A practice of rigorous self-inquiry into one's own attachments, prejudices, and unhealed wounds that block agape, drawn from Mirabai's unflinching self-honesty.
Mirabai's poetry reveals a saint who never flinched from examining her own contradictions: desire and renunciation, longing and liberation, defiance and surrender. Her examined heart was not self-punishing but clarifying—she saw her own attachments to status, family duty, and social belonging, and chose love anyway. This capacity for honest self-inquiry is foundational to agape across traditions. Before we can love unconditionally across difference, we must examine the fears, prejudices, and tribal loyalties embedded in our own hearts. The examined heart asks: What traditions do I cling to for identity rather than truth? Where do I fear the other? What attachments disguise themselves as virtue? This practice is not navel-gazing but liberation work. By courageously seeing our own shadows, we become capable of meeting those different from us with humility, compassion, and genuine openness rather than defensive righteousness.
Peri can explain this concept, give practical examples, help you decide whether it applies to your situation, or recommend a journey if appropriate.
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