Hello silence, my old friend, it’s good to sit with you again!
Swami
Kriyananda[1]
made the statement: “If there was a sound continuous since birth, what would
you call it? Silence!”
There’s not
much silence in the lives of human beings of the twenty-first century. But for
those who meditate daily, we seek inner silence. Why? And What is silence?
Silence
usually refers to one who doesn’t speak out loud. A person who, like Mahatma
Gandhi, had a day of silence doesn’t speak to others while in silence. At
Ananda retreat centers we offer name tags or buttons that say, “I am in
silence.” This is to warn others around them that they do not wish to speak.
In American
law enforcement detainees are supposed to be told “You have the right to remain
silent.” This means that a person cannot be coerced to testify against
themselves. I mention that because in certain ways it could be said that every
time we open our mouth we give testimony of, or too often, against, our own
best interests.
There is
another and more important kind of silence: inner silence. This means the
cessation of internal, mental narration. Meditators speak of seeking to subdue the
monkey mind, that is, the restless, ceaseless mental narration we all have.
The gold
standard scripture describing the state of the meditation mind is the Yoga
Sutras of Patanjali. The second verse gives the clinical description of this
mind, called “yoga.” The state of the yoga-mind is achieved when mental
activity of image making, mental narration, and emotional responses to mental
impressions like memory, fantasies, and sense stimuli subsides into a quiescent
state of pure awareness.
The first
part of this takes place when we do not react to the mental activity that
appears in the mind. The second and deeper part is when mental activity itself
ceases. By ceasing is NOT meant sleep or a trance state but simply being aware.
Aware of what? The object(s) of awareness are less important than the awareness
of awareness itself.
However,
such unalloyed consciousness is difficult to achieve. Meditation techniques
from a variety of traditions often give the meditator a suggestion as to what to
focus on. Even the Yoga Sutras offer a catalog of objects from physical to
subtle on which to contemplate.
Examples of
“meditation objects” include the breath (controlled or merely observed), a word
formula (affirmation or mantra), an image (physical or mental) of a holy
personage or deity, repetitive prayer, mental counting, fingering beads, moving
or observing the movement of energy flows or energy centers in the body, visualizing
or observing internal colors or sounds, and chanting (silent or aloud) just to
name some of the more common items.
One of the
most effective keys to transcending restless mental activity is the discovery
of the rishis of India: the breath-mind-body connection. The breath, which
brings life into the body rendering it capable of activity (including
restlessness) also holds the key to internal quietude, just as the final exit
of the breath ordinarily signifies the death of the body. Of all the “objects” of
meditation, breath control (aka “pranayama”) is supreme. It is mentioned in the
Yoga Sutras and in the Bhagavad Gita, among other of India’s greatest
scriptures.
The purpose
of such focus, combined with deep feeling, is to transcend the “natural
turbulence” of the (monkey) mind and thereby invite a transcendent experience
born of inner silence.
Experiencing
inner silence isn’t a prerequisite of transcendence but, rather, invites
transcendent experience to appear. This is because the steady focus or repetition
of concentration upon the above-named “objects” can pacify or subdue the
narrative function of the mind thus allowing the transcendent experience to
descend, as it were, without the intervention of a discrete period of inner
silence.
For most
meditators, such concentrated focus is more effective than attempting to
experience inner silence by willpower alone. This doesn’t mean that inner
silence can be ignored or is of no value to seek. Why? For starters, the
“doing” aspect of concentration upon an object is the opposite of the “being”
nature of transcendence.
In the daily
practice of meditation, “doing” may bring many benefits of meditation into
one’s life but the desirable experience of transcendence can elude the
meditator for years, or be so rare as to allow discouragement to set in. The
”ah-ha” experience of transcendence can “take my breath away!” Serious
meditators naturally seek and treasure such experiences which have many, many
names and are described by some as the gift of divine grace.
