Regular practice of silence makes you more aware, alert and alive.

For most of us ‘silence’ means not talking. Just keeping quiet and not communicating with word sounds is interpreted as silence. There are times when people go into silence for an extended period of time as a part of their Meditation (sadhana). This is a recommended practice in almost all religions.

‘Silence is God, God is silence’. Like the quest for God, the quest for silence is not easy. We should try to understand the true nature of silence and how to practise it for silence is not a function of the body, but of the mind.

Meditation (Sadhana) does not mean that we sit quiet with our eyes closed. It is purification of the mind-body complex. There are several pillars of Meditation (sadhana), of which five are popular with practitioners. The five are silence, stillness, fasting, celibacy and overcoming sleep. All these practices are supportive of each other.

Stop Inner Chatter

What are the aspects of silence and how is silence to be practised? First of all, there is the silencing of the voice or vocal chord that produces speech. This form of silence is called akara mauna.

The other form, which is far more rigorous, is called kastha mauna or being silent like a piece of wood, where one does not express anything even with the eyes, hand gestures, facial expressions or in writing. In any of these two forms of silence, suspension of vocal communication without quietening the mind does not silence the mind-body complex. The real practice of silence must incorporate systematic methods that gradually reduce the internal dialogue — all that chatter in the mind.

What is mind?

It is just energy. It has layers and layers of energy that vibrate at different frequencies. The topmost layer of energy is the shallowest. Here, waves of thoughts are generated by sensory organs, our habit patterns and emotions. These waves bombard the mind and create a continuous internal dialogue that is expressed in the form of speech and through reactions and impulsive actions by the body.

Train Your Mind

An untrained mind vibrates at this lowest frequency. As such, you need to start Meditation (sadhana) to train the mind first. With the practice of silence, you try to silence that so-called ‘internal dialogue’ and go into deeper levels of the mind. The deeper levels of the mind vibrate at higher frequencies, which become subtler and subtler. With constant practice of silence and meditation, one progresses, going deeper.

Be mindful of what is happening in you and outside. As one goes deeper, fluctuations of energy of the shallow level are left behind, and you start to enter calmer and more peaceful states of mind. With regular practice, the mind gets trained to remain in the deeper levels. Even our daily meditation becomes deeper with the practice of silence, since both these are complementary.

Make A Resolve

Make a sankalpa or resolve to go into silence on a periodic basis, for example, once a week for four hours. Select a day and time of day when there is least distraction and you are free from commitments. Observe these rules while practising silence:

1. No reading, writing, watching TV, listening to music, using the telephone, computer or any other gadget

2. Do not communicate by hand gestures, eye contact, body language, or in writing

3. Do not resort to body pampering — like sitting in a massaging chair or soaking your feet in warm water

4. Do not eat, unless it is mealtime. While eating, be mindful of what you eat and how you are eating

5. Try to pacify any emotional turmoil and conflicts of thought by breath awareness
6. Household chores may be performed with mindfulness

7. Do contemplative walking. Place every step with toes first, followed by the heel, slowly, gently and with awareness

8. Observe the breath. Create no reaction to any sensation in any part of the body. Keep observing the breath. The sensation will pass. Continue observing the breath

Benefits of Silence

Regular practice of silence helps increase awareness and equanimity which, in turn, deepens spiritual practice. It helps you stay calm and composed even through difficult situations. Compulsive talking and action are reduced. You speak and act from deeper levels of the mind. As you progress, you master your speech by following its three principles: hitam, mitam, priyam — beneficial, measured and pleasant. You find that your words have a deeper meaning and even when you are silent, people find comfort and joy in your presence.