Emptiness of the heart : from a Taoist point of view this expression does not take on a negative value or is the emblem of a closed heart and a denied generosity. No, in Taoism this is a condition of grace and strength together.

Tending towards the Void of the Heart in Taoism means, trying to make the white within oneself , looking for that inner cleansing that also illuminates the outside.

The ways of the emptiness of the Heart

There are three ways to the Void of the Heart, they intersect but are quite distinct:

• not desiring ( wu yu );
• not knowing ( wu zhi );
• not acting ( wu wei ).

We could clarify not wanting with the words of Tiziano Terzani , who often invited us to fast from craving , to fast from desires that are not within us but are created from outside. With the concept of not knowing we enter the field of oxymorons so dear to the Taoists. Not knowing stands for “knowing without knowing”.

In other words, to say it with our Latins: “vita magistra vitae” . Life is a teacher of life. It is not known by pure erudition or intellectual greed. You know through experience, you don’t have to look for explanations, you don’t have to be hungry for knowledge as an end in itself.

Trying to understand life at any cost determines dissatisfaction, distancing from simplicity and from listening to ourselves.

As for the wu wei, we think of the pure movement that is in the water. The water moves, constantly. This is the greatest lesson that nature can give us. Doing like her means learning that stagnation does not generate change. Change is something to be supported, something that reveals our true nature to us: we are flexible.

Action without action means conceiving life as an organism. The non-acting is triggered where the human seeks the connection with himself, the environment and others. It is not imprisonment or passivity.

Lao Tzu explained that if we feel part of the whole our consciousness expands, we develop intuition, without effort. A very powerful tool to orient yourself in this direction is meditation . When we cultivate wu-wei, time takes another form. My teacher in New Mexico often repeated this Lao Tzu phrase: ” Deal with the small before it becomes large.” Take care of what is small, be prepared, don’t let it grow out of control.

We just have to understand why we should make this sacred void. Because if the heart is empty, love can enter. From empty to full and then empty again (give it to others). A phrase from St. Augustine comes to mind: ” Don’t you realize that you have lost what you have not given? “

In this very important process – the only true process, one would say – our ability to see into our heart also grows. If the heart is transparent, we see its bottom, we perceive its little Shen , which shows us the way, the direction. The heart then becomes the “compass for joy”.

The heart in Chinese Medicine (TCM)

In  traditional Chinese medicine  the heart ( Xin) has the charge of lord and master, it possesses the brightness of Shen. Root of life, very movement of that vital energy that is reflected on the face. The heart in TCM is the most important of the Zangs, it is associated with the figure of the Emperor, or the bond between human being and Heaven , the divine.

The ideogram of the Heart resembles an empty bowl that welcomes what comes from above without ever being filled. Shen is the breath, the energy received in the Heart and which harmoniously distributes in the human being. In other words, this organ is the center of the animation of the individual and the guide of him.

Its function is primarily performed through the Minister of the Heart , who carries the emotions and nutritional principles through the Blood and the other four Zangs, each of which is home to an aspect of the Shen.

In acupuncture in ancient times it was said that the Heart Meridian had only one acupuncture point, that is the seventh point of the meridian (7 Ht) which is called “Shen Men”, which means “door of the spirit” or “Door of Shen”. Obviously the reference and the saying was evocative was to symbolize how much in the heart there is the door that leads us to listen to the spirit .

Opening that destiny, holding it in hand and unfolding it in its beauty is a trend that depends on the intention of the individual. It is not miraculously accomplished (even if proximity to episodes of birth or death accelerates the process), it is not something that someone else can open up for us, but it is closely linked to our willingness to listen.

In Chinese Medicine, the Heart controls sweating, is connected to sleep and dreams and its state of health can be read on the tongue, as well as for the other organs of the human body .