Benefits of Silence

Q: Could tell us about the benefits of silence and how we could bring that home with us from this retreat?

A:Many of us have realized in the last few days that silence can be enjoyable. We realize that there are many things that we do not have to say, and that then we can reserve the time and energy to do other things that can help us to look more deeply into ourselves and things around us.

If you are pushed by your habit energy to say something, don't say it. Instead, take a notebook and write it down. A day or two later, read what you wrote, and you might find out that it would have been an awful thing to say. So slowly you become master of yourself, and you know what to say and what not to say.

I remember one time I proposed to a sister that she practice silence. She was an elder nun and she had a few negative seeds in her that prevented her from being happy. She was just a little bit too hard on the other sisters. I proposed to her that she was a very talented person, very skillful in many things, and she could make many people happy if only she knew how to be silent and to say only things that needed to be said.

I proposed to her that she use only three sentences for three months. She could repeat these three sentences as many times as she wanted(laughter) and I told her that if she practiced that for a week, she would feel happiness right away. The first sentence was, "Dear sister,is there anything I can do to help you?" (laughter) The second sentence was, "Did you like what I did to help you?" The third was, "Would you have any suggestion that I can do it better?" (laughter) If she could say that, she would make many people happy and the happiness would go back to herself very quickly.

In the family we can practice silence. We can ask the other members of the family to agree that we will practice silence for three days or for a week. It is very beneficial. There will be a transformation after the period of practicing silence.

Thich Naht Hanh

Dakshinamurthy

SILENCE IS THE TRUE SPIRITUAL INSTRUCTION

Once a devotee came to visit Bagawan Sai Baba and said that the great Sages of the past had travelled extensively preaching the Truth and thus had served the world at large. Similarly, if Bhagavan were to travel thus it would be beneficial to many. Smilingly, Bhagawan replied, that His being settled in one place is also beneficial and narrated the following story.

“Brahma, the Lord of Creation, once lost interest in the work of creation and thought of taking to a life of tapas (penance). So, out of his mind he created Sanaka, Sanatkumaru, Sanandana and Sanatsujata, with the intention to hand over to them his job in the course of time. They grew up and mastered all of the branches of study. Brahma then decided to hand over to them his job and to retire. Sage Narada came to know of his father’s intention. Since Narada knew that his brothers were full of dispassion and fit to be initiated into the path of Self-knowledge, he decided to warn them beforehand of Brahma’s intention. On hearing this, the four brothers, who had no intention to follow the path of action, left home in search of a Guru without informing their father. They all proceeded to Vaikunta, the abode of Vishnu. There they saw Lakshmi sitting on Vishnu’s couch massaging His feet. On seeing this, they thought, “How can this family man bound by the intimate glance of his consort render us any help in learning adhyatma-vidya (Knowledge of the Self). Look at the splendour of this palace and this city! This is enough. Let us seek the help of Lord Siva”.

Lord Siva, who was in Kailas with His family, knew beforehand about their coming and understood their plight. He was sure that they would be disappointed on seeing him with a family, so taking pity on them, He decided to impart spiritual knowledge to them. The kind-hearted Lord, left Mount Kailas and taking the youthful form of Dakshinamurti, seated Himself with Chinmudra (lotus position), under a Banyan tree on the Northern side of Lake Manasarovar, just on the way by which these disappointed devotees were returning to their respective homes.
When they came and sat before Him, He went into samadhi (Absorption in the self). He was in Perfect Repose. Silence prevailed. They saw Him. The effect was immediate. They fell into samadhi and their doubts were cleared.

Silence is the true upadesa. It is the perfect upadesa. It is suited only for the most advanced. Others are unable to draw full inspiration from it. Therefore they require words to explain the Truth. But Truth is beyond words. It does not admit or explain. It merely indicates the truth through self-discovery.”


-story told to devotees by Shri Sathya Sai Baba

Silence

I insist on silence. Talk less, talk low when you must talk. Do not thrust your sorrows, your needs, your problems into the ears of those who have come here with their own bundle of such things. They are not interested in adding to their troubles. I am here to listen to you, to console you. Do not by loudness of voice disturb those who are meditating or reading or writing the Name of God.

Spend a few mins every morning and evening in the silence of your own shrine or home; spend them with the highest of all the powers that you know of. Be in His elevating and inspiring company; worship Him mentally; offer unto Him all the work you do; u will come out of the silence nobler and more heroic than when you went in.


