The following quotations on stillness resonate for those seeking to quiet the mind and heart on the quest for higher states of consciousness.
“Stillness means the shedding of all thoughts, even those which are divine; otherwise, through giving them our attention because they are good, we will lose what is better.” Gregory of Sinai, Philokalia
“Feel your reality, in the stillness, in the quietness, when there is no mind, no thoughts, no words. Who are you then? You just are.” Hindu Texts
“What I would really like is to escape into great silence.” Etty Hillesum, Holocaust victim
“Third state makes people quiet.” Robert Earl Burton
“I know myself now, and I feel within me a peace above all earthly dignities, a still and quiet conscience. ” William Shakespeare
“Sometimes, by letting go we allow some grace to enter by another channel, which all our mental efforts have hitherto kept out. Stillness is a quality of the heart.” Rodney Collin
“Men do not mirror themselves in running water – they mirror themselves in still water. Only what is still can still the stillness of other things.” Zhuangzi
“I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope, for hope would be hope for the wrong thing;
Wait without love, for love would be love of the wrong thing;
There is yet faith, but the faith and the love are all in the waiting.
Wait without thought, for you are not ready for thought:
So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing.” T.S. Eliot
“In order to understand the dance, one must be still. And in order to truly understand stillness one must dance.” Rumi
“When the mind has learned to say nothing, presence shines of itself.” Dionysius the Areopagite.
For more quotations on stillness, we recommend reading from the Philokalia and Zen Buddhist texts.
william cambridge
The following comments and quotations will revolve around the state of contemplation, the ultimate benefit that accompanies stillness of mind. It is first of all necessary to distinguish between the terms “meditation” and “contemplation”. Mr. Ouspensky describes meditation as the “action of a developed mind”. (Fourth Way, p. 380.) This implies the functioning of the intellectual parts of centers. For our purposes, then, contemplation will be distinct from functions and refer to pineal activity, a nonverbal process. Bernard of Clairvaux: “The grace of contemplation is granted only in response to a longing insistent desire.” Elijah Muhammed: “One hour of contemplation surpasses sixty years of worship.”
The daily routine in my household (of a retired person) is to rise early, brew a pot of coffee and proceed to the apartment’s sixth floor balcony. What awaits is ideal for the purpose: the stunning natural beauty of English Bay toward the horizon accompanied by a busy Vancouver street directly below. As you will see, these two aspects illustrate something else Ouspensky said: “Man is confronted with two obvious facts: the existence of the world in which he lives, and the existence of psychic life in himself.” English Bay – the outer world, Creation. Pacific Street – the inner world of busy-ness and I’s. Having been seated with coffee and I’s, it’s time to wait for the usual identifications and subjects that elicit associative thinking to arise. Of course, this requires self-observation and intellectual parts of centers, which means we are one step closer to reaching contemplation. Once an identification has been stimulated (a driver running a red light, a dog pooping on the lawn, a transit passenger left stranded by a full bus passing by, the process of separation begins. It is at this point that one of two methods can be effective: work I’s to neutralize the mechanical response (internal world) or diverting attention to English Bay (external world). Both entail introducing the concepts of scale and relativity. Both involve self-remembering.
Some useful reminders are: “Shallow thoughts intoxicate the brain.” – Alexander Pope. “Words are the fog one has to see through.” – Zen. “Thoughts are the absence of your Presence.” Thich Nhat Hanh. “When the mind is thinking, it is talking to itself.” Plato. “Mechanical thinking is not worth a penny.” – Ouspensky. “Thoughts are the waste products of the mind.” – Robert.
Making the leap to contemplation requires an act of grace, as Bernard states. We have reached up with our Kings. In grace, C Influence grants us a moment of true self-knowledge (higher emotional) or a glimpse of an aspect of the wonders of Creation (higher intellectual.)
Leonardo describes this process: “Men of lofty genius, when they are doing the least work, are the most active.” Zen: “You should sit in meditation for 20 minutes a day, unless you are busy; then you should sit for one hour.” Bhagavad Gita: “At the beginning of time, I declared two paths for the pure heart: Jnana yoga, the contemplative path of spiritual wisdom, and Karma yoga, the active path of self service.” Zen: “Master, what are you doing? – Nothing. – But you were doing that yesterday. – Yes, and I haven’t finished.”
In conclusion, Aristotle: “Contemplation is the highest form of activity, the activity of God, which is transcendent is blessedness.” Leonardo: “The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding.” Johnny Hunt: “Human speculation is no match for divine revelation.”
Rowena Taylor
Thank you, William.