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kriyaboy
USA
28 Posts |
 Posted - May 18 2013 : 3:10:43 PM
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I have been reading the AYP lessons now for about a month or so and have kept pondering whether the term "inner silence" is really a good synonym for "pure bliss consciousness".
For me "inner silence" is never really silent, but is more like a soft hum at the back of the head, which I have always taken to be what is described as nada, an unstruck sound.
So, I am wondering whether I have ever really achieved what is being described by this term.
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Christi
United Kingdom
4431 Posts |
Posted - May 18 2013 : 3:53:35 PM
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Hi Kriyaboy,
quote:
I have been reading the AYP lessons now for about a month or so and have kept pondering whether the term "inner silence" is really a good synonym for "pure bliss consciousness".
For me "inner silence" is never really silent, but is more like a soft hum at the back of the head, which I have always taken to be what is described as nada, an unstruck sound.
So, I am wondering whether I have ever really achieved what is being described by this term.
The "soft hum" that you mention is sometimes called the "sound of silence" and it is a good sign if you can hear it. It is one of the sounds that is used as an object of meditation in nada yoga and also by some Buddhist schools. The sound is caused by friction as prana moves through purifying nadis in the head. It is an intermittent sound and is not always present although it can be for long periods.
As far as I am aware, the term "inner silence" is used in AYP as a synonym for the "witness", but not for "pure bliss consciousness". Certainly inner silence deepens over time into pure bliss consciousness, so it is an important stage and ingredient, but it is not the same thing. Sometimes when Yogani writes about the higher stages of inner silence he will therefore use it as a synonym for "pure bliss consciousness"
Certainly inner silence (the witness) is not always silent. It is more subtle than that and this does confuse a lot of people. Inner silence can at times be silent, but it can also be present at the same time as other sounds. Yogani often says that during meditation, the mantra, thoughts and silence can all be present at the same time. It sounds strange but it is very obvious when it is experienced.
If you are sitting in a wood on your own, and the wind is rustling the leaves in the trees, under the trees it could be very quiet and still. And above the trees it could also be absolutely silent and still. So sound is there, but also a vast silence. It is the same in the mind. Actually thoughts occupy a tiny space in the mind, but because we focus on them they seem to occupy all of the mind at times. When we learn to hear the silence the first thing that happens is an appreciation of how vast the mind is, and of how silent that vastness is.
From the perspective of that silence we are able to watch everything that arises in the mind (which also means in the world) with detachment (vairagya) without identification. This detached viewing is the witness. This is why inner silence and the witness are the same thing. But still there is division in this state of witnessing and it is not until this division dissolves into unity that we start to talk about pure bliss consciousness (sat chit ananda). The bliss is the bliss of unity beyond the witness state. By that point it cannot really be called "inner silence" because the "inner" and "outer" dissolve as the subject/ object reality dissolves in unity.
Certainly, once you experience inner silence for the first time, you are not left wondering if that was inner silence or not. It is a milestone in yoga and is an incredible experience that leaves you changed forever. It is similar to the experience of diving under the ocean for the first time. You are not left wondering if you were under the water or not, you are just amazed at how different everything looks from under the water and at how silent the waves are suddenly and how you can still see them from below but they look different.
Christi
p.s. welcome to the forum. 
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adinatha
USA
11 Posts |
Posted - May 18 2013 : 7:36:25 PM
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| Silence speaks. Stillness moves. Form is emptiness. Emptiness is form. The ringing bell was unstuck. It is nothing and nowhere yet appears as anything without limitations. |
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kriyaboy
USA
28 Posts |
Posted - May 19 2013 : 09:27:00 AM
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Christi,
Thanks for your thoughtful and detailed response. I have a few follow on questions. You said:
The "soft hum" that you mention is sometimes called the "sound of silence" and it is a good sign if you can hear it. It is one of the sounds that is used as an object of meditation in nada yoga and also by some Buddhist schools.
