Useless conversation is one of the obstacles to meditation. When we were looking into satya (truthfulness) we discussed differentiating between information that is true and information that is true and valuable. In preparation for meditation we are going to take this concept one step further and learn to embrace silence.
Spiritual power is lost with the energy expended in excessive talking. In my experience there are two forms of excessive talk; mindless drivel and intellectual discussion. The first is pretty obvious. I'm fairly certain everyone has been subjected to mindless drivel at some point. Aside from sparing your friends from boredom and irritation, keeping the babble to a minimum will enable that energy to be directed inward. Now, I imagine that the second form of excessive talk, intellectual discussion, gave you pause. Who doesn't enjoy and often learn from an intelligent conversation? While intellectual reasoning used for metaphysical inquiry can lead you to the threshold of intuition, pure knowledge is internal and will only be found through introspection. The truly wise speak few words and those only when necessary.
Conversations are part of our daily lives and often cannot be avoided. So what should we do to overcome this obstacle? To help calm and discipline the mind, try to observe two hours of silence daily. If that seems like a lot, start with 30 minutes and go from there. "True silence is the rest of the mind; it is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment." ~William Penn
No comments:
Post a Comment