Introduction

I am writing this Guide for every person who believes that life can be an open and expanding path, rather than a narrow and declining one. I have discovered that one of the keys to a life of quality and depth is exuberant vitality, because vitality enables us to say ‘yes’ to life, irrespective of circumstances or the flow of time and entropy. But this requires a bit of a shift in how we perceive the world.

As many of the travails of aging are associated with the brain, naturally many western scientists and the public media have focused on the brain, which has given birth to the new and exciting field of neuroscience. There is an underlying logic: the problem of aging is in the brain; therefore our brains will find a solution. It is a medical conclusion based on an epistemological metaphor fundamental to western science: we solve problems with the head.

Yet neuroscience, notwithstanding its marvelous discoveries, tells only part of the story. It fails to account for the whole picture. There is another neglected actor at least as important. It is the Heart.

Honoring the Physical Heart

Most people, including many physicians, view the heart primarily as a tradesman—a mechanical pump. It is an outdated metaphor with historical roots in the steam engine. But what an engine! Are you aware that:

• “The heart beats one hundred thousand times a day, 40 million times per year, and some 3 billion times in the seventy to eighty years of a human life.”? (Source and quotes from Stephen Harrod Buhner, The Secret Teachings of Plants )

There is much more:

• “The electromagnetic field produced by the heart is some five thousand times more powerful than that created by the brain.”
• “Between 15%-25% of the cells in the heart are neural cells.”..“The heart possesses its own nervous system, and in essence is a specialized brain that processes special types of information. … not only are these cells involved in the physical functioning of the heart, they also direct connections to a number of areas of the brain, and produce an unmediated exchange of information with the brain. (Unmediated means there are no interrupts in the circuit from the heart to the brain.)”
• “The heart has its own memory. People who receive transplanted hearts often take on behaviors common to the person to whom the heart originally belonged.”
• “Hormones produced by the heart have broad physiological impacts, affecting the heart, brain, and the body.” At least one such hormone —an atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP)–provides powerful protection against pancreatic cancer.
• The vagus nerve, a bridge between brain and heart, may hold a clue to the physical experience of happiness.(1)
• “The heart is not only concerned with the interior world, its electromagnetic fields allow it to touch the dynamic, electromagnetic fields produced by other living organisms and to exchange energy.”

In short, the physical heart, including its electromagnetic fields, hormones, and associated blood supplies, is a living, integrative, cognitive, perceptive, and communicating intelligence.

These and other wonders of heart/brain interaction are currently being explored in the new and exciting scientific frontier of neurocardiology. (2)

The potentialities of the “heart” run far deeper than are currently being probed by western science. In fact, the heart is also a primary systems integrator.

The Heart as a Primary Systems Integrator

The heart’s unique capabilities have been recognized since ancient times in diverse cultures. It is entertaining to note that Egyptian embalmers preserved the heart but tossed the brain, which they assumed to be useless in the journey to the next world.(3)

The centrality of heart is well recognized in Asian cultures and the traditions of most indigenous peoples. In China,for example, the word xin (often translated as “heart”) is viewed as the “the root of physical and mental life, the seat of all emotions, embodying the inherent goodness of human nature and wisdom.”(4)

How to depict the integrating potentiality of heart? Diagram # 1 depicts the six dimensions of Big Heart. But what is Big Heart integrating? Here we must step outside western science into the world of “subtle” energy or in Chinese language and culture, qi (“ki”in Japanese).

Laughing Heart, Subtle Energies, and Love

Basics

What is qi? Qi is written in Chinese as 氣 which combines the image of air or rising steam 气 with that for rice, 米. Hence, qi suggests cooking and nourishment from rice, the staple of life in Asian societies.

Qi and love, especially unconditional love, are closely tied. In Chinese cosmology love is the primordial energy source which gives birth to qi. In Laughing Heart practice both qi and love are viewed as special forms of subtle energy.

Qigong is a disciplined energy practice that cultivates the power of qi for healing, vitality, and martial arts, among other practical applications. Laughing Heart borrows heart-centered qigong practices and applies them in a new way.

Elaborations

In this Guide heart is understood as the “governor” of the mind and qi. When our heart is quiet, relaxed, and peaceful, the mind is stable and balanced. Our heart opens naturally and we receive external qi, which blends with our body’s internal qi. The qi in turn influences the flow of blood. When the qi is clean and pure and blood flow is unimpeded, the qi’s vitalizing properties are optimized.

All living creatures possess physical and energy bodies.(5) The energy body is not fantastical. We can experience it directly as light, kinesthetically, or in other forms. The energy body can be cultivated and refined by practice. It is continuously transforming. It can be extended by intention; it contracts in times of stress. It is highly sensitive and particularly susceptible to imagery and sound.

