Chapter II Relevance of Mauna in Various Systems
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Chapter II Relevance of Mauna in Various Systems Introduction Spiritual traditions emphasize, explicitly or implicitly, the importance of practicing Mauna. Mauna or Silence in spirituality is often a symbol for inner stillness. Many religious traditions indicate the importance of being quiet and still in body and mind for transformative and essential spiritual growth to occur. Silence has been practiced throughout the ages. 'Be still and know that I am God', said the Psalmist1. 'He who knows does not speak', said Lao-tzu2. When Buddha was asked to state the duty of a disciple, he took the golden flower and gazed on it in silence; he was silent when questioned about the nature of Reality and Nirvāṇa. For thirty-two years the life of Jesus is shrouded in silence and to what extent he practiced silence during those years is unknown; but often he was in silence, and when questioned by Pilate about the nature of Truth, said nothing. The second-century Saint Ignatius of Antioch said: “He who also possesses ‘Jesus' word is able also to hear his silence, in order that he may be perfect, so that he may act through his words and may be known through his silences”3. Plotinus declared: “You should not ask questions but understand keeping silence, as I keep silence, for I am not in the habit of speaking”4. The sixth-century Armenian saint, known as John the Silent, was a Bishop at twenty-eight, and ten years later became a 'walled-up' recluse, but lived to be a very old man. Silence is normal in Christian religious orders and is virtually complete in some. Eckhart Tolle referred to the divine as 'the wordless Godhead', and in the discourse entitled, 'From whom God hid nothing' said on a text from the Book of Wisdom, 'Out of the silence a secret word was spoken to me". What is this silence and where is that 1 Psalm46:10 2 http://taotechingdaily.com/tao-te-ching-chapter-56-essay/ 3 http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/srawley/ephesians.html 4 www.guardiantext.org/pdfs/chapdownload.php?chapter=Christ 91 word to be spoken? One can say ... it is spoken in the purest element of the soul, in the soul's most exalted place, in the core, yes, in the essence of the soul. Silence in the center is there, where no creature or any idea may enter and where the soul neither thinks nor acts, nor entertains any idea, either of itself or of anything else. One of the strangest stories of silence is that of Saint Thomas Aquinas, the 'Angelic Doctor' of the Catholic Church. He was known in Paris as 'the dumb ox'. Throughout his life, St Thomas travelled a great deal, mostly on foot, never staying long anywhere, though often returning to the same place. He labored on his great work Summa Theologica for seven years, without completing it, for he stopped, was silent and wrote no more. This caused great concern and he was repeatedly urged to continue or to explain why he did not. At last, shortly before he died, he said, “All I have written seems to me to be nothing but straw ... compared to what I have seen and what has been revealed to me”5. He died in 1274 at the age of fifty. Perhaps with St Thomas it was at the moment when understanding flooded his mind that he became silent; he then looked within himself as with the same glance he looked above. Dionysius the Areopagite, one of St Thomas's favourite authorities6, wrote of 'the Divine silence 7'. One cannot think the silence of St Thomas, any more than the silence of Meher Bābā, is to be thought of as contemplative silence, such as for instance was practiced so extensively in the Heychast mysticism of the Byzantine Church, and as practiced also in Zen and other Eastern systems. Certainly, Bābā's silence was not a method of inner mental prayer for the sake of spiritual development. It was both part of his work and a condition under which that work is done. All Hindu rituals end with the chant, “Śānti Śānti Śānti”. Why? Because, the quest for peace is the goal of all existence. This peace is not external but internal. It is not about making the world a peaceful place; it is about one being at peace with the world8. 