Practice: A Day of Silence | iHanuman

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Practice: A Day of Silence

Occasional periods of silence are recommended by every wisdom tradition. Modern life (and prison life) can be extremely noisy, and this constant noise can keep us from experiencing life as honestly or clearly as we may like. Sita and I have found great value in many periods of silence. For several years, each of us spent one day a week in silence. There are two main types of the practice of silence, and they are both very valuable in different ways.
1. Silence in an otherwise normal day: Practicing silence in an otherwise normal day can be extremely insightful into the nature of our speech patterns. It also shows us that the world gets along quite well without our two cents' worth, and usually inspires us to try to speak a little bit less when we do resume speaking.

Let your close associates, especially family, bosses, cellmates or staff, know in advance. Then print a little card saying, "I'm practicing a day of silence." You can choose to explain more, or to add, "Thanks for your understanding," but keep it brief. It's great if people understand, but some will not, and may make a joke of it or even resent you for it. Don't get all huffy or hurt about it. Leave their own spiritual work to them.

Carry a notepad and pencil, but do not join in on social or personal discussions. You are taking a break from that. Work-related matters (or, in prison, dealing with officers) are different. Even there, be as brief as possible and true to your intent of disengaging yourself from all but the most necessary matters of communication. You may want a second prepared card that reads, "Can I discuss this with you tomorrow?"

At mealtimes, you may be surprised at how much effect one silent person can have on a table full of conversation - especially when conversation turns to gossip or backbiting. In a way, your silent "witness" may help others to better hear what they sound like.
2. Silent retreat day: The other way of practicing silence is to retreat from all your normal activities and from the presence of others to the greatest degree possible. If you can't go to a cabin in the woods or some other isolated place, you may want to simply spend the day in your cell or your bedroom. However you arrange it, here are a few tips to get the most out of a day of silent retreat:

Plan your meals in advance, and plan for only about half of what you may normally eat. This helps you to be quieter. Simple foods are best. I take a heel of bread and some fruit with me. Sometimes I fast entirely.

Do not spend a lot of the day reading. If you choose to read at all, plan it in advance and limit it to brief spiritual writings which may help you to work with silence. Do not listen to music or watch television.

Try to spend time in nature, listening and observing. If you have no access to the outdoors, try watching the sky and all its changes through a window. If you have no window, then focus a lot on everything in your cell, even the movement of shadows on the walls, distant sounds, or ants walking across the floor.

Try not to let thoughts dominate the day. Keep your focus in the here and now. The best way to do this is to focus on perceptions of the senses - seeing, listening, touching, smelling, tasting, walking.

Slow breaths, deeper breaths, help quiet the mind and body. Your breath is the source of your life. Each breath arises from and returns to silence. When you tap into the Big Breath and the Great Silence, you'll know it!
Essential Speech Practice
Total silence may be impossible for your situation. If that is the case, you can do essential speech, which means speaking only when required (by boss, staff, etc.). No chatting, singing, TV, radios, etc. You may still want to carry a card explaining why you're not speaking, so people will not think you're being unfriendly. People in our community have sometimes taken essential speech vows for a month or more. It can be as productive as a vow of silence. The idea behind both is to become more deliberate about how much we really need to say, and giving ourselves time to listen instead

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