THE AMAZING POWER OF SILENCE

[Guest guest]

THE AMAZING POWER OF SILENCE

There is a power in silence that has been stressed again and again. As we sit in

innocent silent reflection trying to free ourselves from the worldly attachments

our mind wanders, flies off at a tangent, responding to some inner or outer

impulse of our physical, animal aspect. We should not concern ourselves with

these thoughts, or blame our mind for waywardness, but let go, consuming those

thoughts with the mention of God. "Observe silence and refrain from idle talk";

Baha’u’llah reminds us. Likewise, the Kena Upanishad says, "An intelligent man

should restrain his speech and his mind", "When we are aware that thoughts have

distracted us, we return again. At first we may notice certain restlessness, but

after some minutes the mind will settle down to a quieter level, and then become

deeper and more silent, "merged into nothingness."

Rapt in silence we achieve transcendence, the level of purity where no other

thing dwells but the Holy Spirit. It is a purification of the whole human

system, when both body and mind are cleansed and repose in undisturbed

tranquility. Buha‘u’llah describes this as "the plane of the self which is well

pleasing unto God" and quotes a mystic: "Oh, thou soul which art at rest, return

to thy Lord, well-pleased, and pleasing Him.... enter thou my paradise." The

power of silence to link up to the divine, is a power of integration that can

help us in our collective life. We human beings are richly endowed with a

capacity to "connect with the other". Baha’u’llah tells us to be even as one

soul from inmost being. If we heed this counsel we could be aware that only in

deep silence are we thus attuned. While we speak, our differences are clearly

manifest, but when we are joined together in stillness our minds will be knit

to that most great ocean and there empowered for accomplishing greater

things.

For those who doubt, let us cast aside our initial embarrassment, allow our

deeper minds to awake, break the sound barrier of our inhibitions about

silence; "when all the powers of the soul work together and are concentrated

upon the God the soul has its highest employment." Like a Vitamin needed for

perfect health, very small amounts are required but they are absolutely

essential to promote balance. Scientific research has shown that the patterns

reflecting brain activity are synchronized during silent meditation and brought

to a state of equilibrium. When we are silent together we remove the barriers,

resolve our differences and create an environment in which our energies can be

most creatively harnessed. Try it. ‘An abundant, amazing resource is here,

"closer than our life vein."

(A.K. Merchant in Hindustan Times, 25th September 2003)

 

Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now