Silence is the pause in me
when
I am near to God.
Arvo Pärt
Imagine a great symphony without spaces
between the notes. Imagine a conversation with a beloved friend without pauses between
the words. Imagine making your way through an incessant wall of noise without
any distinction between voice or sound. It would be disorienting to say the
least.
Silence is not just the absence
of sound, it is a spacious and steady ground beneath all we say or do. All
words we speak arise from silence, and return to it. All musical notes sung or
played emerge from the silence and fall back to it. Silence is always there,
waiting beneath the noise, the busyness and the excess of our daily living.
The 17th century
mathematician and philosopher, Blaise Pascal, once made the observation, “All
humanity’s miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.”
Perhaps there’s more than a
little hyperbole in his statement, but there is much truth as well. We can grow
accustomed to –even addicted to – the noisy distractions of our living. I hear
in Pascal’s words the wise insight that we need silence in order to be well. We
need enough silence and spaciousness in our lives to be able to reflect
thoughtfully, to wait patiently, to listen attentively and respond wakefully to
God’s presence within us and among us.
A more contemporary Christian
teacher, Thomas Keating, puts it simply: “Silence is God’s primary language;
everything else is poor translation.”
Are we listening? Are we open to slowing down, quieting down enough to
befriend the silence that is always there within us and around us?
A Simple Silent Meditation Practice: Find a space where you know you
will not be interrupted. Find a comfortable sitting position for your body, making sure your
posture is upright and alert. Either close your eyes or let your gaze gently rest
on the floor in front of you. Take several deep breaths, paying attention to
your breath coming in and going out. Offer a quiet prayer of intention,
welcoming God to meet you in this time. Sit in the silence. If you find your
mind wandering or experience sleepiness, simply bring your attention back to
the present moment by attending to your breath. Alternately, you might use a
sacred word or name for God as your focal point. If you find yourself
distracted simply offer this word/name in the silence as a renewal of your
intention to be in this present moment with loving, non-judgmental awareness. Simply notice the thoughts as they
arise and release them into God’s care. Our minds are active and there is a
reason why many wise teachers have described our chronic thought patterns as “monkey mind”! At
the end of the time quietly offer a prayer of gratitude. Trust that this time
is a precious gift that will go with you into your day. If this sort of
practice is unfamiliar you might start with just a few minutes of silence and
then increase the time to a 20-30 minute meditation period.
Originally published in Kidron Bethel Village's Village Voice newsletter (March 2017)
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