Silence

“It has been said that nothing in this world is so like God as silence. All you have to do is pay attention to it.”

Eckhart Tolle– The Power of Now Journal.

March 12, 2024

“To listen to the silence, wherever you are, is an easy and direct way of becoming present. Even if there is noise, there is always some silence underneath and in between the sounds.”

― Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now: ‘A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment’

Many years ago, while standing on a mountain in the Eastern Highlands of Rhodesia, I recall it being the most silent experience of my life. With deeper analysis, I remember that there was just the faintest buffeting sound in my ears as a soft breeze touched them. No bird, no insect, no identifiable sound interrupted that moment.

“Silence is the language of God, all else is poor translation.” Rumi

ET’s words bring to mind the above quote. The second aspect of ET’s statement coming to my mind is his advice to ‘…pay attention to it.’

I cannot say that I relate to God as being silent; although this may be the experience of others. The person I refer to as God, according to the Bible, is a Spirit. Although all through the Bible there are references to God having human attributes, I see a different meaning than the obvious. I say this as no one has ever seen God in order experience hearing an audible voice. Certain writers in the scriptures have claimed to have heard God speaking, but according to the scriptures, God only ever spoke to one human – Moses, ‘…mouth to mouth.’[1]

Back to silence and ET’s statement, ‘’…pay attention to it.’ I believe that my God lives inside me.[2] We talk all day, and we have done this for years. God counsels me on all matters and guides me in my steps. None of this communication is vocal – it’s all silent and I love the experience.

But there’s more…

There is another voice in my head – my ego. This voice issues instructions and offers advice essentially, I’m told, for my safety and comfort. This voice is also silent. At this point, you would be right to ask,

‘How do you hear a voice that is silent?’

Well, I do, and it is a learned discipline.

‘How do you know which voice is which?’ you ask.

Distinguishing which voice is which is also a learned discipline.

‘How do you go about learning this discipline?’ You ask again.

You ask for it.

‘Who do you ask?’

Your God inside you.

‘Are you serious?

Absolutely!

“…Even if there is noise, there is always some silence underneath and in between the sounds…” (ET’s quote above)

I knew a person who used to pray and meditate in a kiddie’s playground. I asked, ‘Don’t you find it too noisy?’

‘Children to most are noisy; to me, their sounds are the epitome of purity-and that’s all I hear.’

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[1] Numbers 12:8 KJV.

[2] John 14:20

[1] The Power of Now Journal 9781529383942 | Fruugo IE

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[1] Eckhart Tolle The Power of Now journal

Please Note:

Earlier parts of this series can be found here.

You will have noticed in this series that I reference “The Power of Now Journal – Eckhart Tolle.” The Power of Now Journal is just that: a journal whose pages are not numbered. The commentary you read on this page is a record of my personal experience arising from Eckhart’s comments on the relevant pages of the journal. With its dynamic wisdom, this beautifully printed book is available from Amazon. I feel confident that if you have read my piece, you will enjoy this delightful journal, even if you don’t usually keep or never have kept a journal.

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[1] The Power of Now Journal – Eckhart Tolle

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