Magic of noble silence
“It has a great significance. All our efforts are towards quietening the mind. We have already experienced how talkative the mind is. Even though we want the mind to observe the breath, it hardly observes a couple of breaths before it indulges in its old habit of thinking and talking endlessly with itself.” says Buddha.
We want mind to quieten down and become involved in the task of observing the breath, but despite all our efforts, it does not calm down. On top of this, if you talk with other family or friends, then the mind will get more food for thought. It will think about this conversation while meditating, thus weakening your meditation.
We have a habit of wasting our energy by talking uselessly and unceasingly. Our conversation be purposeful. But for now, our task is to meditate, which we do while observing complete silence.
How do I maintain noble silence? Decide that today for one hour you shall not communicate with anyone. No communication verbally, no communication in writing, no communication with body gestures, including eyes, hands, etc.
You are on a normal day, with people around. But no communication. It is good idea to inform in general, so people do not misunderstand you. You just observe them. Note and move on. Observing objectively.
Let me share a story with you!
Magic of Silence
Girdhar was an old man aged 75 years. He lived very happily and formed a beautiful family. His children grew up and moved to different cities in pursue of good career and future. He lived in a small village carrying the memories of his deceased wife. Girdhar had 4 grandchildren and they used to visit him during their holidays.
It was the vacation time and Girdhar was eagerly waiting for the arrival of his grandchildren. He was preparing his home for the kids, cleaning the home, mowing the garden, rearranging the household items, buying the favourite foods, dresses for the children, etc.
In the busy arrangements, he lost his favourite watch, old-watch gifted by his wife on their first night after marriage. Girdhar had many watches there, gifted by his kids but this one he treasured the most and it became his sole companion after his wife’s death.
He forgot the watch missing and was happy receiving the kids at home. It was only the next day when he was about to take bath, he remembered that the watch was missing. He saw the watch last when he was arranging things in the storeroom. He was shocked and very upset. His grandchildren asked him why he was so dull and what troubled him.
Girdhar said, ‘Dear children, I lost the most precious watch. It was gifted by your grandma, and I lost it while cleaning the home! I feel like I’m missing my heart.’
Girdhar was in tears and the children promised him that they would search the watch for him. One granddaughter asked ‘dadaji, do you remember when you saw the watch last before it was missing?’
Girdhar told, ‘I guess when I was cleaning the storeroom because the doorbell rang, and I checked the time to guess who it could be!’ The children decided to search for the watch in the storeroom, which was full of waste materials, books, scraps, broken furniture, etc. The children searched for more than 2 hours with help of Girdhar, and their house help but could not find it. Girdhar was completely shattered and asked the children to stop searching as they could not find anything. The kids were also too sad and consoled the grandfather.
One grandson again moved to the store room, when Girdhar asked why he was going there again, the little boy requested others not to follow him and remain silent. While the others were little surprised, they still followed what he said.
The little boy went to the storeroom and sat there in silence. The other children reached him and asked him what he was doing, and the little boy asked them not to make noise. All sat for 5 mins and left He sat there for about 15 minutes and then rushed out of the room to his grandfather screaming, “I found it” & happily gave it to Dadaji. All were surprised and asked how he was able to find it.
The little boy replied, ‘I sat there without making a noise and the store room was so silent. After a few minutes, I heard the ‘tick-tick’ sound and found the watch. Girdhar hugged him and thanked the little boy.
Reflections by Dr Anjana Vinod
Reflect in life and recall when was the last time you sat patiently to get answers to some deep questions you had? Remember silence isn’t empty its full of answers we just need to listen consciously & carefully. When the dust settles and we look back, we will find many answers. The irony of life is we forget yesterday was wood, tomorrow ashes, only today does the fire burn brightly.
Life is so full of hustle and bustle, let’s take a few moments of quiet time for ourselves each day, counting our blessings and thinking about what we are grateful for, this will go a long way in calming your mind and spirit. Stress is caused by being ‘here’ but wanting to be ‘there & for fast relief, let’s try slowing down. Let’s go ahead in life and set peace of mind as your highest goal, and organize your life around it by staying calm because calmness is the cradle of power. Today let’s start our day with a smile, calmness of mind, coolness of emotions, and a heart filled with gratitude.
Grateful to Dr Anjana for the wisdom.