The heart is both a transmitter and receiver of qi and love. Drawing a parallel with electronics, it can function both as a “step down” and “step up” transformer. Qigong masters maintain the Universe contains an infinite reservoir of qi, which moves freely through obstacles and barriers. When we enter a quiet and open Laughing Heart state, it is easy to send out and receive qi and love.

Imagination exerts a powerful influence over the heart, the flow of qi and love, and the energy body. Many qigong masters describe their forms in evocative images of nature—“return to spring”, “showers of apricot blossoms”, “love descends on me”, “dragon flying over the mountains.” The forms invoke the essential qualities of animals—monkey, bear, deer, snake, and tiger. Each of these animals is also associated with a special sound that connects qi energy to the main internal organs of the body.

There is a direct relationship between the cultivation of qi and the creative process. When the qi is unimpeded, it helps the heart and mind transcend conventional silos of thought and experience, and guides the explorer to the “intertidal zones”—the intersections of established domains of knowledge where we can discover wellsprings of creativity, invention, and innovation.

The cultivation of heart immediately enhances personal freedom. Many of our worries and travails have a strong cognitive component. The shackles we wear are largely in our heads; our prison walls are mainly our own creation. By learning to open the heart, the shackles fall away and the walls disappear, like stories written in water.

Measuring Qi

There is no established standard technology or methodology today to measure qi accurately. There is a considerable body of research on the subject but it is inconclusive from the perspective of western science. There are some interesting parallels between the measurement of “entanglement” in quantum physics, the design of quantum computers, and the integrative power of heart and qi. Someday we may have extremely sensitive “super quantum” devices to measure subtle magnetic fields. The commercial availability of these and other instruments is probably a decade away.(6)

Organization of the Guide–Practical Applications

In the meantime, we can play. The Intelligent Guide is designed to enable you to experience, explore, and apply Laughing Heart, anywhere anytime. To enhance your enjoyment we have designed the Guide to be intelligent, interactive, and adaptive. It learns beside you, continuously supporting your interests and preferences. Each of the 10 Moves is a channel for breaking good news, connecting your discoveries to the larger currents of the world.

Our journey toward enhanced vitality begins with perception. 21^st century humans have come to rely so much on sight we take its dominance as a given. But several centuries ago people sensed the world very differently (7). What if we can experience life in a new way through all our senses, individually or simultaneously, without filters or biases? One of the keys is Quieting the Heart.

Preface

Laughing Heart is the last part of a trilogy begun some twenty years ago with the publication of Volume I of Piloting Through Chaos (1995). The present Guide is an intensely personal work. At 73 I find myself more creative, alive, and yearning to explore than I was in middle age. I am acutely aware that entropy will in the end prevail, and one day the well will run dry. In the meantime I ask myself—perhaps you do the same–is there an artful way to turn the tables on advancing age–like a skillful older tennis player who prevails over far younger opponents by husbanding energy and placing the balling strategically? I am passionate to tell you about a series of discoveries relating to “deep” or “integral” vitality. Ordinary vitality is generally associated with vigorous exercise, good diet, relaxation, and the avoidance of addictive habits. Of course these are important. But they are elements in something greater and more powerful.

Before relating my discoveries, allow me to provide some context. The first volume of Piloting Through Chaos introduced the core idea of integrity translated from the Chinese and Japanese languages as “inner power” or “character.” The component parts of the complex calligraphy for integrity (德) offer a clue to how to develop this inner power: integrity is gained when the “hand” of action aligns in dynamic balance with the “eye” of discovery, and the “heart” of compassion. Volume I highlights the “hand” in a practical arena I know well, international business negotiations. I was particularly interested in explaining how to deal with the “shadow players” in the world, those who rely primarily on deceipt and manipulation to secure narrow advantage. Volume II (The Explorers Mind) extended the integrity model to the realm of exploration and discovery by introducing the “Explorers Wheel”. This invention enables you to discover the “innovator’s gold” at the “intertidal zones” between established fields of knowledge and expertise.

Only after writing The Explorers Mind did I begin to understand more deeply the role of “heart” in the cryptic Chinese ideogram as the “governor” of the mind and hand. I came upon this discovery primarily through my training in a special form of heart-centric Chinese energy practice called qigong (pronounced chi gong). In this qigong form “heart” refers not only to the physical organ located in the center of your chest, but also to a subtle energy field that enfolds the physical heart like a cocoon. I began to see that every element of what I had previously written was enriched and refined by my new understanding. I call this integrating principle and practice, “Big Heart Intelligence” or as described in this Guide, “Laughing Heart.”