The old man had seen people carrying transistor radios, people miss a very valuable thing if they do not listen in, even while they are moving about or resting in the parks or beach! They are afraid of being alone; they avoid silence as something detestable! But, you can discover your own truth, only when you are alone with yourself and there is silence all around you.


Be silent yourself, that will induce silence in others. Do not fall into the habit of shouting, talking long and loud. Reduce contacts to the minimum. Carry with you an atmosphere of quiet contemplation, wherever you happen to be.


The less you talk, the more will become your mental power. With the increase in your mental capacity, there will be increase in your power of discrimination too. Consequently, you will give up "individual discrimination". Because of this, you will begin to consider the good of the world at large rather than your own individual welfare. You must cultivate such broad feelings from this young age itself.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

#SriSathyaSai

The Fragrance of Silence

Befor you speak, THINK

Is it necessary?

Is it true?

Is it kind?

Will it hurt any one?

Will it improve on the silence?

The first step in the Sadhana is the cleansing of the speech. Talk sweet without anger.Do not boast of your scholarship or attainments.Be humble,eager to serve; Conserve your speech.Practice silence.That will save you from squabble,frittering thoughts and frictions.

Sai.

Silence Speaks

If you can not understand HIS Silence how will you understand HIS words?



You never have to shout for HELP just remember ME.


SAI.

Silence that speaks

Sri Bhagavan once told the story ...that follows to Sri Muruganar. This brings out the profound significance of the Supreme Silence in which the First Master, Sri Dakshinamurti is established.



Sri Bhagavan said, “When the four elderly Sanaka...di rishis first beheld the sixteen-year-old Sri Dakshinamurti sitting under the banyan tree, they were at once attracted by Him, and understood that He was the real Sadguru.


They approached Him, did three pradakshinas around Him, prostrated before Him, sat at His Feet and began to ask shrewd and pertinent questions about the nature of reality and the means of attaining it.


Because of the great compassion and fatherly love (vatsalya) which He felt for His aged disciples, the young Sri Dakshinamurti was overjoyed to see their earnestness, wisdom and maturity, and gave apt replies to each of their questions.


But as He answered each consecutive question, further doubts arose in their minds and they asked further questions. Thus they continued to question Sri Dakshinamurti for a whole year, and He continued to clear their doubts through His compassionate answers.


Finally, however, Sri Dakshinamurti understood that if He continued answering their questions, more doubts would arise in their minds and their ignorance (ajnana) would never end.


Therefore, suppressing even the feeling of compassion and fatherly love which was welling up within Him, He merged Himself into the Supreme Silence. Because of their great maturity (which had ripened to perfection through their year-long association with the Sadguru), as soon as Sri Dakshinamurti assumed Silence, they too automatically merged into Supreme Silence, the true state of the Self.”


Wonderstruck on hearing Sri Bhagavan narrating the storyin this manner, Sri Muruganar remarked that in no book was itmentioned that Sri Dakshinamurti ever spoke anything. “Butthis is what actually happened”, replied Sri Bhagavan curtly.From the authoritative way in which Sri Bhagavan replied andfrom the clear and descriptive way in which He told the story,Sri Muruganar understood that Sri Bhagavan was none otherthan Sri Dakshinamurti Himself!

Be Yourself. Never imitate.

One day, Saint Gorakhnath and his followers were walking down in a forest, when they happened to pass a dirty lake.
Saint Gorakhnath saw a few small fishes in the lake. So, he stopped and then bending forward towards the lake,
he caught a small fish with his hands and then gulped it down his wide open mouth.
His followers, who were watching his actions carefully were really taken aback to
see their spiritual master consuming non-vegetarian – Fish !!!

So, they thought that if our master can have fish, so why cant we too?
And in turn they all looked for fishes in the dirty lake and like their master gulped a few down their throats.

Saint Gorakhnath who was silently watching the antics of his followers, then started moving ahead and so did his followers.
On the entire way Saint Gorakhnath was quite.
Finally after walking down quite a distance they reached a fresh water lake.
Seeing the fresh water lake, Saint Gorakhnath walked towards it and on reaching there,
he did some kriyas and out came the small fish alive which he had consumed earlier.
He spat out the fish into the fresh water lake and then looked towards his followers
and said - "NOW YOU ALL TOO DO THE SAME ! "....which of course none of the followers could do !!!

