Silence Swallows Your Misery

Life begins in silence. When you were in your mother’s womb for nine months, there was silence. A seed sprouts to grow into a plant in silence beneath the soil.  So creation in nature also begins in silence.

That’s why whenever you have to do some creative writing or write a poem, innovate or work on some thesis or some article, you can’t do it in a noisy place. You seek a space where there’s silence. You sit in a quiet place, the mind calms down and then the right thoughts come up.

Silence gives depth to our words. It gives more meaning to our words and makes our life richer. Nature has made it like that. Every night we go to sleep, and that energises our whole being. It brings that refreshing feeling within us, and then we are able to think, feel and express. So silence is very important to express ourselves. But the silence I am talking about is not merely the absence of sound. There is an inner silence, a silence that is the very basis of our existence. Look at the noise in your mind. What is it about? Money? Fame? Recognition? Fulfilment? Relationships? The noise is about something; silence is about nothing. Silence is the basis; noise is the surface.

We are so caught up in the surface that we have forgotten the depth. We are constantly thinking about something, wanting something, worrying about something. Even when the world around us is quiet, the mind continues to make noise. You may sit in a beautiful place, away from the crowds, but if the mind is restless, where is the silence? The real silence is when the mind settles down and you are at peace with yourself.

When Buddha got enlightened on that full moon day in the month of May, it is said that he maintained silence for the whole week. He did not speak a word. Mythology says that the angels in heaven were frightened. They knew that it was only once in a millennium that someone blossomed like Buddha. Now he was silent!

The angels then requested him to say something. Buddha said, Those who know, know even without me saying it and those who do not know, will not know even if I say it. Any description of light to a blind man is of no use. There is no point in talking to those who have not tasted the ambrosia of life, and therefore I am silent. How can you convey something so intimate and personal? Words cannot convey it. Words end where truth begins. The angels said, “What you say is right. But consider those who are neither fully enlightened nor totally ignorant. For them, a few words will give a push. Please speak for their sake. Every word of yours will create that silence.”

What a beautiful expression! Every word should create silence. The purpose of words is to create silence. If words create more noise, then they have not reached their goal. When you listen to someone, are you really listening, or are you already preparing your reply? When you speak, are your words coming from a space of calmness, or are they coming from agitation? Silence gives us the ability to listen, to understand and to respond in the best appropriate manner. Otherwise, we may say many things and yet communicate very little.

Silence is the source of life and is the cure for diseases. When people are angry, they maintain silence. First they shout and then silence dawns. When one is sad, they ask to be left alone and retreat into silence. Similarly, silence is the recourse one takes when they are ashamed. If one is wise too, there’s silence.

But we need not wait for anger or sadness to bring us to silence. Why should we wait for the mind to become exhausted before we give it rest? We can consciously take a few moments every day to turn inward, to let go of the noise and simply be. This is where meditation becomes important. It allows us to experience a silence that is part of our nature.

Everyone should experience a few days of silence at least once in a year. In fact, when people are confused about important decisions in life, I tell them to take a couple of days and go deep into silence. When the mind is quiet, your intuition becomes stronger. You begin to see things that you could not see when the mind was caught up in its own noise.

This is particularly relevant for people in the corporate world. There is so much to achieve, so many decisions to make, so many demands on one’s time. People are constantly thinking about the next achievement. But when does the mind get the time to settle down? You may have all the information in the world and still not have the clarity to make the right decision. Silence gives you that space. It is the mother of intuition and innovation. When you are centred, your intellect becomes sharp, and you can respond to situations with greater awareness rather than merely react to them.

The same is true for young people. There is so much stimulation around them, so much to see, hear and respond to. The mind is constantly pulled in different directions. Give it some time in silence, and they begin to discover a different dimension of themselves. They realise that happiness does not always depend on what happens around them. There is a source of peace and joy within them that they can access at any time.

Silence is not a luxury, it is a necessity for anyone who wants to live with greater awareness. You do not have to renounce your responsibilities or run away to a forest. You can live here, fulfil all your duties and still learn to remain connected to that quiet space within you. Observe your true nature. What is your true nature? It is peace, compassion, love, friendliness and joy, and it is silence that gives birth to all this. Silence swallows the sadness, guilt and misery and gives birth to joy, compassion and love.

When you discover this silence within, you begin to see life differently. You become more accommodating, more compassionate and more aware of others. You do not have to struggle so much to be happy. The peace you have been seeking outside begins to reveal itself.

Find the inner silence. If we find the inner silence, you will understand the messages of all the prophets who walked on this planet. They resonate. They have all come from there, beyond the names, beyond the form. There is one light, one truth deep inside us. Whoever radiates that inner light, their work will be remembered forever. The message is common, is the same: find the inner peace, the inner light, and spread the love in your life.

And this is something we can begin right now. We do not have to wait for a particular place, a particular time or a particular circumstance. In the midst of our daily activities, we can pause for a moment and become aware of the silence within us. When the mind is quiet, even ordinary things become beautiful. We only need to learn to have belongingness with silence.