How do I find silence? I live in such a noisy place. There are different sounds all around. The whistling of the pressure cooker from my neighbor’s home. The doorbells ringing. Cars going past. The cry of the ambulance or the police sirens. The birds are squawking and the crows are cawing. Dogs barking, vendors selling their wares. Oh dear, oh dear what shall I do?
We all feel like this especially when we wish to meditate. We justify our lack of practice because of the surround sounds. It is incredible how we are affected by all this chatter. We also have a private conversation with ourselves about the sounds. So, if we observe Mouna (verbal silence), we may not be speaking but we are chattering with the sounds.
I learnt Yoga in the ashram, which was near a railway track. The challenges to being attentive were like climbing an incredibly high mountain with no give. The goods train went on this track and the whistling of the engine were enough to make a distracted soul listen to it. There was a gate and all the traffic was jammed, waiting for the gates to open. The traffic comprised of bullock carts, trucks, cars, rickshaws and maybe a herd of cows.
What was the outcome?
My concentration improved. I did not question or judge the sounds. I followed the instructions of my teacher. I was not at all influenced by the echoes. Swamiji said that it was a lesson and we had to understand that silence came from within.
Swami Sivananda said,
Mouna, silence of the mind is far superior to the Mouna of speech. It must be natural. Forced Mouna is only wrestling with the mind. It is an effort. If you live in truth, mouna will come itself.
Dear ones, do not be angry with the surround sounds. Ignore them, do not question where they are coming from or what is making them. If you engage with them, you will wish to speak and your mind is only too happy to engage in the chatter. So being silent means being in the moment and being yourself. Then our mind becomes silent and we also lose the desire to speak.
Aim Hrim Klim