One of the exciting discoveries I am making in practicing Laughing Heart is the curious relationship of “inner” and “outer” vitality: the more I translate “inner” power into tangible actions that benefit others, the more powerful the “inner” becomes; and the more the bounty of the “external” world manifests in my life. One has the sense of an ongoing “conversation” with the universe, and the flavor of a game, “Creating Your Own Luck”. The process is substantially enhanced when the heart and mind work closely together. The Guide provides a simple way to track and to verify the process. I see a strong parallel with recent psychological studies suggesting that happiness is a primary enabling condition rather than the result of a life well spent. I call the state of flow I am describing “The Laughing Heart Advantage™.”(1)

Laughing Heart is cultivated by doing and validated by direct experience. I hope you enjoy practicing the 10 Essential Moves as much as I do, and we can explore this new frontier together. In these later years we may not be able to have “our sun stand still, yet we will make him run.”(2)

Julian Gresser – Santa Barbara, California, January 2017.

Acknowledgement

It is the custom since ancient times before embarking on a long voyage to pay tribute to the gods in the company of close friends and family. Thus I honor the immutable spirits of Kindness, Generosity, and Joy who live among us, and also their earthly counterparts who have contributed so much to the present work: Angela–who has borne all and still loved for 37 years, can you imagine?; my friend and business partner of 25+ years, Bill Moulton, who has generously brought his unique gifts to creating the experience of the Guide as well co-inventing the new field of Big Heart Intelligence; Master Li Junfeng who introduced me to the qigong of heart which has deepened my understanding of what I have been working on for 30 years. I express my appreciation to other friends: my dear cousin Anne Towbes, for her confidence and support of the project and Ron Gallo, President and CEO of the Santa Barbara Foundation for providing seed funding for the Vital Santa Barbara Initiative; and to many friends and supporters of Alliances for Discovery, especially Valerie and Zack Williams and Sheila Brennan for their ideas and encouragement; the Obregon brothers, Cecil and Ian, and their mother Regina for their contributions to the artistic dimensions of the Field Guide; our fellow board member Patricia Bader-Johnston, a pioneering woman social entrepreneur; our early team mates from Hustlers for Humanity, Sevadeep, Sat, and Carlen; and Al Smith, a venture philanthropist and friend who backed us in the early years.

Julian Gresser, January 2017

Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world.  Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but his own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him. He had no further intercourse with Spirits; and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!

Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol (1843) (Final Stave)

Take away our hearts o’ stone, and give us hearts o’ flesh! Take away this murdherin’ hate, an’ give us Thine own eternal love!

Sean O’Casey, Juno and the Paycock, 71-2

A Visitors Guide to the Guide

-transcript below-

Hello! My purpose is to provide a brief tour to facilitate your use and enjoyment of the Laughing Heart Guide.

First, please note the Guide is designed as a “living” work that grows and deepens by the week. This is a very different concept from an old fashioned book that once you put it down sits idly and lonely on its shelf.

We invite you to join us in exploring Laughing Heart in as many interesting dimensions as we can discover together. In fact, our goal is to offer a new way of navigating in the world that combines the sharpness and analytics of the mind with the vision, courage, compassion, and good judgment of the heart.

Please first note the introductory video. Our purpose here is to capture the sense of flow that is the essence of Laughing Heart.

Now please click any of the “More” buttons that appear at the bottom of each slide. Simply click the GUIDE button on the top left of the page to show the Table of Contents on the left side of the screen.

You may find the Introduction helpful as it provides an overview of the roots of Laughing Heart in western science and the world’s wisdom, healing, and martial arts traditions.

Please note the Guide is organized in 10 Essential Moves under four main headings: Experience, Explore, Apply, and Expand. We suggest you begin with Move # 1–Quieting the Heart since this is the foundation for all other moves. However, another way to play is to select any move that strikes your fancy. One of the interesting dimensions of Laughing Heart is every move is connected and embodies every other move. That means you can sharpen your understanding of all moves by simply exploring any one. They are holographic.

Once you arrive at any of the 10 Essential Moves, please scroll down to the very bottom where you will see the emoji and comment sections. We are keen to learn about your experiences and discoveries. We will protect your privacy. Your comments on the emoji are anonymous; other comments will be posted only with your prior approval and with attribution to you, if you so request.

Please also note on the upper right side of the screen the FEEDS button. This will show you breaking and popular good news articles linked to each move. The BLOG button will keep you current on new ideas and applications.

A dimension of Laughing Heart we hope you find particularly exciting is the chance to connect your increasing personal wellbeing and vitality to beneficial actions in the world. Moves 8-10 offer a magical way to Create Your Own Luck by passing on the good that comes your way to others. We encourage you to see if the Guide can help you attract sources of support to causes or issues that are closest to your own heart.

The section marked Expanding enables you to voyage through Laughing Heart into the Past and Future, and also introduces some master explorers whose lives embody some of the principles of Laughing Heart.

An exciting new frontier is to develop a Version 1.0 app based on the Guide. Imagine if you could have your own intelligent, interactive, and personalized Guide dedicated 24/7 to helping you, your organization or company discover the wisest and most exuberantly vital path to success in business, good health and wellbeing.  Please click THE FUND button (at the top right of every Guide page) to learn how to join Alliances for Discovery in bringing a Laughing Heart to brighten every field of human endeavor.