Listening More, Saying Less
11 Apr 2011 Leave a Comment
in Nisargadatta, Yoga Meditation
“The moment you start talking you create a verbal universe, a universe of words, ideas and abstractions, interwoven and inter-dependent, most wonderfully generating, supporting and explaining each other and yet, all without essence or substance, mere creations of the mind. Words create words, reality is silent.” – Nisargadatta Maharaj
We don’t really realize how much we rely on words, or more specifically, the use of our voice, until we don’t have one. For me, this is Day 5 of Laryngitis and the frustration of my voice honking, sqweeking and fading in and out still sticks like a thorn in my side. The forced silence has been refreshing really, challenging me to carefully consider and utilize as few words as possible to convey my thoughts, and only when necessary.
Silence is a skill comprised of patience, concentration and contemplation, pretty much in that order. While we converse all day long, jumping from one subject to the next, how often do we really hear what is being said? Most comments/statements/words are exchanged with only a vauge understanding of what the other is trying to say, mainly because while they are speaking, we are already forming a response, occupying the mind with another task. Maybe we do this out of defensiveness, maybe boredum, or even excitement as we get caught up in the flow of thoughts. Whatever the reason, we are eager to get the words out, as if we would not be understood without them.
Listening more and saying less, making room for contemplation, understanding and healing.
