Four monks decided to meditate silently without speaking for two weeks.
They began with enthusiasm and no one said a word the whole day.
By nightfall of the first day, the candle began to flicker and then went out.
The first monk blurted out, “Oh, no! The candle is out.”
The second monk said, “Hey! We are not supposed to speak!”
The third monk said in an irritated voice, “What is this? Why did you two break the silence?”
The fourth monk smiled and said, “Wow! I’m the only one who hasn’t spoken.”
Reflections:
Each monk broke the silence for a different reason, each of which is a common stumbling block in our inner journey: distraction, judgement, anger and pride.
The first monk got distracted by one aspect of his experience (the candle) and forgot what was more important – the practice of witnessing without reacting.
The second monk was more worried about others following the rules than in actually practising himself. He was quick to judge without noticing that he himself was guilty of what he was criticizing.
The third monk let his anger towards the first two monks affect him.
The singular burst of anger ruined the effort of the day.
The fourth monk lost his way because of pride. He was convinced he was superior to the others, proving his ignorance.
Why did the fourth monk speak at all? He could have simply maintained his silence and he would have been successful in his endeavour.
But if he had, chances are, the other three might have continued to argue and not even noticed his silence. Some people are like this.
Their motto is “If I am doing something good, but no one notices, I might as well not be doing it at all.” They believe that the reward is not in the effort, but in the recognition.
There is a beautiful quote, “It is the province of knowledge to speak; it is the privilege of wisdom to listen.”
As we learn to truly listen, witness and observe without impulsively reacting with distraction, judgement, anger and pride, then we understand the true meaning of silence.
The Wisdom of Silence
Silence has the strength of spaces in sublime consciousness…
Silence shows the way of patience
Silence activates our guiding spirit
Silence powers the strength of intuition
Silence moves towards deep contemplation
Silence evolves the spirit of understanding
Silence graces atmosphere with quietude
Silence defends without a word
Silence strengthens the soul.
Silence can be a knowing of the peace within .
Silence is painful in its struggles and valuable in itself. Silence is in utter desperation, deep contemplation with phases of meditative connectedness. Silence is never thoughtless or mindless.
Silence dwells in the spaces between the steps to access whenever. Silence leads and the path appears.
As love conquers you it blesses you in the knowing.
Make not a mockery of love
Serenade love and allow it to speak truth
Love surfaces from the depth of emotions
To mend you and this world to a better place.
As true love is eternal
Free as bird in flights of oblivion
Travelling in the abandon
Of the wilderness of the spirit
Yet bonded in the boundless infinity
Endless love a gift of grace
Acknowledge this treasure
Blending two souls in one
As a life loved is well lived… such a rare sight!
What a blessing it truly is….A love like that!
In realising the many miracles of life is knowing a love that can move the soul of our being. We can consider ourselves lucky to even have been touched by a love like that!
Savvy
Happy Valentine’s Day to all my friends and readers!!!
We are often about holding on than letting go . We are able to hoard but find it difficult to let go . We try to control our lives a little too much that we often forget there is a power greater than us that cares for us all.
Letting go in faith and trust is an immensely gratifying experience. If you choose to let go of your unnecessary niggles of doubts and fears you will find the path of calm and peace that sustains you …
So what are the immediate things you can choose to let loose?
Here are a few that come immediately to mind…
Lose your excuses
You will find results
Lose your worry
You will find the will to do
Lose your negative thoughts
You will reflect positivity
A Matter of Honouring the Self and Respecting Others.
“Nothing in Nature can be fully free without restricions or interdependence. Such is the way of Nature, like so is its creations. There can be free will for all, but care should be taken in its extension so it never suffocates others. All natural elements like Sun, Ocean confine to their own boundaries, in spite of being so potent and powerful. If they cross calamities can happen.”
I received these above reflections from my mother on reading my recent post On Freedom
This is an important aspect of freedom which is about respect for edges and spaces. Knowing your edges… is knowing your freedom ends at the tip of your fingers and toes. So honour your personal space… Beyond that there are boundaries to be respected.
On respecting another’s personal space
The term “personal space” generally refers to the physical distance between two people in a social, family, or work environment. Think of your personal space as the air between your body and an invisible shield, or bubble, you have formed around yourself for any relationship.
Respect for personal space is an important life skill .
Although there are different norms in different cultures across the world . Any invasion of personal space is considered a threat to the freedom of the individual all over the world.
Dancing and Personal Space.
Speaking of partner dancing… in certain dances there are rules for a professional distance to be maintained between dancers so that they wont get in each others way, which technically makes perfect sense.
But rules are often broken and unfortunately that is also the reason where you feel uncomfortable dancing with some people over others.
The best connection amongst dancers are in those that respect the partnership and maintain the personal space in between as it helps them manuvere moves with ease.
Yet in life we often see people blatantly trampling on each others personal spaces.
Not only is it too close for comfort it is also an invasion of privacy and threatening in nature.
A few tips on respecting personal spaces.
Every person has different standards of physical and social contact . Some people run the risk of offending others as they have a pesky habit of touching or tapping people as they converse … it truly can be very irritating and in many cultures around the world it is considered rude and ill mannered. It is wise to avoid touching anyone you don’t know.
Always enter a room or office by knocking first. Respect anothers privacy as much as you would like another to respect your own.
Acknowledge others personal space on the road or in public spaces.While travelling make sure to keep your edges with you. Avoid flaying and flinging arms too much as you walk for it can get in anothers way.
It is rude to fling your arm around someone’s shoulder or slap anyone on the back unless you know the person very well. Overt display of affection can be irritating as not everyone is comfortable with the physical touch.
It is good to understand every parent looks at parenting differently. Some think their infants can contract germs if touched by strangers. So avoid cuddling or fondling others children.
It is also important to speak to and show children how to protect their boundaries and respect the personal space of others.
Be close enough to hear and speak without whispering or shouting.While standing stay at least 4 feet away from a person unless you know him or her well. Avoiding treading on someone’s pathway.
At times invariably people get too close for comfort . Take note of cues.When someone leans away from you, you are probably in that person’s space that makes him or her uncomfortable. Take a step back.
If you walk into a cinema or theater that isn’t crowded, leave an extra seat between you and the next person. However, it is alright to sit next to someone if the room is crowded.
Often in situations of extreme eagerness to communicate with another boundaries are crossed. Avoid leaning over someone else’s shoulder to read something unless invited. It is probably done in a harmless way Yet it almost amounts to taking another for granted.
It is truly bad manners to go through anyone else’s personal belongings. Never do so! And never encourage such kind of behaviour in children or adults.
Many years ago I remember an incident where one of our family friend’s young daughter had picked up a habit of checking out handbags of their guests in front of them even as they were all together sitting, engaged in a conversation. Often it is necesssary for parents to stop their children right then and there instead of encouraging it by saying my child is simply curious and loves to play with new bags . It was a difficult situation to handle as no one would like it if someone went through their handbags even if it was a child.
Check if you can take your pets along while visiting friends houses. While you may see no reason to… it is prudent to do so as…your pets are pets only for you! It is necessary to remember not everyone is a pet owner and all do not feel likewise or can tolerate every thinģ in the name of pets.
Your pet and its care is truly your own buisness.
It is wrong to cut in front of people in line.Patience is a great virtue. Respect queues. Respect system. Respect space.
