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THE LANGUAGE OF SILENCE
by Amma Karunamayi
In my travels around the world, I am often asked,"What is God's favorite language? What language does God like best for us to pray in?" Children, all the languages in this world are the languages of God Himself. All languages have emerged from the Goddess of Knowledge, Sarasvati Devi. But there is only one true language: the language of the heart. God's true language is silence.
As far as your mind is not inward, the kingdom of spiritual life will not be open to you. Peace is the key to open the doors of the spiritual kingdom. And to enter this realm, to enter the kingdom of God and to communicate there, we must master God's language, the language of silence, the language of Lord Shiva Himself.
Lord Shiva's language is very difficult to learn. It is very difficult to practice the language of absolute silence. It is not easy for humankind to achieve that God-state immediately-to go from negativity to positivity, and from positivity to silence. Only step by step can positivity be achieved, not all at once. Our spiritual destiny is at a very high level, so it is not easy for everyone to approach it. But silence is the key to meditation.
Silence, the absence of sound, gives you divine energy and refreshes you. Silence gives immortality, peace, divine strength. There is great power in our silence. In silence we hear the inner voice of the soul. Without silence-mental silence, not physical silence-we are restless. If anyone finds fault with us, we at once find fault with them in return and do not accept what we have been told. We react negatively. This is rajasic behavior. On the other hand, when we have absolute silence inside, no force coming from the external environment will ever affect us, because we will be surrounded by the spiritual power of our meditation. So, my dear divine children, be always in that tranquility. It is not available in this external world. Peace is always in the garden of our heart. Our heart is a sweet garden. In that divine garden, tranquility is the real fruit.
Physical power is only one percent of our true nature; intellectual power is fifty percent; but soul power, divine power, is a thousand percent. When we are always entangled in the body-mind-intellectual cages, our power is limited, our energy is limited. As we are now, we are like fish in a small cup-we are limited. But our true nature is not limited. Our true nature is like the vast ocean. When we are entangled in ignorance, we think we are restricted to a small cup. When we touch Supreme Consciousness through meditation, then we are boundless, we are everywhere, we are eternal. When we know and realize the true nature of the Self, only then can we be in this state. And silence is the key. The real nature of the soul is not anger, not jealousy-that is not our nature. The true nature of the atma is complete silence. Deep, deep in that silence, the peace of the soul is infinite, immeasurable. Without inner silence we can never achieve in meditation that eternal, boundless happiness within.
Silence is nectar for the sage. All the holy people-Jesus, Buddha, Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Ramana Maharshi-are always turned inward. When we go inside the heart, we have unlimited awareness. Then only do we find the invisible soul. We touch that in meditation only. The real touching, the smooth touching, the tender touching of divine experience is only and always inside, in our silence. We listen to that inner voice in our meditation.
There are stages to experience. Whatever we enjoy externally is the first stage. Whatever we enjoy mentally is the second stage. Both are limited. Whatever we enjoy spiritually is higher. Sometimes we forget our bodies in meditation. We want to touch the moonlight. It is not possible. We want to touch the air. It is not possible. We feel the tender touch of Divine Mother, the fragrance of Divine Mother. But it is not easy to touch Her with our hands. The third stage is like that: we experience it, but it is not fulfilling. The fourth stage is absolute silence, our real state. When you forget your body and forget your mind, you attain that state of Absolute Consciousness. I wish you all to attain that state.
Learning the language of silence is itself a great yoga. Hurting others, scolding others, and telling lies are done through the tongue. Even though the tongue is just three inches in length, it causes a lot of harm to the whole world. So one of the steps of learning the language of silence is just closing the mouth and not speaking a word. But this is only the first stage.
Silence from words is good, but silence from desires and passions is better, as it promotes quietness of spirit. Best of all is silence from all thoughts, as it leads to Self-Realization. The real state of silence is at the mental level. True silence rests the mind. All thoughts subside to perfect peace. Here we are speaking about meditation. The first lesson for a real meditator is to learn to control the movement of the body, to sit still, and to silence the mind. Then only will you be able to sit in meditation for a long time. As you meditate, the first thing that happens is that many thoughts arise in the mind. Not one or two-innumerable thoughts will be overflowing from your heart as you start to meditate. It is natural, but don't entertain them.
If we want to silence thoughts, we have to concentrate on one particular object. If we are unable to do this, our minds will never be tranquil. The mind has been compared to a wild horse, which is one of the swiftest animals in the whole world. As you sit here, your mind can go to the other horizon of the world and come back in a fraction of a second.
Until it is possible for you to do meditation sitting silently, combine your meditation with japa. Japa is different from meditation. In Sanskrit, meditation is called dhyana, and it is said: "Dhyanam nirvishayam manah"- "Meditation is freeing the mind from all thoughts." But in japa we concentrate on the mantra, repeating the mantra nonstop. If you have been initiated with a mantra, repeat the mantra mentally, not verbally, five times, and then remain in silence as long as you can. If you are not able to continue the silent period for a long duration, then once again do mantra five times. The silence between mantra and mantra is the real meditation.
