An exploration of silence and why it is golden
Silent sessions are daily quiet time appointments with your Central Self. Silent sessions can be as brief as a few minutes in length. Having several pauses like this during your day can possibly have more benefit than one longer session, though both have value. To say “I’m going to meditate for 40 minutes every day” is a quite limiting viewpoint and way too elementary.
Four Tips for a Successful Silent Session
1. HAVE PEN AND PAPER CLOSE BY: When the mind thinks of things to be done, or comes up with creative ideas, write them down. Sometimes this is a defensive measure of the intellect to keep you out of silence; other times the ideas or insights are of higher quality. Either way, clear the slate. Get the ideas down and return to your task.
2. USE THE NOWFACT: “I AM HERE.” A wonderful way to begin is to simply look around, be present, sense the room (or the outdoors) and feel yourself in it. Notice the colors, the plants, the furniture, the space. Let your attention move away from the concerns of the day and reconnect to the present.
3. BE AWARE OF YOUR BREATHING. Without trying to modify your breathing, simply notice it. If you detect tension, don’t try to let go, but simply stay with your awareness. Notice how awareness itself generates a release. The release happens naturally, effortlessly, on its own time table. A little practice with this proves the presence of an inherent internal release mechanism that let’s go for us.
4. MAKE THE TRANSITION TO LISTENING, TO QUIET RECEPTIVITY. Watch how much easier it all becomes when you listen to the open spaces of silence, in place of trying to make the intellect quiet. Silence is living, flowing, interesting. It is not a static destination. View your entire being as a sensitive listening instrument, all tuned into one place. Instead of trying to make the intellect quiet, apply your listening faculty. Hear something new instead of battling something false. This simple switch makes all the difference.
The benefits of quiet time cannot be sought haphazardly. The only way to benefit is through consistency. Yes, the intellect will often by jumpy, sometimes very much so, but with relaxed and intelligent persistence everything comes together. Never judge the value of a quiet session by how quiet the mind is. Sometimes we gain the most value when we patiently persist in spite of the intellect’s antics. (Quoted from SuperWisdom – Seven Vital Secrets for a Rich and Purpose-Filled Life — http://snipurl.com/25uki )
Self-Reliance Tip of the Month
A neighbor came to borrow Nasruddin’s donkey. “It’s out on loan,” said Nasruddin. At that moment the animal began to bray from within its stable. “But I can hear it bray,” said the neighbor. “So whom are you going to believe, the donkey or me?”
Lesson: Belief in authority endangers perception. (Anthony de Mello)
Featured Podcast of the Month
“The Fountain of Endless Learning: Idries Shah and the Wisdom of the Sufis”
You’ll receive many nuggets, including:
ONE: How the same underground river feeds the inner circle at the core of all the world’s great religions.
TWO: Thinking with the Heart and wisdom from Sufi mystic Al-Ghazzali.
Click Here to listen now: http://snipurl.com/25un5
“A quiet mind knows the answer, which means we must cease
to fight anxiously for the answer.” –Vernon Howard
- Q: How can I reflect upon these things while nagged by a noisy world?
- A: By seeing that solitude exists in the mind, not in a physical location.
(Pathways to Perfect Living)
The Interval: Thoughts rush through the mind one after another like cars of a speeding train. But by watching you can detect an interval between them. Mental clearness and a right response exist within this interval. By resting in this interval you prevent impulsive and harmful responses from crashing through. Practice this seeing and resting. It slows down thought, and the interval becomes clear, just as you see between two train cars to the land beyond. Lesson: Realize the difference between thinking with mechanical memory and seeing with your total nature. (Inspire Yourself)
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It’s true, “silence is golden.” Say to yourself, “I’m going to stay silent just to see what happens.” …Now if you don’t reply the way you usually do, what else is there? There is silence and that is the reply that is different! That is the reply coming from something higher than you. God is silent. He’s not like this world. Can you imagine Truth answering an assault or accusation in anger? Can you imagine Truth responding in kind with these negativities? Pursue this all the way to see what it means to be spiritually silent and you’ll walk through this noisy world and you won’t hear a thing offensive. (VH Talk on 5/6/81
More on Silence with Rohit Mehta
The River keeps itself pure by virtue of its movement. Thus it is movement that is the cause of purification. The silent mind is a pure mind. Such a mind is not to be mistaken for a stagnant mind. In the silent mind there is a movement – it is not a movement of the mind, but a movement in the mind. The mind that receives the currents of life without any indulgence or resistance is ever pure. In such a mind there is an uninterrupted flow of life. The mind does not seek to collect the waters of life – it allows the waters to flow on. It is this movement of life that indeed keeps the mind pure and uncorrupted. In fact, movement is the very essence of purification.
Insights from I Am That by Nisargadatta:
When you understand that names and shapes are hollow shells without any content whatsoever, and what is real is nameless and formless, pure energy of life and light of consciousness, you will be at peace–immersed in the deep silence of Reality.
The mind should be normally in abeyance — incessant activity is a morbid state. The universe works by itself –that I know. What else do I need to know?
Q: Surely everybody deserves peace.
A: Those only deserve it, who don’t disturb it.
Ruth Rand, Newsletter Editor
The topic for June, 2008:
“Practical Exercises for Inner Harmony”
If you would like to contribute favorite quotes,
insights, observations, comments, questions,
please email me at: RuthR@NPGCable.com.
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