[Shaahayda Rizvi]

Stephen, so glad to hear that you and Des are enjoying your time together visiting siblings and having a joyous time. Thank you so much for your reference to Joe’s description of A-U-M as the kind of silence that contains ALL — “this Silence contains All, is the source of All, and is that to which All will eventually dissolve and return” is a powerful reminder to Krishnamurti’s talk on silence.

In his talk on Silence, Krishnamurti describes two silences: 1) Cessation of Noise and end of tension 2) Real Silence is entirely different, and not the outcome of tension. This kind of silence is like going through a small hole to an enormously wide expansive ocean. This silence one cannot understand verbally, unless, one has understood the structure and meaning of consciousness –at this point the brain cells have ceased, and come upon that mystery which no one can describe. As you quoted Joe Campbell from ‘ The Flight of the Wild Gander’, ” The soul is to be propelled both by and from this syllable AUM into the silence beyond and all around it: the silence out of which it rises and back into which it goes when pronounced—slowly and rhythmically …as AUM—AUM—AUM.” (from The Flight of the Wild Gander)

Another kind of silence Krishnamurti dwells upon is a silence that is a result of OBSERVATION –observing something without reaction, without judgement. When there is a reaction to that which is said, then that is not silence. In his talk on ‘Total silence mind comes upon the eternal’, Krishnamurti says, “So we are talking of a stillness which is not dependent on anything. And it is only that quality of stillness, that absolute silence of the mind that can see that which is eternal, timeless, nameless. This is meditation. ..”

https://jkrishnamurti.org/content/total-silence-mind-comes-upon-eternal

Dr. Bucher, you wrote, ” I find my comfort level with silence increases with age. As I go into the weekend, I am searching for the moments I will have that I can “fill” with silence. ” I  find that my comfort level with silence has increased modestly with age but not really there.  Did you achieve this stage by self-control,  exercising discipline, going on forest walks,  or was it something that just happened over time?  Would love to hear your response.

Shaahayda