Difference between revisions of "Mental Silence"
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<span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Mental silence is a certain calmness. This does not necessarily mean that there are no thoughts; it means that regardless of the number, frequency and intensity of thoughts, the mind-substance remains peaceful. </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">The key to keeping the mind calm is treating thoughts as a temporary guest in the mind</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">, and not to prevent these surface thoughts from entering or eliminating inner thoughts of clarity, light and deeper aspiration. </span> | <span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Mental silence is a certain calmness. This does not necessarily mean that there are no thoughts; it means that regardless of the number, frequency and intensity of thoughts, the mind-substance remains peaceful. </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">The key to keeping the mind calm is treating thoughts as a temporary guest in the mind</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">, and not to prevent these surface thoughts from entering or eliminating inner thoughts of clarity, light and deeper aspiration. </span> | ||
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<div style="color:#000000;">Sri Aurobindo writes “The difference between a vacant mind and a calm mind is this: when the mind is vacant, there is no thought, no conception, no mental action of any kind, except an essential perception of things without the formed idea; but in the calm mind, it is the substance of the mental being that is still, so still that nothing disturbs it. If thoughts or activities come, they do not rise at all out of the mind, but they come from outside…”</div> | <div style="color:#000000;">Sri Aurobindo writes “The difference between a vacant mind and a calm mind is this: when the mind is vacant, there is no thought, no conception, no mental action of any kind, except an essential perception of things without the formed idea; but in the calm mind, it is the substance of the mental being that is still, so still that nothing disturbs it. If thoughts or activities come, they do not rise at all out of the mind, but they come from outside…”</div> | ||
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<span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Peace and mental silence go hand-in-hand. </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Mental silence is not a state in which one feels empty and devoid of thoughts. On the contrary, mental silence comes about when peace as a substance enters one’s mind from higher planes.</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">In this solid peace, one is unperturbed by the coming and going of thoughts, as at the maximum they scratch the surface of the rock-solid peace.</span> | <span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Peace and mental silence go hand-in-hand. </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Mental silence is not a state in which one feels empty and devoid of thoughts. On the contrary, mental silence comes about when peace as a substance enters one’s mind from higher planes.</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">In this solid peace, one is unperturbed by the coming and going of thoughts, as at the maximum they scratch the surface of the rock-solid peace.</span> | ||
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<div style="color:#000000;">Sri Aurobindo says “Peace is a deep quietude where no disturbance can come - a quietude with a sense of established security and release. In complete silence there are either no thoughts or, if they come, they are felt as something coming from outside and not disturbing the silence. The silence of the mind, peace or calm in the mind are three things that are very close together and bring each other.”</div> | <div style="color:#000000;">Sri Aurobindo says “Peace is a deep quietude where no disturbance can come - a quietude with a sense of established security and release. In complete silence there are either no thoughts or, if they come, they are felt as something coming from outside and not disturbing the silence. The silence of the mind, peace or calm in the mind are three things that are very close together and bring each other.”</div> | ||
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<div style="color:#000000;">After the discovery of quiet and calm peace, one must strive to ensure that it occupies all parts of one’s being. This state must widen and one must lose himself in it and become one with it. When one has widened his/her consciousness sufficiently enough to dissolve in and experience the all-pervasive, timeless and infinite peace, the receptivity to the Divine will be enhanced. </div> | <div style="color:#000000;">After the discovery of quiet and calm peace, one must strive to ensure that it occupies all parts of one’s being. This state must widen and one must lose himself in it and become one with it. When one has widened his/her consciousness sufficiently enough to dissolve in and experience the all-pervasive, timeless and infinite peace, the receptivity to the Divine will be enhanced. </div> | ||
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<span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Sri Aurobindo says “</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">The wider your consciousness becomes, the more you will be able to receive from above.</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">The Shakti will be able to descend and bring strength and light as well as peace into the system. What you feel as narrow and limited in you is the physical mind; it can only widen if this wider consciousness and the light come down and possess the nature.”</span> | <span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Sri Aurobindo says “</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">The wider your consciousness becomes, the more you will be able to receive from above.</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">The Shakti will be able to descend and bring strength and light as well as peace into the system. What you feel as narrow and limited in you is the physical mind; it can only widen if this wider consciousness and the light come down and possess the nature.”</span> | ||
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<div style="color:#000000;">When peace and wideness are established in the silent mind, it can become the base for further Light, Delight, Force to come in and act. One then becomes an instrument for the higher consciousness and does not lose any incoming higher knowledge, force and will, through any ‘mentalising’ movements.</div> | <div style="color:#000000;">When peace and wideness are established in the silent mind, it can become the base for further Light, Delight, Force to come in and act. One then becomes an instrument for the higher consciousness and does not lose any incoming higher knowledge, force and will, through any ‘mentalising’ movements.</div> |
Revision as of 22:15, 14 August 2018
Contents
Introduction
What is mental silence?
The mind
The mind is like water in an ocean. Waves, ripples and currents are akin to the thoughts and their intensity. Impurities can be mixed into it and they can also be removed. The mind is a substance which can accommodate various movements and objects but is not a movement or an object by itself. However, the identity of oneself is a large object in each person’s mind.
Mental Silence
...that state of constant vibration may be .. harmful to the exact reflection or reception of the descending Truth ... for these vibrations are the source of a mentalisation which can diminish or distort the authenticity of the higher Truth or break it up into mental refractions. When I speak of a still mind, I mean then one in which these subtler disturbances too are no longer there.”
Practising mental silence
Silently witnessing one’s own thoughts without analysis, judgement or emotion is the beginning of practising mental silence.
Keeping the mind calm
Mental silence is a certain calmness. This does not necessarily mean that there are no thoughts; it means that regardless of the number, frequency and intensity of thoughts, the mind-substance remains peaceful. The key to keeping the mind calm is treating thoughts as a temporary guest in the mind, and not to prevent these surface thoughts from entering or eliminating inner thoughts of clarity, light and deeper aspiration.
Feeling peaceful
Peace and mental silence go hand-in-hand. Mental silence is not a state in which one feels empty and devoid of thoughts. On the contrary, mental silence comes about when peace as a substance enters one’s mind from higher planes. In this solid peace, one is unperturbed by the coming and going of thoughts, as at the maximum they scratch the surface of the rock-solid peace.
Widening
Sri Aurobindo says “The wider your consciousness becomes, the more you will be able to receive from above. The Shakti will be able to descend and bring strength and light as well as peace into the system. What you feel as narrow and limited in you is the physical mind; it can only widen if this wider consciousness and the light come down and possess the nature.”
Benefits
Problem-solving
The Mother says “When one has learned to silence the mind at will and to concentrate it in receptive silence, then there will be no problem that cannot be solved, no mental difficulty whose solution cannot be found.”
Guidance for one’s actions
A blank slate is one that is ready to be written on. Both knowledge and its usage can descend into one’s mind when one removes the noise. This can guide in decision-making, the direction of efforts and everyday actions.
Gaining insights
When one is in receptive silence, revelations can occur. These might be personal or pertaining to something for which one is seeking answers. These insights can deepen one’s understanding of a particular topic.
Emotional issues
The intensity of the emotions felt is greatly reduced since one is not personalising an experience or situation. With practice that is integrated into everyday life, handling conflicts, relationship issues, crises and other triggers that can impact emotions can be made easier. At the same time, one becomes an instrument for a greater Force, Love, Will and Delight to course through, in a calm state and act on the world.
Conclusion