The Sound of Silence
What is silence? The absence of noise? Is it possible to be aware of silence? Is it even possible to be silent? If you do not speak, but are constantly thinking, does that count as silence? If you are silent because you are shy, or fearful of being laughed at, is that silence harmful?
An amusing story from “The Way of the Sufi” by Idries Shah:
The 3 Deaf Men and the Dumb Dervish
Once upon a time, there lived a poor goatherd.
Every day, he took some goats to a hill overlooking the village where he lived with his family, to seek fresh grazing. He was deaf, but this did not matter to him at all. One day he found that his wife had forgotten to give him the bundle containing his midday meal; nor did she send their child with it, as in the past when it had been forgotten, even when the sun was high overhead.
“I will go home and get it,” thought the goatherd; “I cannot stay our here all this time until sundown without a bite to eat.” Suddenly he noticed a man cutting shrubs on the hillside. He went up to him and said: “Brother, please keep an eye on the goats and see that they do not stray, for my wife has stupidly forgotten my midday meal, and I must go back to the village for it.” Now the shrub-cutter was also deaf, and he heard not one word of what had been said, and completely misunderstood the goatherd.
He answered: “Why should I give you any of the shrubs which I am cutting for my own animals? I have a cow and two sheep at home and I have to go far and wide for food for them. No, leave me. I want nothing to do with the likes of you, seeking to take what little belongs to me.”
And he waved his hand in derision, laughing harshly. The goatherd did not hear what was said, and replied: “Oh, thank you, kind friend, for agreeing; I shall be as quick as I can. Blessings be upon you, you have set my mind at ease.” He ran off the the village, and went to his own humble hut. There he found his wife sick with a fever, with a neighbor’s wife in attendance. He took his food bundle and ran back to the hill. He counted the goats carefully, and they were all there.
The shrub-cutter was still busy at his task, and the goatherd said to himself: “Why, what an excellent person this most trustworthy shrub-cutter is! He has seen that my animals have not strayed, and seeks no thanks for this service! I will give him this lame goat which I meant to kill anyway. It will make a fine meal for him and his family tonight.” So, putting the undersized lame goat upon his shoulders, he bounded down the hill, calling at he ran: “Ho, brother, here is a present for looking after my goats while I was away. My unfortunate wife has a fever, and that explains everything. Roast this goat for your evening meal tonight; see, it has a lame leg and I meant to kill it anyway!
But the other did not hear his words and shouted in a rage: “Vile goatherd, I never saw what happened while you were gone, how can I be responsible for the leg of your infernal animal! I was busy cutting these shrubs, and have no idea how it happened! Be off with you or I shall strike you.”
The goatherd was amazed at the man’s enraged gestures, but he could not hear what he was saying, so he called to a passer-by who was riding a fine horse: “Noble sir, please, I beg you, tell me what this shrub-cutter is talking about. I happen to be deaf, and do not know why he has refused my gift of a goat with such annoyance!”
Both the goatherd and shrub-cutter began to shout at the traveler, and he got off his horse and came towards them. Now, he was a horse-thief, and as deaf as a post, and he could not hear what they were saying. He was lost, and had meant to ask them where he was. But when he saw the threatening gestures of the two other men he said: “Yes, brothers, I stole the horse, I confess, but I did not know that it belonged to you. Forgive me, I pray, for I had a fleeting moment of temptation and acted with thinking!”
“I had nothing to do with the laming of the goat!” shouted the shrub-cutter.
“Get him to tell me why he will not accept my present.” urged the goatherd. ” I merely want to give it as a gesture of appreciation!”
“I certainly admit to taking the horse,” said the thief, “but I am deaf, and I cannot hear which of you owns it.”
At that moment an aged dervish came into view, walking along the dusty road towards the village. The shrub-cutter ran to him and pulling at his robe, said:
“Venerable dervish, I am a deaf man who cannot make head or tail of what these other two are saying. Will you please, in your wisdom, judge and explain what each of them is shouting about?”
The dervish, however, was dumb, and could not answer; but he came to them and looked searchingly into the faces of the three deaf ones, who had now stopped talking.
He looked so long and penetratingly, first at one, then at the other, that they began to feel uncomfortable.