So: Dhyanam nirvishayam manah-we have to free the mind. Meditation is beyond chanting the mantra,
but mantra takes us to a higher level. If you are able to sit in silence for one whole hour, that's wonderful. But to correct the mind, and to burn away our karmas, mantra is important. So in the initial stages, use the mantra as long as you need it. Mantra is like a ladder which raises us to Divinity. That's where we're trying to go, and it is possible as you go on practicing meditation. This mantra meditation leads us into silent meditation. My dear children, be like an infant baby in Divine Mother's lap. An infant has no thoughts at all. She is always in silence, closes her eyes and smiles. She is always in meditation. Be without thoughts-bad, good, useless, or desiring thoughts. There are spontaneous thoughts in our minds from the beginning of our lives to the end, up to more than 25,000 million thoughts. Burn all these thoughts with the power of your mantra. Our main aim in life is Self-Realization- it is not just eating, talking, and being filled with negativity; this is not the meaning of life. So sit in meditation early in the morning and pray, not just with the lips, but from the bottom of your heart. Silence is sometimes not possible because you are in this world. But have mental silence. This is important for a spiritual aspirant. So practice mental silence. Pray always from the bottom of your heart. Pure devotion is the true foundation for spiritual life.
Practice this language of silence in your daily life. In the morning, and in the evening before going to bed, practice silence. We are speaking unnecessary words throughout our lives. Speaking just one word of truth is greater than speaking innumerable useless words. Stop speaking so many unnecessary words. If we curse at anyone, talk unnecessarily, or criticize others, it is pollution of our tongue. Whatever is in our hearts comes out through our mouths. But this pollution, according to our vasanas, will gradually be burned up through regular meditation, and all our chakras will bloom.
In our daily lives and in our homes, we often speak very harshly and rudely. The habit of speaking like this gives a lot of unnecessary pressure to the heart and mind. Because of the harsh words and sounds we hear, there is a lot of ill health in the world today. The beatings one receives with a stick will be painful for a limited time, and the pain will be temporary if one is hit by a stone; however, if we are hurt with hard words, that will not be forgotten.
An ignorant person talks incessantly and wastes words, troubling others. A normally good person speaks with kindness, and doesn't hurt others. However, a knowledgeable or realized person will not speak at all. His language will be silence, and in this there is no question of hurting others. I wish all of you to be in a speechless state. If we are in that state, we can transfer our vibration to others also. It is far greater to be silent than to speak unnecessary or hurtful words. As far as possible, remain in silence. Talk only if something is very important; otherwise don't talk at all. There is a wonderful silence in the whole cosmos which is beyond life, beyond birth, and beyond death. To attain such a wonderful state, however, you must have a passionate desire for knowledge. You are tired from seeking this knowledge in millions and billions of janmas, births-in plant forms, in animal forms, in human forms. It has been a vicious cycle, but now the time has come for you to gain Realization.
So, my dear blessed souls, let us give up all the languages of this world, and let us practice the language of God: silence.
Let us all learn this language. Let us have a strong determination in our lives to achieve both physical and mental silence. Let us take an oath that we will attain that state and will work hard on our spiritual growth. We must develop self-discipline to do this. There are many levels in spiritual life, and they cannot all be achieved in just a single day. We must practice regularly, and continue our practices throughout our lives. Without this, life may not be worth living at all. Initially the spiritual life-meditation, devotion, and prayers-may be difficult, but gradually, as we go on practicing, life will become very sweet..
For more information on Amma Karunamayi, log onto www.karunamayi.org or contact SMVA Trust, Inc., 21 Baldwin Road, Millwood, N.Y. (914) 923-8327.
There is a wonderful silence in the whole cosmos which is beyond life, beyond birth, and beyond death.
Four Practices for Moving Into Silence
Become a person of measured words. It is said, "Silence is death for a worldly man, but silence is life for a real seeker." The worldly person and the seeker move on opposite paths. By the practice of silence, the energy of speech is slowly transmuted into spiritual energy. As far as possible, talk only if it is necessary; otherwise it is better to be silent.
I can't tell you not to talk at all. You are in the world and you have to talk. But we are unnecessarily wasting our energy by talking too much. When we do meditation, we gain tremendous energy. If we practice inwardness, silence, it's very easy to preserve energy.
For at least two hours a day, try to observe silence. In the morning before meditation and in the evening before meditation is best. By practicing at least two hours of silence in twenty-four hours, we gain a lot of strength-not just at that time, but for the whole day.
