The Power of Silence
Audio Script
So today we will be discussing and talking and going deeper into silence. And I remember an old Zen saying, it says,
All description of silence, or talk about silence, is just noise.
And so I thought maybe, because we are all such a good meditative group, maybe we can just be in silence for an hour today, and I might not just talk.
What do you say?
No?
No, we need to hear you. One hour of silence, that’s like too much.
Meeting Moni Baba
When I was seeking on the foothills of Himalayas, someone told me, you need to meet this great awakened master. And his name was Moni Baba.
So Moni in Hindi means someone who is silent. And this person had been silent for around 45 years. So here I’m just talking about one hour, 60 minutes. He was silent for 45 years.
And so I was very intrigued, and I was seeking awakened teachers. So I went to meet him. He was staying quite far away from the town, almost on the edge of the forest. Very simple place.
I went inside the room. I still remember, I went in the room. Simple room. He was sitting on a court. He was quite old, 75, approximately. And I still remember the moment I entered that room. I could perceive that silence flowing out of the walls, flowing out of the body which was in front of me.
So I saw him. I bowed down to him. And he looked at me. He smiled. Our eyes met. And then I just sat down. And since he’s been in silence for so many years, there was no opportunity to have a conversation. But the stillness, the silence didn’t need any words for expression.
I think I sat there for an hour and a half, completely absorbed in that silence. Then he was just sitting in the court, and he laid down. Then he sat back again. After an hour and a half, I had one question, so I wanted to ask him.
I asked him, “How do I get awakened? How do I find liberation? How do I find this enlightenment?”
He had a slate, a small slate and a chalk, because he doesn’t speak. So he took the chalk and the slate and wrote down a few words. The gist of those words was: you need to find the source of this “I”. You need to be with this consciousness which is the source of this “I”.
When I went back home after that encounter, for the next eight to ten days, I was completely engulfed in that stillness without any effort. It was completely effortless. It was as if some magical thing had touched me. During those times, I was just sitting down for a couple of hours, completely absorbed in myself.
I went to him quite a few times, because whenever I went to him, I could feel that silence. We used to just sit in silence. There was some conversation, but even that silence gave me so much that maybe words couldn’t.
What is Silence?
What is the silence we are talking about today? If we look in words, the mind is constantly on the run, seeking, searching, wanting. It’s scared of losing its loved ones. It needs security. It needs money, job, house, mortgage, partners, children. And it’s forever looking forward to new excitements, sensory fulfilment, desires.
Amongst all this clutter, all this noise, all this seeking and wanting, there is no scope for this silence to come into being. There is no scope for this stillness to emerge. And this silence, this stillness, is very essential for spiritual growth, not only for spiritual growth.
When you reach the final awakening, you will see there is just this stillness and silence. All the words, all this noise happens on the background of the stillness and silence. Silence and stillness is always there, ever-present. Even if there is loud music going on, or all kinds of noise and clutter, that stillness is the background on which this happens.
Quotes on Silence
I’ll read you some quotes by Raman Maharishi and J. Krishnamurti on silence. After each quote, I’ll be silent for a few moments for you to observe the quote and just feel that stillness and silence.
- Krishnamurti:
It is only that quality of stillness, that absolute silence of the mind, that can see that which is eternal, timeless, nameless.
Ramana Maharishi:
There is a state when words cease and silence prevails. That state transcends speech and thought.
That which is, is silence. How can silence be explained in words?
Silence does not mean negation of activity or inertness. It is not a mere negation of thoughts, but something much deeper and incredible than you can imagine.
For those who know Raman Maharishi, he was an awakened teacher and he spent many years in silence. When disciples used to come and sit in front of him, most of the time there was silence. Very few conversations would happen.
Ever since I heard about Raman Maharishi, I wanted to go and be where he was. His ashram was in South India. There is a cave there on the mountain called Virupaksha Cave. He used to live there for many years and meditate.
During my spiritual practice, I used to go to that cave a lot. Whenever I was in Raman Ashram, I would go to the cave and generally sit there for four to five hours. It was completely silent. No one used to come. There was no disturbance at all. I used to go by eleven o’clock, sit completely lost in that silence and stillness. Around three or four o’clock, I would suddenly feel hunger because I hadn’t had lunch. My stomach would growl, and I would feel thirsty. I would get up to feed my body. Without hunger or thirst, maybe I would have sat longer.
That place is incredible. Similar to Moni Baba, that place also has that presence, that silence, that stillness. Once I awakened to reality, I understood that this stillness is ever-present. It is not just Raman Ashram where I can contact it, or in the presence of sages, or when I go to the forest, or to the mountains, or to a quiet place. That stillness and silence is accessible here and now. But to access it, you need to pay attention to this consciousness within.