His glittering black eyes bored into theirs, seeking the truth of the matter, trying to get a clue to the situation. But each of the others began to fear that he was going to bewitch them, or gain control over their wills in some way. And suddenly the thief sprang upon the horse, and rode it furiously away. Immediately the goatherd began to round up his animals, driving them farther up the hill. The shrub-cutter, lowering his eyes from those of the dervish, packed his shrubs into a net and hoisted it on his shoulders, bounding down the hill toward his home.
The dervish continued his journey, thinking to himself that speech can be such a useless form of communication that man might just as well have never been given it.
Whenever the Secrets of Perception are taught to anyone, his lips are sewn against speaking of the Consciousness - Jalaladin Rumi.
The Samurai’s Sword
I read an article today about an Afghan family consisting of man, wife, and son who were sentenced to life imprisonment in Canada for murdering 4 female members of their family, in “honor” killings. Although they deny committing the murders, audio recordings of the man condemning and cursing his dead daughters for having embraced more liberal Western norms seem to have been the critical piece of evidence that condemned him and his remaining family.
This reminded me of an essay I was had to submit as part of my course work in a philosophy module. The issue in question was whether can we make judgment on the practices and beliefs of another culture. The example of the Samurai’s Sword was the example given. When a samurai obtains a new sword, in order to test the sharpness of the blade, he would hew down the 1st passer by he encounters! Should we condemn the samurai for his action, or accept his action in the context of the society he lived in? His sole purpose was to defend his overlord; in order to do so, he needed to ensure that his sword was battle ready. How better to ensure that you can kill the enemy than by testing the sword on a person?
Yet, the philosopher who used this story as an example, strongly disagreed with the idea that we cannot or should not judge another culture’s practices on the grounds that we are not privy to the antecedents of such practices. Mary Midgely called this stance “moral isolationism”.
I have chosen to quote the essay in full to offer an explanation of her point of view. Perhaps in time we can come to see that many beliefs and practices should not be cast in stone, but should be seen as a product of a specific time and place;
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Mary Midgely believes this opinion is faulty because it overlooks or fails to acknowledge certain basic truths about the human species. Man is by nature a social animal. Throughout history, man has constructed beliefs and laws through osmosis as much as trial and error. Culture is not a stagnant phenomenon, but continually evolving; this evolution not only depends but is built on interaction between different peoples and the assimilation of values and beliefs that are thought to be valuable for progress in a particular culture.. This conclusion can only be reached by making judgments on specific practices. If we are prevented from making judgments on other cultures, how do we grow?
She also believes that moral isolationism is an immoral proposition because we are prevented from forming judgments which are the basis of moral thinking. Further, far from promoting tolerance and respect, moral isolationism does the exact opposite! Tolerance and respect can only be achieved with proper understanding, which in turn, requires discriminative thinking. Moral isolationism does not allow any of the above.
Midgely cleverly chooses to illustrate her argument by focusing on an ancient practice that, by its very nature, would provoke strong reactions. The idea that it was customary in Japan for samurai to test a new sword on a hapless victim would most probably have the immediate effect of horrifying people in modern society. Yet, as it is a custom that is no longer practiced it serves its purpose of graphically bringing her argument to life while its historical, obsolete status allows for sober, objective analysis without accusations of cultural prejudice. Midgley’s reason for choosing this example is also to illustrate how an act which at first glance seems incomprehensible and brutal can on closer scrutiny yield invaluable lessons, not only about the reasons for such a practice but how the governing principles can be applied to the betterment of any other culture.
Mary Midgely does this by analyzing what is involved in “moral isolationism” and applying its theories to the above example to expose the fallacies of the philosophy. For example, moral isolationism would have us view the ancient practice in a disinterested, polite way that implies that we lack the knowledge, imagination and ability to comprehend how not only such a practice came to being but was accepted without protest on the part of the general public. She then draws our attention to the similarities between the Samurai’s objective and modern scientists conducting medical research. Both have as their objective a long-term goal for the betterment of their respective societies that in the short-term requires sacrifice of lives considered expendable. This parallel already allows us a basis to evaluate and consider the reasons such an act could have come into being. She also argues that it is the very act of criticism that promotes healthy discussion during which more in-depth information is gathered about differing cultures, including values and norms which may be already reflected or which may be necessary in our own culture.