Is it also the ajapa spoken of in japa-ajapa--the mantra repeating itself? Is nada yoga the same as laya yoga? I would assume that it should still not be the focus of meditation in mantra meditation. Is that right?
As far as I am aware, the term "inner silence" is used in AYP as a synonym for the "witness", but not for "pure bliss consciousness". Certainly inner silence deepens over time into pure bliss consciousness,
OK, so does the presence of this "soft hum" constitute the inner silence Yogani speaks of as a prerequisite for samyama?
And does inner silence actually become completely silent when it becomes pure bliss consciousness? |
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emc
2072 Posts |
Posted - May 19 2013 : 10:22:28 AM
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Sometimes it's a roaring silence...  |
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Christi
United Kingdom
4431 Posts |
Posted - May 19 2013 : 4:45:24 PM
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Hi Kriyaboy,
quote:
Is it also the ajapa spoken of in japa-ajapa--the mantra repeating itself? Is nada yoga the same as laya yoga? I would assume that it should still not be the focus of meditation in mantra meditation. Is that right?
No, the soft humming sound is not the mantra repeating itself. It is there with or without the mantra (when it is heard). So yes, if you are practising mantra meditation you do not use this soft humming sound as a meditation object.
I have never studied Laya Yoga, but I believe it includes a form of nada yoga using the sound of silence.
quote:
OK, so does the presence of this "soft hum" constitute the inner silence Yogani speaks of as a prerequisite for samyama?
The mind needs to be pretty quiet in order to hear this humming sound, but essentially the quality of the witness must be present to some degree for samyama to be effective. The witness is the ability to observe phenomena with dispassion (i.e. without identification).
quote:
And does inner silence actually become completely silent when it becomes pure bliss consciousness?
Pure Bliss Consciousness is always silent, but it is not necessarily a silence that excludes sound. It is a divine paradox as Yogani always says. The bliss is the bliss of the ocean of silence of the mind, but within that ocean anything can arise and fall away, including sounds.
Christi |
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Bodhi Tree
2972 Posts |
Posted - May 19 2013 : 7:01:52 PM
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Highly recommend this lesson:
http://www.aypsite.org/248.html - Lesson 248 - Culture, Samadhi and Snow
Yogani makes the comparison of how Eskimos have many words for snow, and similarly, how meditators have different descriptions for the various stages of samadhi/inner silence.
The idea is that there is a subjective experience of inner silence that is validated by recurring reports from a group of individuals perceiving the same object. In such a way, what begins as subjective becomes more objective by virtue of affirmation and shared experience. That's why, to me, a great indication of the presence of inner silence is when it's shared with another person, which occurs in daily activity, beyond the meditation practice. But, of course, the sharing of inner silence occurs during group meditation too, which is great.
Sometimes, I can have a a very "noisy" inner atmosphere during deep meditation, but then my subsequent external activity can be very peaceful and serene. So, that's another thing to keep in mind--that Deep Meditation is a housecleaning rather than an attempt to objectify or capture "inner silence" or "pure bliss consciousness". Actually, inner silence is the one thing you can't capture because it eludes any grasp. That's why I'm very suspect and skeptical about spiritual teachers/practitioners who speak about inner silence in absolute terms--as if they've finally attained absolute absorption in the "Infinite". But with the snow metaphor, it's more akin to exploring luscious shades of a never-ending continuum, rather than fixating on a binary model of attainment: yes/no, on/off, awake/not-awake, silent/not-silent. |
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jeff
USA
971 Posts |
Posted - May 20 2013 : 11:01:27 AM
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Hi Kriyaboy,
In my experience, subjective concepts of "sound" silence depend both on your "depth" in consciousness and what you are focusing on. As one dives continually deeper in meditation, you experience states of no sound or "light" until you become accustomed to the depth. Get comfortable with the depth and you start to be able to notice the energy flows (reason for the sound and light) at that level. This is often what is really happening when one believes they have reached the "void", when it is just a subjective new depth in consciousness.
Best wishes,
Jeff |
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Is Inner Silence Really Silent?