5 Lee, A.C.J. and Hand, T.G. (1990) A Taste of Water: Christianity through Taoist-Buddhist Eyes Variant translations: 6 https://www.ccel.org/ccel/rolt/dionysius.vi.html 7 https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pseudo-dionysius-areopagite/ 8 Pattanaik D. (2010), Jaya-an illustrated wisdom of retelling of the Mahabharata, penguin books India, pg. 344 92 ‘Peace’ is normally uttered three times. On doing this it can ward away three kinds of miseries: 1) Ādhyātmika or subjective- miseries created by physical and mental ailments; 2) Ādhibhautika or objective - miseries caused by external natural objects or living beings like robbers, thieves, scorpions, snakes; and 3) Ādhidaivika or Divine-miseries caused by earthquakes, hurricanes and similar catastrophes that are beyond human control.9 The latter also includes miseries supposed to arise from ghosts, evil spirits, etc. Monastic Silence is a spiritual practice recommended in a variety of religious traditions for purity. For centuries Silence has been practiced in every monastic tradition. It may be in accordance with a monk's formal vow of Silence but can also engage an ordinary man who has not taken vows, or novices but who are preparing to take vows. Difference between spirituality and religion: Religion Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary10: defines religion as, “A cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith.” Religion is one of the basic needs of a human being. It is a program for doing good. It is usually not perceived, understood as any self-changing experience. Religious teachings essentially have a solid scriptural, pastoral authority with an ethical and moral nature. Here a believer never enjoys the freedom to see, think, feel or decide independently without guilt and misgiving. Functions of Religion 1. It brings a sense of security, protection and gradually one becomes part of the crowd. 2. It gives hope against sorrow, misery, grief, frustrations and helplessness and leads one to the light which lies at the end of every dark tunnel. 3. It makes it easy to beg praying. 9 Nanda M. J .S.(1974) Yoga the Upaniṣad, Taraporevala, Bombay pg32 10 https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/religion 93 4. It makes it possible to shift responsibility and burden on to the priests, or in the theory of Karma, or seek comfort from confession. Religion versus Spirituality 1. The basis of any religion is fear and greed, whereas spiritual search is seldom driven by fear or greed. A truly spiritual person does not feel the need to follow any belief system, rules of God/ commandments, doctrine, scriptural authority or rituals that are put forward by a religion. Here the quest is an independent one, devoid of any mediator; solely dependent on one's own efforts. 2. Religion is a collective phenomenon, but spirituality is 'a fight of the alone to the alone'. It is a solitary search for truth. This search is individualized, personal, so methods are equally personal and unique. 3. Religion is God - centered. Spirituality is person - centered, here the seeker is the clay, the sculptor and the final image, all in one. Meditation, awareness, sincere effort and a trusting/ believing heart make up the spiritual discipline ----Sādhanā. 4. Religion encourages lack of selfishness- altruism! Spirituality is, concerned mainly with 'being' than 'doing' - to be truly and fully one with the self and the other is not of any concern. 5.Religion is future-oriented, but spirituality is rooted in the here and now. 6. Silence is the cornerstone of spirituality, a voluntarily undertaken silence, while in religion it has the nature of external imposition. This Chapter attempts to present glimpses of the relevance and practice of Mauna as figuring in Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, Taoism, Sikhism, Sufism, Jainism and Hinduism. These detailed descriptions and practices of silence will not only enable one to appreciate the significance of silence and the varied ways of 94 practicing the same but will throw more light on significance and efficacy of Silence in Yoga. 1.Relevance of Mauna 1.1 Mauna in Christianity In Christianity, Silence is considered to have close contact with the deity, to develop knowledge about self or to live more at peace. Theophilus, the patriarch of Alexandria, placed the virtue of Silence on par with faith itself in a synodal11 letter from AD 400. Under Christianity there are different sects like Catholics, Protestants, Benedicts, Cistercian etc. Silence is supposed to have more highly developed in the Roman Catholic faith than among Protestants. Christian theology differs from other religions with regard to the way in which spiritual progress happens within the context of contemplative quiet. Like in Buddhism and Hinduism, Christianity also promotes various spiritual practices. However, Christianity, particularly Protestantism, believes that no matter how persistently one practices, the ultimate spiritual achievement cannot be achieved by any mortal. Rather, the instrument of spiritual attainment, which they regard as salvation and admittance to the deity, is believed to occur solely through supernatural instrument.12 This device is variously described as the action of God, conceived as the Father, or by action of the Holy Spirit. This mechanism of action, whether conceptualized as the Father or the Spirit, is called Grace13. The practice of Silence is observed during different recesses of the day; practitioners talk when they need to but maintain awareness of Silence or of prayer when talking.