The Power of Silence

This may give you the opportunity to start to see things clearly like never before

Written with Kittirat Yothangrong

After just coming out of an eight day silence retreat it is apt to say a few words on the power of silence. The notion of just getting away and not saying anything (and trying not to think of anything and everything) is a welcome rest from the constant flow of emotions that bombard our mind every-day. Emotions and our response to them is very wearing - both on mind and body. Emotions are largely responsible to how we feel and our state of health and wellbeing.

Did you know that approximately 20-25% of all our energy is required for the brain to function. Using our brains makes us very tired. Just think how tired you get when you are stressed or been mentally very active all day. Physically you aren't that very tired but getting into the afternoons you start to find it very difficult to think straight and even try to avoid thinking too much about issues you need to face.

Other times we are just immersed in a problem we face and can't get it out of our mind. It burdens us and gives rise to a host of other emotions that drain us mentally.

Most of what we say during the day is dependent and guided upon the mind-state we have at the time.  Much of the time we use the phrase "I feel" to express what we think about something. Think about how much your emotions are in control of you during the day. How do you feel before you have to wake up on a cold wintery morning? How do you feel just before lunch time? How do you feel just before you have to go into a long meeting? How do you feel before you have to do the housework? It's all about emotions.

The brain which hosts our mind is the driver of our human existence. Emotions are very much part of that existence and house our personal energies.

One of the things we rarely think about is how to replenish and revitalize our minds.

So if rice is for the body, what is needed for the mind?

What we must do is somehow get our mind back to a state of innocence.

So what is innocence? Something like the uncorrupted mind of a child who doesn't have all the temptations of life, who isn't swayed by this and that, who thinks simplistically, but wisely before he or she talks and acts on anything.

It is in this state of  innocence where we can have a happy existence.

How can we achieve this state of innocence? We can do this through the following simple steps.

The first is to simply practice being silence for periods of time without interruption. Silence builds up your mental energy.

Through silence you must try to stop thinking of everyday activities and the emotions they create. If you can achieve this, things will begin to come clear for you and you may start to see things in their true complexity, which is actually simplicity. What more, you may begin to feel much more relaxed with the ambiguities that life presents. This doesn't always mean that you will solve these problems, but rather you may be better able to cope with them.

This is a state of mindfulness that many people talk about, which is the key to simplicity. You will begin to realize that it is us who most often make life complex, not the things out there.

This may give you the opportunity to start to see things clearly like never before.

Please remember this is two way. You can see outside yourself and you can also see yourself for who you really are and feel comfortable about who you really are, rather than who you pretend to be. Happiness is about being you.

It's in this state of awareness where you can see how all the emotions around you make you feel and the distortions they bring to the world. You can see how you have stupidly followed these emotions and been lead to fear, anxiety, sadness, and grief. You will know every aspect of yourself, your strengths, weaknesses, and all the good and bad points. You will reach a new level of honesty with yourself.

After achieving this through periods of silence, you may begin to see new ways to travel in the quest of finding personal contentment.

By now you would have reached a new level of power within your mind that radiates an aura of love and compassion to others around you. You will see the world differently in a compassionate way where your anxiety will decrease and patience increase.

You will be personally invigorated and learn that giving to others brings a sense of inner peace and happiness to yourself, freeing yourself of bad thoughts and emotions.

This is the true wealth that everybody seeks. The only problem is that many are not sure what they should be seeking and remain desperate, anxious, grieved, and sad.

Silence is personal empowerment and the road to personal richness.

Try it and see.

Originally published in Ovi Magazine 11th November 2013

KITTIRAT YOTNANGRONG or Akoi as she is known, is one of the very few people who have been a Buddhist nun and a runner-up in the Miss Southern Thailand Beauty Quest as a “mature” contestant. She is a ‘practical’ vegetarian who believes in herbs, healthy living, and meditation. An avid yoga fanatic, Kittirat is also an organic farmer. She regularly speaks to community groups in Malaysia and Thailand on empowerment, health through herbs, and spirituality.

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