About Silence - 8th June 2016

Actually, silence also needs to be defined before we can share more about it. To silence, the word is understood by many to be different, so let's get greater clarity on the definition of silence and then we can explore more about it together. One is this phenomenal outward silence, which is: 'I don't feel like speaking, I don't feel like interacting with anyone.' That is the verbal silence; let's call it that. Second is this quietening down of the mind—the quietening down and the powerlessness of the mind. Sometimes it can be that the number of thoughts themselves, they reduce; and sometimes it is that the power the words seem to have of the mind, that itself seems to reduce. And sometimes it can be both. So then it feels so quiet. This silence is what most seekers mean when they say the mind has become so silent, like that.

And the third silence is a discovery of the silence that is awareness itself, which is unmoving, non-phenomenal, completely silent, empty of all energetic constructs. This is the ultimate silence. So this silence, which is your true nature, this one does not move. This one does not morph into anything else, although we can say that the appearance of consciousness is like the morphing of an aspect of it. But the inner silence can sometimes become mental noise again; verbal silence can also become verbal speaking again. So these phenomenal experiences of silence are also coming and going, as all other phenomena is coming and going. But the silence which is an attribute of your nature, your reality, of what you are—that silence is unchanging.

I think the experience over here is the second one. I don't think it's the third one yet, but the mind has really been quieted down and the silence is really loud, like really loud. Oh my god! So that's loud in the family now. I don't know, maybe that's the third lot of kind of silence.

And you don't have to worry so much about the distinguishing of it. I just wanted to define it so that the potential for future confusion is not there. Because sometimes, as you come in morning Satsang, you will find more and more naturalness in the second silence. It's like you had this one imaginary friend who pretended to be your best friend and was always chatting, always making interpretations and judgments about everything. Now it is gone. Why? Because you have lost your interest in listening to it so much, so it seems to have got a lot quieter. Sometimes it feels a bit strange, this silence, but you should see something that you get used to more and more—this sense of inner quietness and peace.

And even if a lot of thoughts come, because they don't have that power over you, they will not disturb your silence. It will become... this silence will become more of the default state. But there is openness for inner noise to come; we are not resisting the mind in any way. Okay? Thank you.