Cultivation of the Heart...

Man mistakes when he begins to cultivate the heart by wanting to sow
the seed himself, instead of leaving the sowing to God.

Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

The Sufis have learned the lesson of love, of devotion, of sympathy,
and have called it the cultivation of the heart. It is known by the
word suluk, which means the loving manner. What we call refined
manner is only a manner behind which there is no life. When manner is
directed by the heart quality then it becomes loving manner, the
manner that comes from love, and all such attributes as kindness,
gentleness, tolerance, forgiveness, mercy and compassion -- they all
spring from this loving manner. ... One may ask: How to cultivate the
heart quality? There is only one way: to become selfless at each step
one takes forward on this path, for what prevents one from
cultivating the loving quality is the thought of self.

The question may be asked: Is any effort required for realizing the
truth? The answer is yes. There is a work that one can do, which is
as the work of a farmer, it is to cultivate the heart. But where man
makes a mistake is that when he cultivates the heart he wishes to sow
the seed himself instead of leaving the sowing of the seed to God. As
to the way how to cultivate the heart, the first condition is
explained in a story. A young man went to a great seer in Persia and
asked him for guidance on the spiritual path. The seer asked
him, 'Have you loved in your life?' 'No' he said, 'not yet.' The seer
answered, 'Go and love, and know what love is. Then come to me.'