Within early Daoist literature, the heart is understood to be central to the practice of meditation and inner cultivation. It is also seen as the seat of consciousness.

During this talk, we will look at the centrality of the heart (xin 心) across a range of ancient Chinese philosophical writings. Texts we will explore include the Dao de Jing; chapters of the Guanzi, which speak of ‘the art of the heart’, ‘purifying the heart’ and ‘inner cultivation’; the Zhuangzi, with its descriptions of ‘fasting the heart’ and ‘sitting and forgetting’; and the Huangdi Neijing, an early medical text which describes the evolution of consciousness and places the heart at the centre of the human experience. All these texts stress the importance of silence and stillness, clarity and stability.

When the sage is still, it is not that he is still because he says ‘It is good to be still’; he is still because none among the ten-thousand things is sufficient to disturb his heart. (Zhuangzi, Chapter 13)

Dr Sandra Hill studied Fine Art at the University of the Arts Central St Martins, and completed postgraduate studies at Chelsea College of Art. She later travelled to South and East Asia to pursue her interest in both Eastern art and philosophy and lived for several years in Japan. Sandra currently teaches the Daoism module on the Temenos Academy Foundation Course in the Perennial Philosophy. She gained her PhD at the King’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts with a thesis entitled ‘Approaching the Formless’, which explored the concept of the Absolute in both Hindu and Daoist philosophy, and its depiction within sacred art traditions.

Venue & Admission

The London Jesuit Centre, 114 Mount Street, London, W1K 3AH

£10 General Admission

FREE for Temenos Academy Members/Full-time students with ID card