The Sound of Silence

“Everybody should have his personal sounds to listen for - sounds that will make him exhilarated and alive or quiet and calm. One of the greatest sounds of them all - and to me it is a sound - is utter, complete silence”. Andre Kostelanetz

If ever there was an oxymoron (contradiction in terms) it is found in the phrase ‘sound of silence’. And yet, if you ask anyone who has been practicing meditation for some time they will tell you that it’s as if, in silence, there is a kind of sound. The silence that they refer to is of course the silence ‘within’ the self, and the sound is more like an awareness, a feeling, of the sweetness and power of ones own being. By many accounts the ‘sound of silence’ can have the effect of altering ones perceptions and perspectives so profoundly that life and living are never quite the same again. When the self resides in the silence of just being, where all ‘doing’, including thinking, has temporarily ceased, there is a profound sense of the unlimitedness of the self and it’s from there that everything else appears as it really is; small, limited and almost insignificant.

”Silence is the secret to sanity” Astrid Alauda

Central to almost every ‘spiritual/wisdom path’ is the understanding that we are spirit not form and that the heart of our being is silent and still. If it wasn’t then our consciousness would be in almost constant chaos. It is the still and silent core of our being that provides our strength, stability and the ultimate sense of security, much like the invisible foundations of a building ensures the building stands solidly and stably on the ground. Just as we return at the end of every day to rest and refresh our energies, the central stillness and silence of our being is our spiritual home where we can and do rest, refresh and reinvigorate our spiritual energy. However while rejuvenation and refreshment of our body may require hours of rest and relaxation, the re-empowerment of our being, which is beyond time, can take as little as a few seconds or a few minutes. If we don’t do it consciously, if we don’t empty our awareness of all that would capture and drain our energy, then we will do it unconsciously in our sleep.

Most of the time the vast majority of us are not aware of this inner state or condition of stillness/silence as we are all now well practiced in seeking, creating and living in a constantly distracted state. We habitually fill our awareness with the noise of thoughts, emotions, experiences and desires. This ‘noisiness’ appears to be coming from ‘out there’ in the world around us but it’s not! It comes from what we do inside with the world that we allow and bring into our awareness. This, combined with the noise of our senses, our sensual input, completely drowns our awareness of our still and silent self, thereby diminishing if not destroying our capacity to feel truly stable and secure. This is why we often crave inner peace but because of the myth of ‘outside in’ we learn to seek it in the place where it can never be found.

The practice of ‘being in silence’, of consciously emptying our awareness of all forms of noise, is essentially the practice of meditation. Meditation is the ‘way into’ silence. Being silent is the foundation of mastering our mind, healing our heart and accessing our conscience

A Silent Mind

Self-talk is the term that is often used to describe what can be the incessant mental noise of all the inner conversations that we have in our heads with ourselves and with others. The root cause is our forgetfulness of who we really are. We have learned to create many identities based on what we do, where we live, who we are with, where we work etc. The energizing of these multiple identities is what generates many ‘thought forms’. Sometimes it seems like we have a crowd in our head all complaining, judging or projecting one minute, then accusing, worrying, hoping or regretting the next! A silent self is someone who has realised these conversations are not only a waste of time and energy but are also based on an illusory sense of self. They have nothing to do with the authentic self which is simply the ‘I’ that says ‘I am’.

It’s not difficult to calm your mind and move into a quieter state. Sit in a quiet place and practice observing your thoughts. Allow your thoughts to come and go, and as they do notice that ‘you’ are the observer, the one who doesn’t go anywhere! Practice NOT ‘hooking on to’ thoughts and allowing them to expand and carry you away. If you do get on a ‘train of thought’ as soon as you ‘notice’ that you have, come back to your observer position/awareness. Then watch for the space between your thoughts. It’s small at first but gradually it will expand. In that space is the silent power of your being

A Silent Heart

When the self knows itself as ‘I am’ (which is ‘no thing’) it also comes to know ‘what’ I am. You cease to crave and search outside for love in the form of the attention, acceptance and approval of others as you realise love IS what ‘I am’. Love IS the heart that ‘I am’. With this awareness the heart returns to its natural state which is radiant and giving of itself. As it does it naturally becomes quiet. The noise of desire and attachment subsides, all emotional upheaval dissolves and the heart, the self, then naturally and silently shares itself with whoever is present regardless of whatever is happening.

It’s not difficult to restore the power of a silent heart, which is essentially the self. Sit quietly and watch your feelings. Let your feelings rise and fall, as they do. Then consciously invoke your peace. Consciously choose to be at peace, to feel peaceful. Allow any other distracting thoughts and feelings to pass, as they do. Return to choosing to ‘feel’ peaceful. Practice with immense patience! Notice that when your heart, when you, are at peace, there is a subtle pulse. This is the intention and inclination to give, to share, to connect. This is the pulse of your spiritual heart, of you. This is the pulse of love.