Karma Yoga

Karma Yoga

The Bhagavat Gita says, “ Surrender the fruit of action”. Yes we agree but does the karma yogi get the fruit ? even if he has surrendered it?
The answer is Yes. Maybe he will get the beneficial fruit multi fold if he does not aspire for it. The story of Mahalakshmi goes to prove it. The ocean of milk was churned and out of it came Mahalakshmi, the mother of all auspiciousness. The devas who had studiously avoided all the other entreaties of Uchisravas and iravatha fell pray to the charm of moha incarnate and stood in line to be chosen as bridegroom. But Mahalakshmi chose Narayana as bridegroom who was totally detached and watching the entire proceeding with amusement! This is what happens to the karma yogi. He surrenders the fruit of action and the onus is on the Creator to measure and dispatch the fruits and his measure is always bountiful!!

Also love your work. That is the secret of happiness and avoiding boredom. Let us take an example. A man grows up the rank and becomes C.E.O. But he gets job dissatisfaction soon as he has learnt all that has to be learnt and gets disinterested and distant. But his wife who does the same cooking and cleaning gets about her work with a cheerful demeanor and starts every day as if it is a new routine. This is so as she does the act of cooking and cleaning lovingly and dedicates every routine to the welfare of her family.

Bhavna or feelings behind the act gives the currency the stamp for it to be valid.
That is why no amount of worshipping routine without the genuine love and aspiration for GOD will be fruitful. It will remain a routine! This also explains why inspite of various temples being destroyed in India the murthis could never be destroyed, as the murthis have their form in the hearts and the image of Rama and Krishna and the qualities they stand for could never be destroyed and the pure feelings of devotees have made the images purer. This is why Ganga can be H 2 0 or the destroyer of all sins as per the bhavna one has. If one has the remembrance of the origin of the Ganga and how it flows through the matted hair of Shiva and washing the holy feet of Narayana then one can wash his sins by bathing in the Ganges but one considers it purely as two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen he could catch a cold!

Karma yogi’s action unites him with the cosmos and this leads to cosmic consciousness. For example the simple act of watering the tulsi plant before taking food creates a bond of love between us and the lower order of nature. This simple karma makes one have a pang of empathy and love and hands stretch automatically to water the tulsi before our own mouth has a morsel of food!

Karma yogis have a great preceptor- the Lord himself. They just have to picturise the kurukshethra war and how when all the tired souls after a long and hard day’s battle have gone to rest Krishna himself would be busy untying the horses and washing and feeding them and applying medicine to their wounds. Thus he would be last to bed and first to rise because of the love of the karma of charioteer which he chose.

Repetitive action is like a Japa, and when done with feeling it becomes worship and one’s action transforms the mind and elevates the consciousness. The story of Tuladar and jajali, Sena the barber and Gora the potter goes to prove it.

All the farmers know a simple axiom- Sow deep but sow moist. Similarly the Karma yogi’s action should be based on deep faith and moistened with the love of GOD.

When mind stand united with action it is Vikarma. This is true in Bakthi as well as Karma yoga. Activity outside should be accompanied by meditation( Japa) inside. Dwell close while in austerity( Upa Vasa). When mind does not meditate outer form of austerity is a waste. Tantra must be accompanied by mantra- action by meditation! Here Swami’s 3hv principle needs to be applied. For example if body is fasting but mind is thinking of food then mind is feasting! This disparity in thought word and deed can be disastrous. Take the action of a mother stroking a child. Because of the bond of love and empathy the simple act of stroking becomes a Yoga and gives bliss to both the souls-mother and child. If a person watching it bewitched thinks if I stroke the child downwards 10 cms and repeat the same motion upwards 10cms thrice it will create bliss-How stupid it sounds? The bhavna is again the key- unless the mind is united with the action bliss can not surface.

Akarma= Vikarma+ Karma. (inaction in action). Because purity of thought creates disinterest in action or desirelessness and this in turn can make a simple act of karma as akarma. Take the action of a mother beating a child out of love for its well being. The child goes back to the mother as if nothing happened. But if we do the same??

We can not learn akarma from books . We can learn only by moving with saints and serving them. We would learn in their speech of silence all the clarity.

Whether the man who is naked or clad
Is a matter, which bothers only the other
As a mad man’s mind is not in his apparel.

So let us keep our mind unattached to the various apparels of Maya.

