Listening to the silence

LISTENING

A Meditation by Anthony de Mello, SJ

"Every word, every image 

used for God is a distortion

more than a description."

"Then how does one speak of God?"

"Through Silence."

"Why, then, do you speak in words?"

At that, the Master

laughed uproariously.

He said, "When I speak, you

mustn't listen to the words, my dear.

Listen to the Silence." 

---

I love the wisdom of Anthony deMello's quote. Yes, the silence of a spiritual master's or a dear friend's words contains the message of love and compassion, which transcends the words themselves. Indeed, words are like a finger pointing to the moon, and the moon - love and compassion (which embodies God) - is a beauty to behold in silent awe and rapture.

Simplicity, patience, compassion

Simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

I think this profound quote sums up the greatest treasures within us very well. It reminds me of the kingdom of God that is within us Jesus spoke about, which is similar to the inner treasures of simplicity, patience and compassion Lao Tzu mentioned, that each of us has. 

Maybe when Jesus said to become like little children in order to enter this kingdom that is within us, he could be referring to simplicity in actions and thoughts which connects us to the source of our being, contrasting with the ways of religious institutions which tend to complicate life with their rules, rituals and doctrines. 

As for patience and compassion, I realise both come from remembering our true identity as Love because Love is patient and kind/compassionate according to 1 Corinthians 13, so when we start by being compassionate with ourselves, our kindness and patience naturally flows to others. As Lao Tzu says, we accord with the way things are and reconcile all beings in the world, as we reconnect with our true self and know we are Love - be still and know you are God, as the psalmist also would say.

Emotions and Stillness

There is a place for expressing anger and bitterness. Each of us has to find our own balance to not allow these valid emotions to run our lives or affect our health and well being or cause harm to others, while at the same time, to express these emotions freely as long as we need to, in order to find greater freedom in future.

Suppressing our emotions would mean denying our humanity and thus causing resentment to fester over time. To experience healing from abuse and manipulation by society and religion, we all need safe ways to ventilate and express our emotions. Being in a community of fellow survivors where people support one another instead of trying to fix one another is one such way, and is a step towards finding healing. One such community I have visited and can recommend is David Hayward's forum.

Being still and finding time to meditate on life's experiences is another safe way of dealing with anger and bitterness. It involves accepting all our emotions wholeheartedly without making any value judgment on whether they are right or wrong. By accepting our humanity, we give ourselves permission to feel what we need to feel, and eventually heal from the inside out.

I am learning that compassion involves being involved in another person's suffering too. In order to empathise with others, we need to stay in touch with our feelings first and not deny our feelings. Being human, no one is immune to feelings of hurt and abuse, and we all have the capacity to put ourselves in the shoes of another, and show sensitivity and understanding.

On a similar note, I think the verse "Be still and know I am God" can mean be still and know I am love; I am peace; I am non judgement; I am one with others, both in joy and in sorrow, both in bliss and in suffering. Feelings are that which makes us human and unites us as one humanity. Contrary to popular belief, expressing feelings does not make us look weak because it can forge a stronger bond between people who share similar challenges and support one another with compassion and understanding.

"A man of peace" - Osho

"A man of peace is not a pacifist; a man of peace is simply a pool of silence. He pulsates a new kind of energy into the world, he sings a new song. He lives in a totally new way, his very way of life is that of grace, that of prayer, that of compassion. Whomsoever he touches, he creates more loving energy. The man of peace is creative." - OSHO 

I agree with the power and purpose of a man (or woman) of peace in being creative and sending positive energy of grace and compassion. As a saying goes, "Still water runs deep." A man or woman of peace is usually one who spends time meditating and contemplating, and in the process is able to process information and come to a better understanding of how things are - "Be still and know I am". We are love, we are grace, we are the infinite. Peace gives us the stability to withstand any storm from the outside. We also see our own reflection (of our true godly nature) the clearest on still, tranquil water.