Loud speech, profusion of words, and possessing skillfulness in expounding. Scriptures are merely for the enjoyment of the learned. They do not lead to liberation. Sankaracharya

That which we most require for our spiritual growth is the silence of the desire and the tongue before God, Who is so high: the language. He most listens to that of silent love. St. John Of the Cross

Silence is as deep as eternity, speech as shallow as time. Carlyle

The best shrine man can ever create for the Supreme is in his own heart. There are places where holiness pervades, but that which makes them holy is the human soul living in the consciousness of God. We can all create such shrines, by the absence of anger, by the practice of humility, compassion, forgiveness and faith. When every act is made an act of devotion, then the living Presence is felt within. But we cannot feel the Presence except in the silence of our inner being.

As long as there is any unrest within us, we cannot hope to percieve or reflect the Spirit of God. Nor can we penetrate into the innermost recesses of the being. When, however, all turbulence ceases, then we grow conscious of the Divine Presence and have a realization of the inner life.

There are two ways to practice silence. One is through absence of thought and the other is through fullness of thought. The second is productive of great strength. When we try to empty our mind, there is danger of its falling into dull negative state, which opens it to many possible weakening influences. This is often the origin of mental depression, melancholia and those forms of insanity which are due to obsession. When on the contrary, we are able to fill the mind with one dynamic thought, not only does it fortify us against outer and inner dangers, but of itself it will empty the mind of all alien thoughts. Even a weak person by following this method will soon develop a certain tranquility and strength. There are two opposite elements constantly playing on the human mind. The one, known in Sanskrit as Tamas, creates a state of heaviness, dullness, indiscrimination and dejection. The other, called Ragas, carries the thought to the opposite extreme of over activity, turbulence, noisy aggression and obstentation. The two kinds may seem to resemble each other outwardly. One overpowered by dullness may appear tranquil, but it is very different condition from the serene stillness, where all the faculties of the mind are wide awake and full of light.

This higher form of silence, however, cannot be acquired in a moment. To cultivate it, we must master all our forces and this means steady practice. First we must try to have a healthy body, for any physical disturbance easily destroys the silence of the mind. But a healthy body is not all, a healthy mind is better. It gives spiritual health, which is the best of all. This being a less tangible form of health, people do not attach so much importance to it; yet without it, we can never have true health of mind or body.

Spiritual attainment requires great patience. It appears at times almost beyond our reach, because it seems to call for so much sacrifice; but we must make sacrifices for everything we earn on any plane; and in reality spiritual sacrifice is not so great because the return is so much richer and more enduring.Whenever we follow our higher instincts, instead of our lower, we humanize the animal in us and the noisier, more excitable part of our nature is quieted. The idea of silence is not merely avoiding action; it is bringing all our scattered and undisciplined forces wholly under our control. As long as our heart is agitated, our mind is stormy and our nerves are distracted, it is not possible for us to have unobstructed vision or the power of clear decision. But when the moments of stillness come, we have flashes of understanding which make our path clear.

It is interesting to note how the practice of silence enters into the heart of every vital religion. Whether it takes the form of quiet reflection, inaudible prayer or some other special ritual of worship, it has always one aim in view and that is to make the heart of the worshipper detached from the influence of the loud and distracting material world. The Quaker mystics fully realized the value of silence and carefully incorporated it in their mode of worship. The following gives an example of their faith: “First began the stilling of mind and soul. The intellect needs to learn how to be still, no less than the body, if it is to concentrate all its powers. This bringing of the mind awayfrom its distractions and restlessness to a single and sustained attention on God, is the crux of the whole matter. The re-collection of God under some aspect of his boundless immensity-His greatness, His awful sanctity, His enfolding Being, His Presence in the soul of man-these are cosmic thoughts in themselves casting upon the mind the hush and still wonder which is the avenue to contemplation.

Thus we pass to the centre of our silence. The will is at its highest activity. Just as an insect poised in the air, seeming motionless, with wings in such rapid motion that they are invisible, is all the while sustained by its resistence to the air, so the will in this listening is not passive. It holds fast to its rest in God by sustained resistance to all that would drag it down or invade its silence. This is very far from making the mind with God to the exclusion of all else. Not in words, or visions, or signs, did we look for the communications of God. Thoughts rising spontaneously, movements and stirrings welling up from the depths of the soul, the inner glory of God hidden in the soul of man, emerging, filling the Temple, none of these word images conveys what can be conveyed. Only we knew God, and we knew that we knew Him.’’

The Practice Of Silence has to do with every part of our system. There is a silence of the body, silence of the mind and silence of the heart. Until all these are tranquilized, we can not know what true silence is. The body is silent when it is free from both motion and tension. It must be wholly relaxed yet firm and quiet. This is gained by the practice of posture, which is one of the most essential exercises in developing the power of meditation. Posture teaches us not only to hold the body still in some fixed position at a special time, but at all times to avoid every superfluous motion and maintain equilibrium. Nothing helps more to conserve our physical energies than this form of silence. The mind acquires silence through the persistent practice of discriminative elimination and concentration. As it comes in contact with the external world, it learns to distinguish between vital and non-vital, real and unreal; then discarding the unreal and non-vital, it focuses itself with order upon the object of its attention. The heart grows still and full of gladness through meditation, which is an unbroken flow of the thought and feeling towards the Ideal. In the inner realm serenity, not inactivity, brings the sense of silence. Perfect balance and calmness never fail to generate great power throughout the whole organism. Only in this state do we see the manifestation of the highest intelligence.

Exercises in silence are like exercises given to soldiers; a sort of spiritual drill. Their effect must be seen in all that we do because whatever we undertake with the aid of a well-disciplined mind, trained to absolute attention, cannot fail to be more efficiently done. This is why it is so needful for us to gain more and more the habit of silence and one-pointedness. Only then we can make an inner island, which no storm can overwhelm. This is the purpose of all spiritual practices. Thus, if a person who is distracted with thoughts of sickness, sorrow, perplexity, can sit quietly and hold thoughts of purity and divine wisdom, very soon he will begin to feel the unbounded nature of his own soul and of the cosmic life of which he is a part; and his whole being will be filled with strength and tranquility. When we practice silence in the times of disturbed situations i.e. detach our thoughts wholly from the distracting condition and hold it firmly on some higher thought even for a few moments, it will restore our equilibrium; we shall be lifted out of the condition and feel as if we had been bathed in fresh clear water. Whenever we spend even a moment in silent communion with our spiritual Ideal, we are revived and ready to start on our way once more.

How can we hope to hear the subtle voice of the Spirit as long as we are listening to all the noises of the world? It is not possible. That is why silence is so necessary. We must close all our senses, because it is through these doors that the sounds of the world reach us. If we wish to commune with God, we must disconnect ourselves from all distracting influences. No one is nearer to us than God, but we must know it. The more we are engrossed in the world, the less do we have the opportunity to seek Him. When we are not awake and attentive on the higher plane, things of the Spirit do not touch us. Purity of heart, openness of mind, and willingness to follow, constitute the whole of spiritual life. When we have these, God bestows on us all His choicest gifts. We must work with one-pointed devotion, with a sense of concentration, and with undepressed heart. We must also cultivate the power to receive. Then nothing can hold us back. If we live a silent, prayerful life, striving to strengthen our purpose and quieten the noisy voice, God makes our steps steady and unfaltering, fills us with His divine wisdom, and bless us with the consciousness of His Holy Presence.