Midgley also believes that by prohibiting one culture from criticizing another, we deny each other the right to praise as well as condemn. If this belief is to be universally adopted, then different cultures would, in effect be operating in “glass houses”! She believes that this belief is actually immoral as it denies anyone the opportunity to form constructive judgments, which could help defective or ineffectual belief systems to be corrected. Further, preventing moral judgments on other cultures also serves to inhibit us from examining and re-evaluating our own.
I believe Mary Midgley has presented a strong case against moral isolationism. She has put forth arguments that show this philosophy is flawed and unrealistic. The simple fact that no culture evolved independently or in a vacuum already attests to that. This is borne out by extensive research conducted by anthropologists, the very people Mary Midgley highlights as promoting moral isolationism! Many cultures have developed unique values and practices, which reflect their geographical and economic situations. The necessity to understand the rationale behind these practices is essential to foster greater communication as well as enhancing our interaction as a species. In the present age of globalization, moral isolationism is a white elephant. As Midgley points out, it would be extremely disappointing if the very aptitude which is supposed to set man above other species, his ability to think and reason is suppressed or denied in the desire to avoid prejudice and narrow-minded censorship. Moral isolationism can lead to moral apathy, which in turn can have serious consequences for any culture. The most dynamic of modern cultures are not homogenous; quite on the contrary, they are made up of different races, with differing religious and cultural beliefs who have come together and created a new hybrid which has allowed our civilization to progress at a remarkable pace. This would not be possible if moral isolationism had been upheld as a philosophy to be emulated.
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BBC History magazine
The BBC History magazine is a not only a boon for history buffs but for anyone who enjoys general knowledge. While the main articles do focus on the history of Great Britain and the British Isles, there are many substantial articles on the history and development of other countries and societies. Given that at one stage in world history, the sun is said to never set on the British Empire, many of the articles are thought-provoking, in-depth analyses of the impact of British colonization as well as drawing parallels to many of the challenges now faced with our society as a whole.
Extremely entertaining as well, with articles tracing the evolution of shaving, the hygiene or rather lack of it in the Middle Ages to the evolution of our modern obsession with cleanliness, provides an unique look at the sociological aspects of history. How income tax came to become a staple of economies can help us understand the evolution of many pieces of legislation that seems arbitrary.
Neither is the language pedantic, nor full of technical jargon. The BBC History magazine aims at reaching the widest possible audience, both the lay-man and the academic. I especially love the monthly time-line, where they highlight important events for each day of the specific calendar month. Of course, there are many similar magazines out there, but for value for money, I am yet to come across another that is it’s equal for both information and entertainment.
Last but hardly least, the magazines are readily available at the National Library. Save money, save the planet and save our antecedents!
That which is
Many times I am at a loss for words when taxed to explain clearly what do I do in terms of my vocation. Not because I am unable to articulate at length about it, but I have never found a way to reduce the “esoteric” and “spiritual” element inherent in my chosen profession. This immediately creates an impression that it is simply an alternative to main-stream religious and spiritual beliefs; something that can provide solace or escape but has no direct bearing on societal living.
Finally, I have found my answer in the words of Schopenhauer and Kant! Kant’s theory in a nutshell is “the relationship of “a” to “b” perfectly resembles that of “c” to “x”. To illustrate this theory he gives 2 examples:
A. As the promotion of the happiness of children(a) is related to the parent’s love(b), so is the welfare of the human race(c) to that unknown in God(x) which we call God’s love and
B. The causality of the highest cause (x) is precisely, in respect to the world (c) what human reason(b) is in respect to the work of human art (a).
Schopenhauer’s reasoning is perhaps more relevant to my quandary. He asks, “How is it possible that suffering that is neither my own nor of my concern should immediately affect me as thought it were my own, with such force that it moves me to action? ..This is something really mysterious, something for which Reason can provide no explanation,and for which no basis can be found in practical experience. It is nevertheless of common occurrence, and everyone has had the experience. It is not unknown even to the most hard-hearted and self-interested. Examples appear every day before our eyes of instant responses of the kind, without reflection, one person helping another, coming to his aid,even setting his own life in clear danger for someone whom he has seen for the first time, having nothing more in mind than that the other is in need and in peril of his life..”
