly choose and go on creating the life your soul wants. We all have the power to create our lives anew. We don't have to learn anything in particular to understand that we have that power and use it. It's enough to believe in yourself and just do it. Just as our brains and hearts move ceaselessly, maintaining life, without learning how, so we, too, can do the same thing. It's enough to just do it, like breathing and sleeping, like the beating of our hearts.

Did you have a good talk with your brain and heart? What did you feel through this meditation?