The Middle Way - Walking the Razor's Edge   http://www.blissful-wisdom.com/the-middle-way---walking-the-razors-edge.html

There was a time when using the one wing of the dove was a failed attempt to fly.   The idea was that "If I meditate and pray, then enlightenment will eventually dawn".   Well, that dove kept wondering why it never left the ground.   The dove finally awakened to the usefulness of its other wing.  Both wings were necessary to fly.   That other wing is the wing of dharma, the wing of 'righteousness'.  In other words, "Live a life of integrity; Be in the world but not lost to the world of the senses; Be simple, honest, patient and compassionate in life".   Yes, meditation and stillness are one wing of the dove, but living a life of service and compassion is the other wing.   Otherwise, the honey-like bliss of meditation is eaten up by the tendencies of greed, lack of integrity, impatience, arrogance, and getting lost in the addiction to sense pleasures.

So, the Middle Way is like walking on a razor's edge, being highly alert to the arising tendencies which might lead the life off the path of dharma (living in a good way) into identification with the field of the sense experience where compassion is lost and the Heart is closed.

Stop identifying with the body and the mind.  "Stop reinforcing the belief that 'I am the body'.  Stop telling stories about this body as being who you are.  You are not the body; you are not the sense experiences (the mind); you are the Silent witness-awareness".
 The mind is like a shadow which follows and haunts the life with unending experiences of sorrow and joy.  However, when walking as 'awareness', the light of awareness reveals the mind (the field of the sense experiences) to be nothing more than an illusory mirage."

 In a nutshell, the message is to reside in the heart of Awareness amidst the ever-changing comings and goings of worldly life.  'Staying in the Middle' means the inner calm and transcendental stillness of the Heart connects with life but does not attach to the life experiences.  Walking in the Heart, as awakened awareness, allows the old tendency (seeking satisfaction through other people or worldly pursuits) to fall away.   The body/mind mechanism still engages in the duties of a married life, or the duties of a monastic life, but the  old tendency to look for fulfillment in the world gradually falls away.  The fulfillment is found in living a conscious life...by being present and aware throughout daily living with the understanding that nothing in the world of sense experience can ever bring lasting happiness.

It is told that the method to walk the razor's edge of dharma, is to express charity, service, humility, and patience in daily activity.  Using the faculty of discrimination means being aware of the consequences of words spoken and actions taken.  For example, in the West, having "an affair" may seem desirous, but the consequences of fulfilling such desires may bring about the breakup of one's family.  A marriage break-up emotionally impacts one's children. In the same stroke, the "affair" may also upset the new, sexual-partner's family. 

The faculty of discrimination keeps the life on track, on the path of dharma, and avoids activities which bring sorrow to others.  Actions which are not life-supporting are called adharma (the opposite of dharma). Such adharmic actions result in closing the Heart....result in suffering.

Kindheartedness, gratitude, and humility keep the Heart open and full.  By sharing wealth and abundance with those in need (acts of charity), the flow of abundance stays lively.  "Love thy neighbor", means consciously performing acts of service and charity.  

Walking the path of dharma is a life looking to console rather than to be consoled.  Walking 'the Middle Way' means being a light of love, rather than seeking love from others.  The intention is to shift from seeking satisfaction in the field of sense experience, to performing one's duties in life as  compassionate Consciousness.

All this the Grace of the Divine