“This presupposes that I have to some extent identified myself with the other and therewith removed for the moment the barrier between “I” and the “Not-I”. Only then can the other’s situation, his want, his need become mine. I then no longer see him in the way of an empirical perception, as one strange to me, indifferent to me, completely other than myself; but in him I suffer, in spite of the fact that his skin does not enfold my nerves…”
Hence choosing to follow a path of metaphysical thought and finding joy and comfort in extending assistance to others does not require sacrifice, rock solid faith or a superior consciousness. In fact, it can even be argued that it is selfish motivations that prompts healers to do their work! If you and I are one, then in healing you, in helping you, I heal and help myself. So, help me help myself, by accepting my attention, my concern and my time.
As grateful as I am to Schopenhauer and Kant for their philosphical musings that has bridged the gap between faith and reason, it was through Joseph Campbell’s writings that I found these 2 inspiring passages. His book, “The Inner Reaches of Outer Space”, may be the perfect source for those who struggle with how to incorporate spiritual beliefs in a extremely mundane world.
Tat tvam asi ….how far I have travelled from home to find my way back!
A fresh start…regularly!
I have been using “The Wealthy Spirit” by Chellie Campbell for probably around a decade now. I believe that many of the momentous changes that occured in my life can be traced to the habit I had of starting my day with both her inspirational stories and the meaningful affirmations. Unfortunately, as with many good resolutions, I have never consistently completed a whole year without fail. Partly to motivate me, and partly to share one of her many encouraging, useful stories, I have chosen one which I believe may set the right tone at the start of this new year:
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Consisteny is Everything
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” - Aristotle.
Money is a metaphor in life. It allows you to test your ability to manifest reality from your thoughts. It is tangible, concrete. You can count it, you can calculate your results exactly.
Demostrate it for yourself. Change your thoughts about money; practice affirmations daily. If you’re already doing them, do more of them more often. Just as importantly, stop all negative thoughts about money - give up your victimhood, your resentfulness, your anger, your jealousy. Appreciate and love everyone’s money - not just your own.
Then translate your new positive thoughts about money into positive actions with money - making it, saving it, spending it. Send out your ships with the fresh new air of your youful beliefs billowing in the sails. The watch more money flow more easily into your life, notice how much easier your work becomes, enjoy the increasing richness of your surroundings. At the end of the month, count your money. Do you have more than you did before? If the answer is yes, then congratulate yourself on a job well done.
Now the trick is to keep doing it. Consistency is everything. Amazingly, many people stop after having good results for 2 or 3 months,and revert to their old, ingrained habits. Perhaps they keep sending out ships, but think their mind has been changed forever, so they stop doing the affirmations, and behold! Their ships sink and they don’t know what happened. Or they keep doing the affirmations (thinking they’re some sort of magic charm) and stop sending out ships. No ships, no money. Very tangible. Very concrete.
When this process has become internalized, and your new habit, you have consciously learned the art of manifesting your reality. I believe that’s one of life’s greatest lessons that we’re on this planet to learn. Money is just a concrete, easy and convenient way to learn it. It’s school.
You are supposed to graduate, however. If you get stuck in the school of manifesting money, you can be a very unhappy person. That’s why you see many people who have achieved great wealth give away a lot of it. They’ve learned how to manifest money and now they’re on to the next lesson. Now they’re looking for the ships that arrive with intagible treasures: love, community, integrity, honor, authenticity, peace.
Conversely, some people are trying to avoid the money school. They want the intangibles, but want to somehow skip the grades that involve feeding and clothing the body. They often suffer from the fear of financial insecurity, resent the jobs they take that don’t pay well, and have spiteful opinions of people who’ve mastered money school. Well, they don’t seem to have the intagibles down either, do they? You can’t help the poor if you are the poor.
There is internal wealth and external wealth. They are not mutually exlusive.
Affirmation: “My ships are piled high with treasure and I’m unloading them today!”
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God Bless!
