Why Bother With One Hour a Day Silence?

Well actually it can even be one hour a day ofknow they do not know what to do about it. If
ANYTHING provided that it is connected toyou do not know what I mean, try a simple
something playful, something you enjoy for theexperiment.
sheer pleasure and delight of it; simply for the funJust find fifteen minutes for yourself if you can
of it.spare that much time and lock yourself in a room
By fun and playfulness I mean anything that youand write down on a sheet of paper anything at
really enjoy doing just for the joy. For example,all that comes into your mind UNCENSORED.
something like walking on the beach, runningNow if you are really honest, which is not easy
around the block, ambling through the forest orfor the human species, you will be embarrassed
swimming in the lake are all activities you canto even show this to your loved ones, unless of
enjoy without motive. It can also be watchingcourse they are also honest and the slightest bit
small children playing in the park, observing themmeditative and non-judgmental.
running around the school grounds or even playingYou will need to give yourself plenty of time to
on the beach yourself, like a little child.let the mind unwind and see without any
The fact is that if you devote at least one hour ajudgement whatever the contents of your mind
day to something the mind considers purposelesswant to reveal to you.
you will achieve a quiet, rarely experienced byMost people will have to tear up the paper or
most and an energy clearer and more vibrantburn it; the point is that now you know
than ever.consciously something of what is in your mind;
The one hour a day of silence if you choose thismore will be revealed if you can do this exercise
path, is all that is needed, as the mind getswithout judging what is good and what is bad.
addicted to anything and one hour a day isOne of the greatest obstacles to peace and
sufficient to become addicted to somethingsilence is not that we lack the effort or discipline
positive.but that we judge our thoughts to be bad or
Sooner or later, you will have distance from thegood.
chattering mind, a new awareness develops andWhen we stop this practice of judging, the
you will be wondering how you lived all thoseunconscious will reveal things to you because now
years without it. It is still an addiction of courseyou have shown your maturity.
and one which can be more easily resolved or leftAn Osho joke- A pretty young woman stepped
behind than a negative one.onto a crowded streetcar, and seeing that all the
Active meditations are better as the westernseats were taken she asked, "Would one of you
mind is so obsessed with activity that we need togentlemen make room for a pregnant woman?"
burn out that activity consciously and releaseA middle-aged man quickly stood up and gave her
whatever is inside that is preventing us from livinghis seat. After she was seated he solicitously
the life we truly want. Active meditations willasked her, "How long have you been pregnant?"
uncover the silence that is already there waiting."About fifteen minutes, and God, am I tired!"
They are the jet speed method to attain to thatWe are all so time conscious that we even count
silence and peace everyone seeks.those rare minutes of silence we seldom achieve;
Most are unaware whether they are in charge offorget counting and remember those silent spaces
their minds or vice versa and even if they doduring the day. More will be coming.