The following is a striking passage in which Sri Chinmoy describes meditating on either a rising sun, or a blossoming flower inside our heart – initially, as a way to bring our heart to the fore, and ultimately, to become the heart itself:
“No matter what time of day you are meditating, even if it is in the evening, imagine the rising sun for a few fleeting seconds. Imagine that the sun is rising and radiating light inside your heart. Or you can imagine a most beautiful and most pure flower opening up and blossoming petal by petal inside your heart.
“As soon as you see either the rising sun or the flower, you will feel the light or the purity of your heart. Then, as you breathe in and breathe out, you will feel the light or purity inside your heart increase. And the more light or purity you feel inside your heart, the brighter will be the rising sun or the flower.
“Afterwards, try to feel that you have become the rising sun. Or try to feel that the purity-flower inside your heart has fully blossomed and that you have become this most beautiful flower. The beauty, the purity, the fragrance of the flower is all you.
“As the flower is God’s outer manifestation of beauty and purity, the sun is the inner manifestation of the beauty and power of God.
“From the rising sun or the most beautiful flower that you have become, light will radiate and purity will spread. When the light and purity spread, they enter into those around you. In this way you can meditate more in the heart. Do not feel that you have to go to the heart. Only feel that you are the heart.”
– Sri Chinmoy