« This return to the root is called Quietness; Quietness is called submission to fate. » – Lao Tseu
« Such know that the highest attainment in this life is to remain still and let God act and speak in us. » – Master Eckhart
« I have always loved the desert. One sits on a desert sand dune, sees nothing, hears nothing. Yet, through the silence, something throbs, and gleams… » – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
[dropcap]S[/dropcap]ilence is the original language. It embodies all meaning and is the language of our true self, which communicates with the pure self of others through the clarity and serenity of the universe. Silence is the beginning and the end of all languages; it is the truth and essence before birth and after death. It is the Unchanging and the Immutable.
He who does not know silence does not know the language of the clear self. He will shy away from perception, and from intuition and live bitterly, estranged from his inner being. Silence is the foundation of speech. Silence and hollowness are the vital first steps lo reaching for the original self. Anyone who does not move from listening to hearing cannot really talk and won’t be heard or understood. In the same way, anyone who cannot see with silence to become sight cannot be seen. Anyone who cannot touch and feel with silence will find it difficult to be aware of himself and the things around him, making him as worthless as the things themselves.
Emptying the inner-self to practice the breathing with silence shows how important this is for body and soul. This is an act of giving and receiving from the universe, an act of love. Listen to your inner being through deep breathing; wonder at the vastness of this marvellous space with every expansion of your chest. Listen to your body while it is breathing, in the “now,” away from the past and the future. Unbind yourself unconditionally from the domination of time, and with your whole consciousness enjoy fully the peace and relaxation of the present moment. Inhaling is silence and the inner space. Exhaling is speech, the outer world, the answer.
Eating with silence shows the intimate relationship between the food and or body, which is our home and our field of study. A relationship of love and nutrition happens when you offer yourself food that gives life to your body and soul. As a result, your inner-self will be delighted and become one of love, offering and light.
In a true relationship of love, silence is an essential, pure language between lovers, friends or between a mother and her child. Anyone who knows silence knows God and Love. He knows his own soul and the soul of the universe. Silence is our goal. We talk in order to give a consistency to the silence that will follow and remove the distance between us and our inner world. Talking dredges up great energy from within us, it blocks the tranquillity of our souls and stops us delving to discover and to listen to our inner-self.
Intuition is an essential element of Japanese life. It is the means by which the thoughts and feelings of others can be perceived rather than expressed in speech. Through intuition, we can receive signals from others without needing language. We can cast a side-look, which is enough to establish a link with others; there is no need to ask questions that may be embarrassing for both of us. In silence and calm lies a space for things to come into being. The seed becomes a tree whose branches arc laden with fruit. Life in all its forms may be renewed in silence and tranquillity. And from love comes newborn things.
Contemplate silence and tranquillity in yourself and the universe. Only then will everything gain meaning. Every time you live silence through your mind, touch, speech and deeds, the quest for life and love will widen around you. Only then will you encounter God and know the grace of meeting Him.
Then His spirit will live in your every moment of silence, and your life will become a true and essential life whose radiance will shine on others.
If this book succeeds in opening a small window in the darkness of days to brighten the inner-self and comfort the body though meditation and silence, it will have achieved its essential objective: absolute serenity and harmony with the universe.
