Armor Up Part III, The Breastplate of Righteousness

Other posts in this series can be read here, here, and here.  

So far I've written about thinking of the armor of God as energy, the belt or girdle as connection to the lower dan tian, and the fact that armor is just one letter away from amor or love.

The breastplate of righteousness was supposed to be the easy part of the armor to write about, but the more I read and think, the deeper it gets.  This post might be really long as I explore every avenue, or it might be super short if I just decide to jump to the end.  Let's just see what happens.

Breastplate

The breastplate is designed to protect the torso, specifically the vital organs.  With the possible exception of the helmet, there is no more important piece of armor.  The heart and lungs are so necessary to our health and well-being that the body has it's own armor or cage (the ribs) to add protection for these organs.  Bullet proof vests and flak jackets are our contemporary versions of breastplates.  (Quick side note:  I didn't realize that flak jackets and bullet proof vests were not the same thing even though we now sometimes use them interchangeably.  Flak jackets were originally designed to protect from flying debris (shrapnel, casings, etc.) and bullet proof vests, which were developed later,  protected against projectiles.)

Breastplates can also have religious significance (in Exodus, we learn of the breastplate worn by the high priest) or indicate status.  

The Heart

In the West, we have come to associate hearts with love, compassion, and emotion.  But the energetic properties of the heart go even further.  In Chinese medicine, the heart is responsible for thinking and consciousness.  It is the place where Qi (energy) is transformed into Shen (spirit).  It is also the home of empathy.

This is one of those times when I think that imagining the armor of God as the Wei Qi field is more helpful than imagining it as a solid piece of metal.  How we think and feel should certainly be protected, but love, compassion, empathy and spirit can only grow through interaction with the world outside of ourselves.  Perhaps the breastplate of the high priests, with stones representing each tribe, the most important things for the high priest to consider, is more appropriate here than the armor of a soldier.

The Lungs

The heart pumps the oxygenated blood to all the cells of the body, but it is through the lungs that this most important element enters.  Through the lungs, we also expel waste products and what is no longer needed.  A failure in either of these physical roles can be fatal.  Again, there must be give and take, interaction with the world outside the body, interaction that could take place through a field of energy, but might not take place if our armor completely seals us off from the world.

The Middle Dan Tian

I love this description of the middle dan tian:

The Middle Dantian / House of the Human Realm Located in the solar plexus/center of the chest area, its field of energy also naturally extends into both palms. It is considered by the ancient Taoist, Tibetan Buddhist and other spiritual traditions to be the seat of one's soul and the root of the ego's sense of self and individuality. It's a place where raw earthly powers from below mix together with the detached sublime heavenly forces from above, creating a distinct kind of emotional energy usually only associated with human beings — it is the heart's energetic capacity to express feelings and show compassion.
"The Taoist Approach of the Three Dantians" By Te-Hsin Lo & Joseph Zeisky

When we put on the armor of God as energy, we are protecting and nourishing our souls and spiritual life.

Righteousness

This is definitely a loaded word, and I won't try to cover all of that today.  I'm just going to cover what I think it is and isn't in this particular situation.

What it's not

Righteousness is not outward actions or appearances.  

Righteousness is not a checklist.  

Righteousness (or the lack thereof) is not something that someone else can declare about you.  

What it is

Integrity.

Ethical and moral conduct.

Living open to God's direction through personal revelation.  

This quote (and introductory commentary) shared on Facebook by Illuminate Experience actually looks a lot like righteousness to me.  

What is important is that meditation be deep enough to see dharma's cosmic order and align one's conduct with it.
Do not accept it merely from tradition or even from the word of your teacher. Go and see for yourself through the practice of meditation.
To be established in dharma means not only seeing it face to face in enlightenment, but repeating the experience over and over until unity is more real than the passing show we know through the senses. Only then will one's actions never fall back into the tyranny of lower laws. 

"They are not following dharma who resort to violence to achieve their purpose. But those who lead others through non-violent means, knowing right and wrong, may be called guardians of the dharma.
One is not wise because he talks a good deal. They are wise who are patient, and free from hate and fear.
Dharma is not upheld by talking about it. Dharma is upheld by living in harmony with it, even if one is not learned.
Gray hair does not make an elder; one can grow old and still be immature. A true elder is truthful, virtuous, gentle, self-controlled, and pure in mind.
Neither pleasant words nor a pretty face can make beautiful a person who is jealous, selfish, or deceitful. Only those who have uprooted such impurities from the mind are fit to be called beautiful.
Shaving one's head cannot make a monk of one who is undisciplined, untruthful, and driven by selfish desires. He is a real monk who has extinguished all selfish desires, large and small.
Begging alms does not make a bhikshu; one must follow the dharma completely. He is a true bhikshu who is chaste and beyond the reach of good and evil, who passes through the world with detachment.
Observing silence cannot make a sage of one who is ignorant and immature. He is wise who, holding the scales, chooses the good and avoids the bad.
One is not noble who injures living creatures. They are noble who hurt no one.
Not by rituals and resolutions, nor by much learning, nor by celibacy, nor even by meditation can you find the supreme, immortal joy of nirvana until you have extinguished your self-will (ego)."
— Dhammapada, verse 256-272

How do I put on the breastplate of righteousness?

The breastplate of righteousness covers that area (heart, lungs, middle dan tian) where I am most vulnerable and where I must also be the most open.  There are qigong exercises to strengthen and balance these areas, and certainly that would be part of my armor.  On an energetic level, I can learn to both feel compassion and protect myself from the negative energies around me.  

I can also put on the breastplate of righteousness by examining my motivations.  Do I choose an action because someone said I should, or because I know it to be the right course?  Do I allow my true self to be present in every interaction, or do my thoughts, feelings, expressions, and actions reflect the people I am with at the time?  Do I obeys laws and commandments in fear and anxiety or are my actions rooted in compassion and empathy?

Next up:  Shoes