Gandhi observed ‘maun vrat’ (day of silence) on Mondays to order his cluttered mind and renew his vision, as well as to complete outstanding work. That was also the day he fasted. Since we can’t really be silent for a whole day on a workday, we are going to try to do this all day on Sundays during the month of May and one hour per day on the other days. Our practice will be:
- Remaining silent, unspeaking
- Moving around and performing activities as quietly as possible
- Refraining from listening to anything that is not a natural sound
- Refraining from writing and reading (no computer activity!)
- Keeping thoughts in the present moment, rather than in the past or future.
Gentle housekeeping or gardening are acceptable activities of silence, as are biking or long walks in nature. What happens when one is silent for a long period? According to Joseph Dispenza, author of “God on Your Own,” who took a vow of silence for one year:
The outer noise goes first, and then the inner noise starts to evaporate. Soon, quiet reigns everywhere, it seems. Time slows to a crawl. Sounds becomes a curiosity – natural sounds, especially, like the flow of water or the rustle and sway of tall grass, become occasions for deeper listening and lead to a most profound inner calm.
One of our Radiator Gem quotes is by Dorothy Nevill: “The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right place but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.”
Being quiet at the right time in a conversation can be difficult enough. But being quiet as an exercise is a real challenge requiring mindfulness and attention. While I would say it goes against my “nature”, I’d also say it’s darn good practice!
Being quiet for a day, yet being with others and being communicative is not easy. We spent a day at the lake and tried it; we occasionally resorted to sign language and a note or two. Being silent for more than a day is really hard, unless you’re alone or among others who are doing it too. But you don’t have to join a monastery to do so.
Major Mod
We have made a modification to the Silence practice. Rather than do the ‘whole day’ thing, which proves to be impractical when you’re also living in the Real World, we have changed to:
Sit still (STILL) and be quiet (QUIET) for 20-30 minutes per day; twice a day if possible.
Progressively think fewer thoughts as you do this.
I did 20 this morning, then went and played 18 holes of golf; played overall better than is typical for my typical game. I’m just sayin…
More on this to come.