Sometimes the simplest of the insights in life are understood with unimaginable instances. It was a few years back, I don’t remember the year, as it doesn’t matter here. I was playing cricket in a locality park. I was fielding in the outfield towards Mid-on position. The match was very tightly placed and we were defending some low total. We were focusing on each and every delivery bowled. Suddenly the batsman hit the shot high in the air and I saw the ball coming toward me. I ran as fast as possible, but didn’t see another fielder coming towards the ball. Neither of us called for claiming the catch and eventually banged into each other. This person was double the size of me. It was a head collision and I went deaf for a moment. All I could hear was silence. It was scary for the moment, but slowly in few minutes I gained back the noises and full consciousness.
Towards the end of the day when I was reflecting on the event I realized that in the moment of silence my self-talk was so loud and clear that I generally don’t pay attention to. There are so many voices inside us that we don’t even realize that they exist. They are only heard when we truly experience silence.
How to Experience the Silence?
First and the foremost we should be aware about the difference between being quiet and being silent. Being quiet means we are not talking from the outside but there might be talking a lot inside. Being silent means when our inner chatter is settled and we can hear ourselves loud without speaking a single word. This sounds crazy here, but ask about this experience from someone who practices “vocal fasting” i.e “Maun Vrat” as in Hindi or the extended form of it i.e Vipasana. The vocal fasting means refraining from speaking even a single word for the targeted time or days. Meditation practitioners who have taken their practice to advanced levels go for extended periods of silence for 7-10 days (Vipasana). Many people are not able to take it as this process literally breaks the bonds of Ego and establish the real connection with your source. The simple disconnection with outside by disabling your speech and others around you, forcibly puts you in a state where you start hearing your inner voice loud and clear that guides you to connect with your source. It is a life changing experience that speaks for itself.
We don’t need any special training to experience it. All it takes is a few minutes of meditation that settles the mental chatter and allows you to transmit into the source that exist inside your heart. Some practitioners choose another method of attaining this thoughtlessness through Samadhi. Methods may be many but the goal is the same! Enlivening Silence.
May silence be with you
Sending love, laughter and joy
Parth