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Mental Silence Compilation (view source)

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== What is Mental Silence? ==

=== The Mind ===

<div style="color: #000000;">For the mystic's experience of mind, especially when it falls still, is not that of an abstract condition or impalpable activity of the consciousness; it is rather an experience of a substance—an extended subtle substance in which there can be and are waves, currents, vibrations not physically material but still as definite, as perceptible, as tangible and controllable by an inner sense as any movement of material energy or substance by the physical senses. </div>

~~<div style~~="color:#000000;">For the mystic's experience of mind, especially when it falls still, is not that of an abstract condition or impalpable activity of the consciousness; it is rather an experience of a substance—an extended subtle substance in which there can be and are waves, currents, vibrations not physically material but still as definite, as perceptible, as tangible and controllable by an inner sense as any movement of material energy or substance by the physical senses. </div>== Mental Silence ===

~~=== Mental Silence ===~~The stillness of the mind means, first, the falling to rest of the habitual thought movements, thought formations, thought currents which agitate this mind-substance. That repose, vacancy of movement, is for many a sufficient ~~'''~~mental~~'''~~ ~~'''~~silence~~'''~~. ~~~~<ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/28/philosophical-thought-and-yoga#p21</ref>

=== The Experience of Mental Silence ===

But it is possible also to pass to that through a certain experience of Nirvana, an absolute silence of mind and cessation of its activities, constructions, representations which can be so complete that not only to the ~~'''~~silent~~'''~~ ~~'''~~mind~~'''~~ but also to the passive senses the whole world is emptied of its solidity and reality and things appear only as unsubstantial forms without any real habitations or else floating in something that is a nameless Infinite: this Infinite or else something still beyond is That which alone is real; an absolute calm, peace, liberation would be the resulting state. Action would continue, but no initiation or participation in it by the silent liberated consciousness; a nameless Power would do all until there began the descent from above which would transform the consciousness, making its silence and freedom a basis for a luminous knowledge, action, Ananda.

<ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/28/the-supermind-or-supramental#p22</ref>

<ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/03/23-june-1929#p21</ref>

=== Revelations ===

This kind of revelation can only occur in a silent mind—at least in a mind that is at rest, completely quiet and still, otherwise they do not come. Or if they come, you do not notice them, because of all the noise you are making. And of course, they help this quiet, this silence, this receptivity to become better and better established.

<ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/10/aphorism-77-78#p20</ref>

=== Appreciating Art ===

== 3. Prerequisites for Attaining Mental Silence ==

=== Divine Presence ===

Remember first that an inner quietude, caused by the purification of the restless mind and vital, is the first condition of a secure sadhana. Remember, next, that to feel the Mother's presence while in external action is already a great step and one that cannot be attained without a considerable inner progress. Probably, what you feel you need so much but cannot define is a constant and vivid sense of the Mother's force working in you, descending from above and taking possession of the different planes of your being. That is often a prior condition for the twofold movement of ascent and descent; it will surely come in time. These things can take a long time to begin visibly, especially when the mind is accustomed to be very active and has not the habit of ~~'''~~mental~~'''~~ ~~'''~~silence~~'''~~. When that veiling activity is there, much work has to be carried on behind the mobile screen of the mind and the sadhak thinks nothing is happening when really much preparation is being done. If you want a more swift and visible progress, it can only be by bringing your psychic to the front through a constant self-offering. Aspire intensely, but without impatience.

<ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/29/quiet-and-calm#p22</ref>

== 4. Challenges ==

=== Misconception that one will Lose their Ability to Think ===

I emphasise this fact because there are quite a few people who, when ~~'''~~mental~~'''~~ ~~'''~~silence~~'''~~ has been transmitted to them by occult means, are immediately alarmed and afraid of losing their intelligence. Because they can no longer think, they fear they may become stupid! But to cease thinking is a much higher achievement than to be able to spin out thoughts endlessly and it demands a much greater development.

<ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/03/conjugate-verses#p90</ref>

=== Abolishing the Ego - Getting Rid of Moral Egoism ===

<div style="color:#000000;">First of all, you must want to do it, and there are very few people who want to. And that is exactly what they say, it is this justification of their way of being, "That is the way I am made, I can't do otherwise. And then, if I change this, if I change that or if I do without this thing or if I get rid of that other, I shall no longer exist!" And if one doesn't say this openly, one thinks it…. One pushes it away in certain very obvious things; for example, if there is something good and someone rushes forward to make sure of having it first, even jostling his neighbour then here one becomes quite aware that this is not very elegant, so one begins to suppress these crudities, one makes a big effort—and one becomes highly self-satisfied: "I am not selfish, I give what is good to others, I don't keep it for myself", and one begins to get puffed up. And so one is filled with a moral egoism which is much worse than physical egoism, for it is conscious of its superiority.</div>

