Among all the creatures upon this earth, the human being is the only one who can enter within and get to know the real self. I don’t think mastering quantum theory or rocket science is as difficult as mastering the ultimate knowledge – the knowledge of the self. The way of silence is the way of turning within. It is also the way that leads us out of the darkness of ignorance and onto the light that is self-knowledge. We have come to the earth as pilgrims, but we have turned wanderers here. Truth is within! Freedom is within! The source of all strength is within!
How can we begin this process? Every day, preferably at the same place and same time, let us sit and pray, meditate and do our spiritual introspection. All we have to do is close our eyes and call Him and there He is in front of us! The tiniest whisper of the human heart, the smallest stirring of the spirit is audible to His ever-attentive ears.
Our spiritual journey is an interior journey in consciousness. Silence is the process by which we may arrive at the kingdom of God within us. All we may need to do is let go of the lower self, the ego and let God in, for He is our true self. All we want is to obey his will. For God is the goal of our life; He is to be realised.
The Indian tradition has always placed great value on meditation, reflection and contemplation – on the state of inner silence and inner stillness, for it is in this state that we find true awareness and true freedom.
Deep surrender can be wrought through bhakti, loving devotion for God and when a man sits in silence and creates a space within himself where he establishes his relationship with God.
To grow in the inner life, the life of the Spirit, we need to withdraw from the outer world of noise and excitement. Each day we must spend some time in silence. In due course, the mind will become calm and clear as the surface of a lake on a windless day; such a mind will become a source of indescribable joy and peace. Let us practice the simple sadhana of silence.
Dada J P Vaswani is a humanitarian, philosopher, educator, acclaimed writer, powerful orator, messiah of ahimsa, and non-sectarian spiritual leader