Lost(?) in translation
Many of the memorable books I have read seem to be translations. This only struck me the other day, when I came across some language tapes that I had bought many moons ago, in the ardent desire to read some of my favorite literature in the original.
But, much as I enjoy reading about language, I do not have the patience nor consistency (yet!) to master any new languages. I do think it rather ironical, that the main reason many of these books have achieved their iconic status being due to the translations, true literary buffs still insist that nothing beats reading the original. Perhaps, but when you have already found a fountain of enjoyment & pleasure, why rock the boat? And how sure are you that the original will still have the same appeal for you, when it may be the translator’s unique interpretation that you found appealing to begin with? This was made evident to me when I found out that the were many criticisms of Fitzgerald’s translation of Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat. In fact, Fiztgerald did numerous versions of the Rubaiyat, & the one which scholars agree is the one that perhaps most faithful to the original, left me unmoved. I loved his original translation..it has the magic and rhythm that the others just do not. Maybe because it was my first introduction to Khayyam, so it may be more sentimental. Similarly, I have read many versions of the Inferno as well as the Koran, and have enjoyed the subtle differences in meaning that each translation brings. Ultimately, whatever we read, and in whatever language, it is how we absorb the content and work with it that matters, isn’t it?
So, I salute and thank all translators for allowing me to savor a wide variety of authors, without the tedium of learning new languages, which may have eventually put me off reading the books altogether!
A world in a grain of sand..
A friend is on holiday & of course, it has made me restless. My desire to travel has recently abated, primarily due to the fact that I miss my animals so much when I am away. It seems to be mutual, & as finances are almost always on a shaky footing, the decision to stay put is easily made!
Most of us travel to see sights which are universally acclaimed as magnificent, unusual etc. I wonder if the people who live in these areas still share the awe, excitiment and thrill that sightseers do. What is it like, to live in the shadow of the Pyramids? or the Leaning Tower of Pisa? Mop the Sistine Chapel day after day, after the crowds have left? Sure,many people visit Spore to see the “sights” too; and going by statistics, seem to find plenty to enjoy also. But much of Spore’s attractions are of recent origin, and lack the history, romance & of course, the natural wonders that many other countries boast of. Is it a case of grass being greener on the other side? Isn’t that why people migrate, uproot, leave friends, family, loved ones, sometimes reluctantly, to try to start again somewhere else?
I always find that the anticipation prior to departing for a holiday, and the finally being home tend to be the most enjoyable for me. As my holidays have always been to places whose historical significance has fascinated me, I am generally too keyed up, or so busy absorbing the sights to really relax!
Ah, to have the vision of William Blake, the ability to see “A world in a grain of sand, and Heaven in a Wild flower”. Then the means or even ability to travel becomes less important, than appreciating the beauty around you.
Till then, I will begin saving up in anticipation of an opportunity to travel!!
An inspirational tale (from a lost time, by an unknown author)
(I discovered this story among some old files I was clearing; it obviously inspired me then, & has touched a chord once again!)
A certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully, and before it
blossomed, he examined it. He saw the bud that would soon blossom and
also the thorns. And he thought, “How can any beautiful flower come from
a plant burdened with so many sharp thorns?” Saddened by this thought,
he neglected to water the rose, and before it was ready to bloom, it
died.
So it is with many people. Within every soul there is a rose. The
God-like qualities planted in us at birth grow amid the thorns of our
faults. Many of us look at ourselves and see only the thorns, the
defects. We despair, thinking that nothing good can possibly come from
us. We neglect to water the good within us, and eventually it dies. We
never realize our potential.
Some people do not see the rose within themselves; someone else must
show it to them. One of the greatest gifts a person can possess is to be
able to reach past the thorns and find the rose within others. This is
the characteristic of love, to look at a person, and knowing his faults,
recognize the nobility in his soul, and help him realize that he can
overcome his faults. If we show him the rose, he will conquer the
thorns. Then will he blossom, blooming forth thirty, sixty, a hundred
fold as it is given to him.
Our duty in this world is to help others by showing them their roses and
not their thorns. Only then can we achieve the love we should feel for
each other; only then can we bloom in our own garden.
