The silence in my presence, or in the Himalayas, or in a silent deep forest is not yours. You are simply overwhelmed by something so great that your small mind simply stops. But it is not much of a gain, you should not become habituated to it; otherwise, whenever you want to be silent you have to come close to me. That has become a dependence.
No real master would like his disciples to be dependent on him. The whole effort of an authentic master is to make you independent, to make you a master. How long are you going to remain a disciple?
But it is all in your hands. I can give you the glimpses at the most. But those glimpses are keys; you should learn something from them. One thing is certain, you are capable of being silent. A second thing is certain, that your mind stops. Now the only thing to get hold of is how to do it on your own so that wherever you are, you are surrounded by silence and all its beauties and blessings.
There is a rule called Finagle’s Eighth Rule: Teamwork is essential; it allows you to blame someone else.
Don’t blame me for your silence – take responsibility. Even when you are here, I may be the triggering point but the silence is yours. I may have been a catalytic agent, but the silence is yours.
After acquiring enough money from handouts, an inhabitant of the Bowery decided to take his refreshment at one of Wall Street’s better drinking establishments.
A financial tycoon seated next to him was visibly appalled at the appearance and odor of the down-and-outer – so much so, that he turned to the man and pointedly said, “‘Cleanliness is next to godliness’ – John Wesley.”
His words were ignored by the bum.
A few minutes later, the financier again intoned loudly, “‘Cleanliness is next to godliness’ – John Wesley!” Still he was ignored.
Finally, the visibly irritated financier shouted in the man’s face, “‘Cleanliness is next to godliness’ – John Wesley!”
To which the skid row bum calmly replied, “‘Screw you’ – Tennessee Williams.”
The poor fellow must have been holding himself as much as he could. But an old habit…finally, he could not manage; it was too much. He forgot completely where he was and that he had to behave in a mannerly way.
Your mind has collected all kinds of rubbish – it is a bum. And whenever you are sitting alone, you don’t have anything to do, the mind has every opportunity to exhibit all its accumulations. And it is because you become interested in it, remember: being disinterested in it is also a kind of interest; being against it is also a kind of friendship. It is a love-hate relationship. You wanted to be silent, but just your wanting won’t help. Even if you shout to it, “Stop! Don’t go on chattering,” it is not going to listen.