Waste Paper Basket

All that we know is nothing, we are merely crammed waste-paper baskets, unless we are in touch with that which laughs at all our knowing. ~D.H. Lawrence

Well, My basket was brimming with crumpled thoughts. One day I decided enough is enough and emptied the full basket. By the time i put it back i already noticed one or two crumpled sheets.Bend to pick it up. Tring..Tring Phone rang Who My Mother? by the time i finished the conversation and came back the basket was full again. I was tired, emptied it again and this time resolved not to look into the basket as i place it back. proverbial Ostrich... Anyway got into FB and started my connections. I came to know of my close friend's child not faring well, my other friend was down with pharyngitis and one was going to Maldives. My mind and heart were filled with concerns and emotions and by the time my tired eyes asked me to shut the laptop i idly glanced at the basket and i could see no basket ,it was covered with papers.

Now I am not emptying the basket anymore. I am on the lookout for the rascal who fills the basket so ever stealthily. Please put a note on FB if you find him.


Krishnamachari Santhanam

Allah is Vishnu

Allah is Al-Ahad or The One and Vishnu is called Eka, The One. It’s curious
but there are striking similarities between the many names of Vishnu and
those of Allah.
The Vishnu Sahasranamam (the thousand names of Vishnu) was composed by
Ved Vyas and incorporated in the Mahabharata. The sahasra here is not meant
to be a finite digit; it is in fact the opposite. ‘Thousand’ is meant to
suggest infinitude. The poem is a tool for meditating on God, the Formless
One, avyakta, of multifarious forms, anekamurti. Names connoting these two
opposite aspects follow one another in the poem: first the name, then the
counter-name. Because, the intention is not to define, but rather to convey
the futility of definition through a surfeit of definitions. The names
listed in the Sahasranamam are not all nouns: they are mostly adjectives.
They are attributes of God, juxtaposed to create a dhvani or suggestion of
the all-inclusive, all-surpassing, definition-defying Being.
The countername does not cancel the name; rather, it illustrates that
every name, every murti, is equally correct and incorrect: it is both iti
(so) and neti (not so). It is futile, likewise, to think of adding up the
names to arrive at any algebraic ‘finality’. Among the thousand names of
Vishnu are also Shoonya (zero) and Ananta (infinity). The movement of a
seeker after truth, as Swami Vivekanand put it, is not from error to truth,
but rather from one truth to another, until he reaches the end of all
knowledge, vedanta, to arrive at a consciousness of truth and bliss. This is
sat-chit-ananda: the state of truth-consciousness-bliss. This is Godhood.
One who realises it cannot define it; he can only point towards it or
suggest it — through sahasranama.
The Gracious Names Of Allah lists the various names of Allah occurring in
the holy Qu’ran. It is interesting how similar the names or appellations of
Allah are to those of Vishnu in the Vishnu Sahasranamam. Allah, as the
Paramatma, is Al-Ahad, The One or Eka. He is Al-Quddus, the Holy One
(Pavitram), Ar-Rahman, The Beneficent (Varadaya), Al’Maalik, The Lord
(Prabhu), Al’Aziz, The Mighty One (Mahaveera), Al’Alim, The All-knowing
(Sarvagya). He is Al’Khaliq, The Creator (Srishta) and Al’Musawwir, One who
fashions all things (Vishwakarma). He is Al’Hakam, The Judge (Vidhatre), who
is Al’Adl, The Just (Nyaya). Al’Latif, The Subtle One (Sookshma), Al’Kabir,
The Great (Mahaan).
Allah is also Al’Matin, The Firm One (Sthir), and As-Samad, The Eternal
One, The Absolute (Achyuta, Sthavar). He sends down distress as Ad-Daarr
(Bhayakrat), and deals death as Al’-Mumit (Yama). Himself is Al-Muhaymin,
The Protector (Rakshan). God is An-Nur, The Luminous One (Prakash), and
Al-Hakim, The Wise One (Mahabuddhi). He is An-Nafi, The Propitious One
(Mangala). He is Dhul-Jalal-Wal-Ikram, The Bountiful (Srinidhi). As in the
case of Vishnu, contradictory names apply equally perfectly to Allah. For
example, He is Al’Muqaddim (The Expediter) and also Al’- Mu’akhkhir (The
Delayer).
What is the significance of reciting all these names? The Sahasranamam
uplifts; it expands thought to include everything and every nonthing. If all
is the One, where is room for malice? The Phalshruti (Fruits of Recitation)
of Vishnu Sahasranamam promises to rid the devoted reciter of anger, malice,
greed and evil thoughts. One is also rid of the fear of birth, death, old
age and disease (janma-mrityu-jara-vyadhi). All these are the results that
follow the highest form of positive thinking. Similarly, reciting the names
of Allah, too, is bound to bring lasting benefit to the devout.

