The highest form of Self Care is Silence!
Why Silence?
It only takes the most casual of glances at the pace of life around the globe as we enter the third decade of this millennium to see that the world is full of activity, busy-ness, noise, striving, all kinds of suffering and dis-ease.
How did we get here? By not stopping and listening the very source of life itself!
Where is this to be found? We all know the answer in truth. It is in the silence of our hearts.
Our hearts know.
Yet we listen to the conditioned mind instead and end up ceaselessly striving, for mind is never ultimately satisfied. It can never trust that we are enough in our pure innocence and being.
So how to resolve this? By opening to, and recognising, the fundamental importance of silence.
Being in Silence is Meditation. Meditation is ultimately, Infinite Silence.
Meditation is so much more that sitting in the lotus position in a cave somewhere in the Himalayas. Life is a Living Meditation if we only allow that inner silence to take front and centre stage as opposed the constant activity of the conditioned mind.
There’s an old quote often attribute to Zen that takes various forms that goes something like this:
“Meditate for an hour every day and if you have a busy day ahead, meditate for two.”
To the mind this seems crazy. To the heart it makes perfect sense. Why?
It is simply because the mind will always, as we have noted, be striving, reaching and thus full of activity. It will tell you there are huge lists of things more important for you to be doing than sitting or lying down in meditation. It can wait it will say… and wait and wait some more until we are so stressed out, ill, in dis-ease we are forced by life itself to stop. To look. To listen inside.
If you were to genuinely sit in two hours of quality meditation life would take on a whole new perspective. All those things that seemed so important will look much less so and your priorities will change. Dramatically!
Mostly, we don’t give life a chance. We give activity a chance. Endless amounts of it. Look at where it has got us.
Whilst there has been undoubted and accentuated suffering in the world in many ways as a result of the Covid-19 Pandemic it is very important to remember that there was vast suffering beforehand. We were mostly too busy to stop and notice.
If there’s one thing lockdown has brought to many is the invitation to STOP. Live life in a different way and different pace.
Mind may want things to return to normal. Heart is inviting us to return to natural! There’s a huge difference.
The first is born of mind and full of constant activity which is how most of us currently live, the latter is born of the heart and leads to inspired action.
Which would you rather have? Endless busy-ness or Inner Peace and inspiration?
No contest, not even close. It’s common sense.
What is the highest meditation? Silence which, by the way, is also ultimately Spiritual Self Realisation as Infinite Awareness or Infinite Silence. The inner Buddha in us and that is us all, now.
The mind instantly wants to know how?
Be still and know.
Your essence is already this Infinite Silence in the inner infinite dimensions of life. When people say to me but I can’t meditate or still my mind. I smile with compassion and in the loving knowing that they are already the Living Meditation and Silence. It’s a matter of where your attention is placed.
Meditation is not about stilling the mind. It’s about realising one is Infinite Awareness or Infinite Silence. This will automatically and effortlessly lead to stillness and ultimately Self Realisation.
It’s also not about the length of the meditation its about the quality of it. Though to get true benefit you will have to commit some regular time not just a few minutes here and there.
Much of what is promoted as meditation, whilst of good intent, actually promotes mind based activity and visualisation. The Infinite Silence meditation which I’ve included below (33 minutes long) and emerged as part of Self Realisation is about recognising the awareness that is already present. It has had profound benefits for people around the globe. It can, with practice, be used in all parts of life not just sitting or lying down.
You are worth it.
Silence will lead to the highest choices in every area of your life if you but embrace it. You don’t need to believe me on this, you will see. You will however be called to commit. Your heart already knows.
What does it have to say about this?
Blessings in Infinite Silence,
Philip Wade
33 Minute Infinite Silence Experience
https://www.facebook.com/InfiniteSilenceSelfRealisation