<div style="color:#000000;margin-left:~~0cm~~0;margin-right:~~0cm~~0;">And then there are those who have left everything, given up everything, who have left their families, distributed their belongings, gone into solitude, who live an ascetic life, and who are terribly conscious of their superiority, who look down at poor humanity from the height of their spiritual grandeur—and they have, these people, such a formidable ego that unless it is broken into small bits, never, never will they see the Divine. So it is not such an easy task. It takes a lot of time. And I must tell you that even when the work is done, it must always be begun again.</div>

<ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/04/19-april-1951#p8</ref>

=== Downward Pull of Imperfections ===

… the spiritual emergence has to wait at each step for the instruments to be ready; next, as the spiritual formation emerges, it is mixed inextricably with the powers, motives, impulses of an imperfect mind, life and body,—there is a pull on it to accept and serve these powers, motives and impulses, a downward gravitation and perilous mixture, a constant temptation to fall or deviation, at least a fettering, a weight, a retardation; there is a necessity to return upon a step gained in order to bring up something of the nature which hangs back and prevents a farther step; finally, there is, by the very character of mind in which it has to work, a limitation of the emerging spiritual light and power and a compulsion on it to move by segments, to follow one line or another and leave altogether or leave till later on the achievement of its own totality. This hampering, this obstacle of the mind, life and body,—the heavy inertia and persistence of the body, the turbid passions of the life-part, the obscurity and doubting incertitudes, denials, other-formulations of the mind,—is an impediment so great and intolerable that the spiritual urge becomes impatient and tries rigorously to quell these opponents, to reject the life, to mortify the body, to ~~'''~~silence~~'''~~ ~~'''~~the~~'''~~ ~~'''~~mind~~'''~~ and achieve its own separate salvation, spirit departing into pure spirit and rejecting from it altogether an undivine and obscure Nature.

<ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/22/the-evolution-of-the-spiritual-man#p10</ref>

=== Inferior Mentality ===

When the inner action proceeds after the silence, even if it be then a more predominatingly intuitive thought and movement, the old powers will yet interfere, if not from within, then by a hundred suggestions from without, and an inferior mentality will mix in, will question or obstruct or will try to lay hold on the greater movement and to lower or darken or distort or minimise it in the process. Therefore the necessity of a process of elimination or transformation of the inferior mentality remains always imperative,—or perhaps both at once, an elimination of all that is native to the lower being, its disfiguring accidents, its depreciations of value, its distortions of substance and all else that the greater truth cannot harbour, and a transformation of the essential things our mind derives from the supermind and spirit but represents in the manner of the mental ignorance.

<ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwsa/24/the-intuitive-mind#p5</ref>

== 5. How to Achieve/Practice Mental Silence? ==

=== Willpower ===

What the sadhaka has to do is to be careful to reject and hush these outsiders, so that during the meditation at least the peace and quietude of the mind and vital may be complete. This can be done best if you keep a strong and silent will.

=== Entering a Higher Domain ===

If you try to silence your mind directly, it is a hard job, almost impossible; for the most material part of the mind never stops its activity—it goes on and on like a non-stop recording machine. It repeats all that it records and unless there is a switch to stop it, it continues and continues indefinitely. If, on the other hand, you manage to shift your consciousness into a higher domain, above the ordinary mind, this opening to the Light calms the mind, it does not stir any longer, and the ~~'''~~mental~~'''~~ ~~'''~~silence~~'''~~ so obtained can become constant. Once you enter into this domain, you may very well never come out of it—the external mind always remains calm.

(Sri Aurobindo, 8th March 1951)

=== Being spontaneous ===

And if one carries this a little further, one should never think and plan beforehand what one ought to say or write. One should simply be able to silence one's mind, to turn it like a receptacle towards the higher Consciousness and express as it receives it, in ~~'''~~mental~~'''~~ ~~'''~~silence~~'''~~, what comes from above. That would be true spontaneity.

<ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/08/29-august-1956#p7</ref>

=== Reading ===

Take one of Sri Aurobindo's books. Read a sentence or two. Then remain silent and concentrated to understand the deeper meaning. Try to concentrate deeply enough to obtain ~~'''~~mental~~'''~~ ~~'''~~silence~~'''~~ and begin again daily until you obtain a result.

<ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/12/study-of-works-of-sri-aurobindo-and-the-mother#p29</ref>

=== Witness Without Involvement ===

<div style="color:#000000;">What is the meaning of “the mental witness”?</div>

<div style="color:#000000;">The witness we have spoken about several times already, only here it is in the mind.</div>

<div style="color:#000000;">There are witnesses everywhere. It is a capacity of the being to detach itself, to stand back and look at what is happening, as when one looks at something happening in the street or when one looks at others playing and does not himself play, one remain seated, looking at the others moving but does not move. That’s how it is.</div>

In all the parts of the being there is one side which can do this: put itself at the back, remain quiet and look, without participating. This is what is called the witness. One has many witnesses inside oneself, and often one is a witness without even being aware of it. And if you develop this, it always gives you the possibility of being quiet and not being affected by things. One detaches oneself from them, looks at them as at a dramatic scene, without participating in it. This does not change things very much.

<ref>http://incarnateword.in/cwm/06/15-december-1954#p1</ref>

~~ ~~

Suhani

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