Silence-Ignored companion of a busy Life

If you can stop occasionally, and fine tune your perception a little, you will find silence is all around you everywhere. It's in the soundless valley in the early morning mists. It's in the stillness of the evening of a long hot summers day. It's in the calm of the ocean before the coming of the storm. It's in the café conversation in the pause between opinions. It's in the deafening, noiseless vastness of the desert. And it's in that awesome panorama from the mountain peak.

There is the remembered silence of the past, in childhood memories of hide and seek. There is the projected silence of the future in the possibility of the end of suffering. There is the silence of the present moment when the history of yesterday and the mystery of tomorrow are dissolved in the practice of being fully present here and now. There is the silence of a city overcome by sleep. And there is the silence of the countryside, when only vines and foxes creep. And if you can rest your attention, on the last peel of the village bell, you can ride the sound as it fades to silence, and you may come to know the deepest inner peace, of which all meditators do tell!

Sweet silence, the ignored companion of a busy life.

There is the dead silence in the passing of the soul from yet another body. There is the muffled silence at the heart of the forest as trees stand tall and thick in a conspiracy to absorb any foreign sound. There is a joyful silence when the mind takes a break from its illusions called 'I know' and sees everything exactly as it is, and not by it's label. Look beyond the form and colour in a painting and you may see the silence of the canvas that holds the artists creative noise together. Listen closely to the symphony and you will hear pure silence between the notes without which the beauty of such music would be lost. Become aware of the space between your thoughts, go through that space, and you will emerge into the silence of your being, and be reunited with your power as a master creator. All creation emerges from silence, is shaped by the power of silence and is moved by the silent power of 'being'.

Why do all the mystics and yogis talk so much about silence? Why do they make so much sound about the soundless? Because they discover that only in silence can everything that has true and eternal value be known. In silence they see the original and singular cause of all action, and how the root of all things comes from 'no thing'. In silence they are reunited with the consciousness of the unity of all things, in all time, and in all space. In silence they can float any question out into the ocean of their inner silent emptiness and know, with absolute unwavering faith, that the answer will return to find them, no matter what may pe-occupy their mind. And they remind us that only when our whole being is 'in silence' can our spiritual heart receive and absorb the light and love of the Source - the power of the silent One. In that same profoundly silent state, they tell us, we may rediscover and be moved by your own latent benevolence towards all creatures great and small.

Sweet silence. Do you know silence? Have you felt its sweetness? Do you know your own silent self beyond noisy thinking patterns, beyond the crashing waves of emotion, beyond the invading forces of a world that is addicted to sound? Are you addicted to sound?

So few have been into their silence and returned with it's power and its fragrance to hush a noisy world. Would you value the ability to enter such an inner space where all is available to the searching soul, where all that you yearn for can be found in full, in an instant? In the silence of the heart of you , everything that you are, and everything that you have, is known and felt to be pure and incorruptible. That 'everything' is love, it is light and it is power. All that you have been taught to identify with and pursue in the world is then seen for what it is - illusion and delusion.

Step away from the world 'out there', step away from the world that is 'on your mind', step away from the world that has shaped the story of your life, step away from your story, step away from all worldly desire, your day-to-day cleverness and every urge to judge another, and you step through the doorway into the deepest peace and the place where all becomes clear. Silence is pure peace. Silence sees with pure vision.

Step into your self, into your eternal silent self, and know your self … again. Step into the light of your heart, your silent heart, and know the light that can never be extinguished … again. Let go and step into the boundariless, infinite space that exists forever behind your busy mind, and know what it is to just 'be' … again.

Question: Why do you think the awareness of silence and the feeling of stillness are so empowering?

Reflection: If you cannot hear my silence you will not hear my words – what does this mean?

Action: Create Space and Time - In your home create a space, a corner, perhaps a room, that will be your silent space. Then create a regular time you will 'go to' and 'be in' that space and practice stilling your mind without force.