Today, I am preparing to return to silence. This evening, I begin 7 days of silent retreat, as I re-sit the silent intensive I shared in May with Mooji and Sangha.
I first discovered the way of silence, on a day retreat in a Buddhist Centre in Wales, UK, many years ago. Since then, I have entered many silent retreats, up to one month in length. But it was never a part of my daily life.
Until a year ago, when my partner and I discovered the film, Into Great Silence by Philip Groening. The film features a 1000+ year old silent order of Carthusian monks, at the community at Grand Chartreuse in France, a life given over to silence and solitude. Not to escape the world, but to fully engage with Truth.
Described as a “poetic chronicle of spirituality” It was shot almost entirely in silence, broken only by the sounds of life, and the voice being that of prayer, and briefly, a blind monk. There is a great silence in the imagery too, it's indescribable. Watch it, you can find it in all the usual places.
So captivating was this 164 minute documentary, that we decided to bring silence into our daily life, so we tried a one week experiment, of keeping silence until 11am (we rise around 4 or 5am most days), after breakfast. We quickly entered deeper into the true Self, and change began to happen, after so many years of spiritual practice. This was something that fuelled the fire.
So we took our experiment on into our daily life, and since then, have maintained daily silence, with the exception of where in periods of (spiritual) community living, we find ourselves in a different kind of silence.
So this evening, by way of a celebration of silence in our lives, and of entering the silence again for the next seven days, we will be watching this movie, opening the door to silence.
It is through this small (outer) silence that we enter the great (inner) silence. It is that great silence that is the very ground of our being.
This is the silence that I help others to find, and to enter.
During the next 7 days, you won't find me online, on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+. You won't find me on the phone, or chatting in the market. I will be sitting in silent meditation, walking in silence, sitting in Satsang with Mooji in silence.
When I return to the world, I will share more on silence here. This inner silence, that enables us to hold firm ground in the midst of a busy, noisy life.
If things arise to share, I will share silently here. If not, there will be a breathing space here. Both are good with me.
If you're up for it, why not watch the movie, be inspired, and join me in silence this week? I'd love to hear your experiences of this silence, if you want to get in touch.