Author Unknown
A twisted tale
The following story was obtained from Anthony De’Mello, author of such gems as “The Song of the Bird”, “The Prayer of the Frog” and “Sadhana”:
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A Hindu yogi was given instructions by his guru to to meditate on God under a tree on a riverbank. The guru then departed on his own spiritual journey with the promise to return in due course. The yogi had only 2 possessions: his loincloth and a begging bowl.Once a day he walked to the village to beg for food. The rest of the time he spent in contemplation of God.
One night, he washed out his loincloth and hung it on the tree to dry. When he awakened, it had been chewed up by a rat. With great embarrassment, he begged for both food and a new loincloth that day, and went right back to contemplating God. A few days later, again the rat had chewed up the new loincloth during the night.
What was the yogi to do? it was unseemly for a man of God to keep begging for loincloths. So, he got a kitten to chase the rat. But the kitten was hungry, and soon the yogi had to beg for milk. It was embarrassing to beg for milk, so he found a stray cow. All went well until the summer heat burned off the remaining grasses, and the yogi had to beg fodder for the cow. It wasn’t good to have to beg fodder, so when the rainy season came, the yogi planted some crops. They prospered in the rich soil, but so much of his time was spent farming that he could hardly meditate. So he hired laborers to tend his fields, but they needed supervision, which disturbed his meditation. So the yogi decided to take a wife to oversee the workers so that he could get back to God. She didn’t want to live under a tree by the river, so they had to build a house - a large house - for soon she was pregnant.
The yogi grew fat and wealthy by the banks of the river. One day, when he was sitting under his meditation tree resting, a familiar figure approached. It was his guru, who surveyed the scene with a wide-eyed look, ” Student, is that you? Didn’t I leave you here 5 years ago to contemplate God?”
The yogi bowed his head and gestured to his vast estate. “Revered Teacher, I know it seems hard to understand, but truly, this was the only way I could keep my loincloth.”
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Deliver us from..?
Does real evil exist? Pure, unadulterated, evil as described in so many religious texts? This may seem a puerile question;many people will point to the alarmingly high statistics of brutal crimes, genocides, cruelty to animals and such ilk as evidence of the existence of evil.
Yet, invariably the people who commit such terrible deeds can be seen to have a reason, however perverted, that causes them to behave in such a way. Just as it is practically impossible to perform a deed from pure altruism, evil deeds do have a material or psychological cause that leads to such a horrendous outcome.
The Bible lists 7 deadly sins and states that we are born in a state of sin, and therefore susceptible to temptation, that can lead to acts that can be classified as evil. The Lord’s Prayer asks that we be “delivered from evil”, but also asks that ‘we be forgiven as we forgive those who sin against us”. So, sinning is not totally equivalent to evil.
Is ignorance evil? Many of the atrocities the world has witnessed can be traced back to ignorance. Yet, some forms of ignorance can be seen to embody an innocence, while in many cases intelligence has created more havoc & destruction!
Even atheists acknowledge the existence of evil. Yet, is not evil inextricably linked with good, which is what the concept of God embodies? But does the idea of an omnipresent, omniscient God preclude the existence of evil?
I liked Joan Osborne’s hit song cause she brings a new dimension to this age old question - “What if God was one of us? Just a slob like all of us?” Blasphemous to tradionalists, but nevertheless a new spin on an old tale.
Gnostics believe that there the Creator God who made this universe is an imperfect and yes, evil being..there is another Perfect Presence beyond who simply is. The purpose of gnosticism is to transcend all aspects of these dimensions to return to the Void. Hence, any attempts to reconcile the existence of evil with the concept of a merciful, loving God who ceated the universe is an exercise in futility.
Many authors have attempted, with varying degrees of success to put these ideas into a form that challenges and perhaps educates. I think one of the best is by Kahlil Gibran, as given below:
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The Good God and the Evil God met on the mountain top.
The Good God said, “Good day to you, brother.”
The Evil God made no answer.
And the Good God said, “You are in a bad humour today.”
“Yes,” said the Evil God, “for of late I have been often mistaken for you, called by your name, and treated as if I were you, and it ill-pleases me.”
And the Good God said. “But I too have been mistaken for you and called by your name.”
The Evil God walked away cursing the stupidity of man.
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