And here I
am not even considering the oft-described ultimate states of consciousness
variously named such as samadhi, enlightenment, inner communion, spiritual
marriage, moksha, satori, or heaven. I am only considering the state of inner
silence. These higher states generally induce or take place when breathing is
suspended by natural breath-control and devotional means.
Paramhansa
Yogananda coined the term “superconsciousness” to refer to the preliminary
states of higher consciousness. These states are included in the sixth and
seventh stages of the Eight-Fold (Ashtanga) Path described in the Yoga
Sutras. Those stages are, respectively, dharana and “dhyana.” States
of superconsciousness include, Yogananda taught, the eight aspects of superconsciousness:
peace, wisdom, power, love, calmness, sound, light, and bliss.[2]
Paramhansa
Yogananda taught that meditation techniques should be followed by a period of
quiet. This period can be devotionally inclined with feeling or simple imagery,
wordless prayer or silent yearning; or, it can be receptively silent, as in the
inner silence which is the subject of this article. Devotion, too, can be a
form of inner silence when it is beyond words and beyond creating mental images.
It is in the
period of inner silence that the sixth sense of intuition is gradually
developed. It is like opening a window that has been stuck closed for decades
and which won’t stay open by itself. It must be “held open.” Sitting in the
silence with a calm heart, a clear mind, and a deeply relaxed body is like
holding open a window so that cool breezes of inspiration, guidance, and answers
might be received. Doing so trains the body-mind to be more “open” and
receptive not just in meditation but during activity, and even during sleep. To
do this is like learning a new language or developing “eyes to see” and “ears
to hear” to quote Jesus Christ! Let’s face it: we talk too much, even (indeed,
especially) in our inner narrative whether our mouth is open or closed!
We all
benefit from intuition at least occasionally, but few are aware of intuition’s
silent and stealthy influence, coming “like a thief in the night” (again to
quote Jesus Christ). Fewer still seek to develop their sixth sense for this is
not generally taught, known or encouraged. Our deeply rational culture is all
but unaware of intuition, relegating such experiences to coincidence or a lucky
hunch, or worse, as something women seem to have more often than men.
Most
meditators find it difficult to sit in the silence for very long without mental
activity. Patience is indeed the quickest route to success. Practicing inner
silence at moments during the day will be a great aid to “getting to know you.”
Befriend the companionship of inner silence. In a song from the Ananda Sunday
Service, “Festival of Light,” are the words “Out of the silence came the song
of creation!” Scientists postulate that over 90% of the calculated energy and
matter of the universe is invisible, but far from empty! This silence is
vibrating with vitality; with joy; with love and acceptance; with intelligence!
By remaining
locked in the body, brain, and nervous system with our own, even if justifiable preoccupations,
we block the influence and guidance of our higher, divine Self. Learning to
listen is the essence of meditation practice and is the heart of the daily life
of a meditator. This article is not
intended to share the many practical and creative ideas on how to practice
inner silence whether in meditation or in activity, but to do so is to open
oneself to a life of vitality, creativity, security, and true happiness.
Yogananda
created these words and sang them to the tune of “Roamin in the Gloamin” by
Harry Lauder: “Sitting in the silence on the sunny banks of my mind. Sitting in
the silence with my guru by my side. When my thoughts have gone to rest, that’s
the time I see him best, oh ‘tis lovely sitting in the silence.”
Sitting in the silence,
Swami
Hrimananda
[1]
Swami Kriyananda (1926-2013) was trained and ordained as a kriyacharya by
Paramhansa Yogananda (author of “Autobiography of a Yogi”). Swami Kriyananda
founded the worldwide work of Ananda in 1968. Ananda includes intentional
spiritual communities, teaching centers, churches, publishing retreat centers,
meditation groups and affiliated enterprises.
[2]
One can experience higher states under virtually any circumstance, not just
meditation and not just classically in the states of dharana or dhyana.
Patanjali simply enumerated or teased out discrete stages of soul-awakening.
[3] I recommend this book: “Intuition for Starters,” by Swami Kriyananda
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