In Search Of Self Through Silence

How can you convey something so intimate, something so personal as divine enlightenment ?

 

Silence is the way of keeping the mind calm & pure.There is an old Sanskrit proverb that says, “Distortion is the root of speech.” The moment you start speaking, you have distorted. Words cannot capture existence but silence can. Space and silence are synonymous. Joy, fulfillment brings the silence. Desire brings noise. Silence is the cure, because in silence you come back to the source and that creates joy. That’s why when someone is sad, they become silent, and when they get rid of their sadness they come out. They’re supposed to come out with joy or some calmness at least.  

This is the way everything is in reality - all forms, all matter, all energy, all thought arises, grows and then seems to disappear. The reality of life and truth about life - one can have a glimpse into it only during the moments of silence and these are the moments when one can hear the music of breeze, waves of the sea, fall of rain on leaves, chirping of birds - and so much more left to your imagination - with your mind in silence.

“Silence” in spirituality is often a metaphor for inner stillness. A silent mind, freed from the onslaught of thoughts and thought patterns, is both a goal and an important step in spiritual development. Such “inner silence” is not about the absence of sound, instead, it is understood to bring one in contact with the divine, the ultimate reality, or one’s own true self, one’s divine nature.  Many religious traditions imply the importance of being quiet and still in mind and spirit for transformative  and integral spiritual growth to occur during the moments of DEEP SILENCE with in.

We must learn to be silent or calmer in our lives. We must learn to remain still and unaffected by all that happens around us. We must be like the ocean. The waves come and go, but the ocean stays. Even a large rock thrown from a great distance with great force will only cause temporary ripples in a small area. Most of the ocean will remain unaffected. Yet, we are always jumping into the ocean, right into the waves, letting them carry us. This is our choice. We must learn instead to be like the ocean itself, unaffected by these small, transient things.

So many times we act as though we are the waves of the ocean. Up one minute, down the next, changed by every gust of wind and every passing boat. In our lives there are waves of lust, anger, anxiety, jealousy and greed that are just as vast, just as strong, and just as restless as the waves of the sea. Yet, we are not these waves.We are not waves, pulled this way and that by every passing breeze, by the daily changes in the moon. Yet we act like that.

Most of the time we act as though we are like light bulbs and anyone who wants to can simply switch us on or off. The slightest comment or look or action of another can change our mood. It is so frequent that we are in a wonderful mood but then someone at the work place or market place or at home is rude to us or someone on the freeway passes in front of our car or a friend is distant and our mood immediately switches. Any of these things can immediately switch our mood as though we were like light bulbs.

So many times I hear people say, “Oh, I was in such a good mood, but then so n so called and told me what so n so said about me,” or, “Oh, that phone call just ruined my day.” The same works the other way. We are sad or depressed and we get a nice phone call or letter in the mail. Then we feel better.  

How is that ? How can one phone call or one rude comment from a person have so much control over us ? Are we so volatile in our emotions that others have more power over our moods than we ourselves do ?

Aren’t we more than this ? Aren’t we bigger, more divine, and deeper than this ? Isn’t there more to this human existence than the law of action and reaction? We must learn to keep that light switch in our own hands and to give it only to Divinity. Otherwise, we are switched on and off, on and off, all day long and the only effect is that the light bulb will burn out or get fused ! Let us take whatever comes as divine blessing as a gift from Almighty . Let us remain calm and steady in the face of both prosperity and misfortune. We must not lose our vital energy in this constant action and reaction to everyone around us.

But how to remain unaffected by the waves of life? This is called spiritual practice ! I always say that one of the best ways to learn “no reaction” is through silence. When we are anxious, angry, tense or frustrated, we tend to say things which we later regret; we tend to let our words fuel the reaction in our hearts. So, let us learn the power of silence. Silence on the outside will lead to silence on the inside. This is why so many saints and other spiritual people have periods of silence. It is a time of remembering that we are more than our reactions, a time of tuning in to the Divine Insurance Company, a time of charging our inner batteries through silence.

During the moments of pure silence with in we know where to go from here - to remained chained or to move towards freedom of soul - the answers one has to find from with in during the moments of silent introspection deep with in the mind and heart where one can listen and acknowledge the whispers of soul and supreme .

So, let us learn to meet life’s waves with silence – that will make “no reaction” much easier to achieve as silence means knowing self and purpose of life.

IN SILENCE - ALLOW THE DIVINE TO SPEAK IN YOUR HEART & MIND !!!

May Divine light be your Guide ! 

You are amazing ! You are Blessed !