[The Lord of Silence: general index]

6    Silence and Holiness?

All exaggerations are dangerous. The exaltation of a tool can make it become greater than it really is - i.e., a means to reach an end, a lever to lift from one level to another. A fork can bring food to the mouth, but it is not the same as the food.

If silence were a guarantee of holiness or holiness itself, the highest decibel level of noise or confusion could be automatically identified with sin or damnation. It is only true that hearing the voice of the spirit is made easier by silence or some form of religious centering. One cannot condemn any and every situation different from silence, for there are and have been other sincere forms of religious piety in the world. These may include songs, prayers, and outbursts which are suitable and dear to those who use them to elevate themselves to God.

How many times even for those who have chose silence as their main form of worship, has contact with the Spirit come in another way! This is just as blessed for the peace that brings and the fruit it gives. It is not necessary to kiss the stones of the road that one travels to reach God, but rather to thank God for having been granted the finding of the road and to travel on it without polluting it.

Livorno, 20 XI 1986

Truth is love in expression,
God, love in action,
Beauty, love in realisation.
Vices, error, and ignorance, unconscious love;
Pain and the reaction to it awakens Wisdom, unconscious love.

Tagore, The Hour of Being


Translation by George T. Peck

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