It also helps us to control our anger. During this time of silence, if anyone scolds you or gets angry with you, you will not reply, as you are in silence. In this way you will slowly and steadily learn to control your anger. If anger is in our heart, there is no question of bliss in our life. Anytime anyone scolds you, you can act as though it is the time you are observing silence and not speak at all.
Observe silence when you take your food. In the Vedas, in the Ayurveda Shastra, it is said that the lifespan of a person will be increased if silence is maintained during eating, and many people in India practice this.
Choose one day a week, and observe silence. Stop all meaningless activities on this day and do more meditation-keep this day entirely for divine contemplation.
Practice these points, and feel what happens. You will develop willpower and know immense peace and energy in your heart. There will be much peace in the world if all talk little and observe silence.
The Divine Mother Tradition
Our mother is the first experience we have of love, and so it is natural to envision God as Mother.Yet for millennia, most religions have veiled the Goddess or hidden Her completely, preferring patriarchal imagery instead. India is the only major culture with an uninterrupted history of openly worshipping the feminine Divine, a tradition that has been traced back to the mists of prehistory. Sanatana Dharma, India's timehonored "eternal teaching," explains that supreme reality or pure consciousness (which is genderless, nondual, and beyond the reach of the mind) becomes knowable and tangible through the myriad forms of Divinity that appeal to us as individuals. And so in India, God as Mother comes to us as many Goddesses: Parvati, the devoted wife and mother; Durga, the protectress; Lakshmi, the source of inner and outer wealth; Sarasvati, who bestows the gifts of wisdom, sound, speech, and music; Kali Ma, the destroyer of the ego that separates us from our divine nature; and Lalita Devi, who, in Her thousand names, encompasses all facets of reality. The Divine Mother permeates Indian life. From a philosophical perspective, every male deity represents an abstract principle that can only become manifest and active through its shakti, or female partner. Every Hindu village has its own local version of the Divine Mother, who is responsible for the well-being of all, and whose worship is at the center of daily life.
The Goddess is honored with the traditional forms of worship: bhakti, which includes performing puja (ritual worship), singing bhajans (devotional songs), and, ultimately, surrending to the Mother in one's innermost heart; karma, or selfless service to the Goddess and all Her creation; jñana, or the path of knowledge, with its numerous sacred texts and scriptures devoted to Her; and dhyana, meditation on the Mother. Profound worship of any one of the Goddesses in any one of these ways will ultimately reveal Her as blissful, all-encompassing, limitless, non-dual reality. According to tradition, Divine Mother has promised that whenever the need arises, She will come to Earth in human form to help Her children. And throughout India's long history, there have been women who have so embodied love, wisdom, strength, and inner beauty that they seem to be the Goddess come to Earth.
In the past century alone, several women, living pure, selfless lives were believed to be such incarnations. Among them are Sri Sarada Devi, the wife of Sri Ramakrishna and spiritual mother to thousands after his passing; Mira Alfassa ("The Mother"), a Frenchwoman who came to India to join Sri Aurobindo; and Anandamayi Ma, a wandering ecstatic saint who taught and transmitted the highest spiritual principles.
In our time, the tradition continues. Bhagavati Sri Sri Sri Vijayeswari Devi (known more informally as Karunamayi, "Compassionate One," and affectionately as Amma,"Mother") is recognized by many in both India and the West as such a being. Spiritually gifted from birth, as a young woman she withdrew to do solitary spiritual practice in a remote forest in Andhra Pradesh. When she emerged ten years later, she devoted herself to teaching people how to realize their own divine nature. She emphasizes the importance of meditation, while feeding the poor at her ashrams in Bangalore and in Penusila, a rural area where she has also sponsored free medical clinics, built an orphanage, a school for mentally handicapped girls, and most recently, a free hospital, giving the area its first access to modern medical care.
Amma continually reminds us that the Divine Mother is the truth and essence of all, abiding in each of us as our own inherent nature. "Divine Mother is beyond human imagination," says Amma, "but Mother is a living reality."
"You are always in Mother's lap," she tells us. "Her unseen hands embrace the universe, all the billions of galaxies. Feel that the whole world is a manifestation of the thousand hands of Mother Divine and that you are serving Mother in all forms and all names. Do not identify yourself with your actions. Whatever you do, your actions and their results, consecrate them all to the Mother at the end of each day. Then your heart will be purified and you will be ready to receive the supreme light and bliss. Seek Her alone, and you will find perfect contentment and peace. Immortality is your birthright. Realize this here and now. You are Divine Mother, too."
- Cassia Berman
Cassia Berman is a longtime devotee of the Divine Mother and of Amma Karunamayi. A poet, she is the author of Divine Mother Within Me, as well as many articles and essays on spirituality. She teaches t'ai chi ch'uan and qi gong in Woodstock, N.Y.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amma Sri Karunamayi
WORDS FROM 'TWEEN
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