One of the most beautiful places to visit in this world is your own inner being.
This world is not a simple place. It is riddled with chaos and confusion. There are so many forces in the universe, and they keep tossing us here and there. It can be difficult to walk on a straight path. The road twists and turns, and there are many devils on the journey. We fall into pits, we cross hurdles, and we live in a haven for a brief while. Many things happen, and they fill our heads with storms.
It is one thing to fetishize storms and mental anguish, but after a while, when we have endured them for too long, it becomes tiring. It becomes tiring to feel stressed all the time. It becomes tiring to be anxious in every situation. I think every single one of us looks and searches for that moment of respite where we can be free from the chaos, where we can find shelter and just have a moment of peace. Every single one of us would like to just enjoy.
The beauty of the situation is that there exists a world within you that is quiet, peaceful, calm, and composed. There is a world that provides you with the respite you are looking for. It is the world of silence. It is the world of meditation.
The word meditation may begin to scare you, but don’t think of it in any traditional way. Meditation is the simple manifestation of the inner silence that is always present in you. It is the cleansing of your mind. It is a mental bathing. How fresh we feel after a shower! How clean!
When you are about to speak something, pay attention to the silence in your mouth before you utter the word. Once you have spoken, the silence manifests again. It is there even between the words. In fact, silence is the canvas on which our words grow and stretch. It is the space where thoughts blossom. Beyond each word and thought, there is silence. It is ever-present, like space.
Have you looked at a fresh page? It is blank and free from contaminants. It is free from ideas. It means that you can pour anything you like into that page. You can convert the page into a story, into an essay, into a strong, well-articulated piece about the horrors of Nazism, or into a devotional work about the beauty of the goddess—the possibilities are limitless, and one of the forces that’s always guiding you is your imagination. Anything can happen to a blank paper.
The space of inner silence is the manifestation of the blankness within you. Do not worry—your thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and a hundred and ten things that you love about your mind are not going to vanish. They will just rest for a while, like how you rest peacefully when you go to sleep. These mental things will dissolve in the lake of silence, and they will emerge once again. But since they got the time to rest, this time, when they emerge, they will be fresh. They will be original. They will be rejuvenated.
This is one of the most sublime gifts of dissolving ourselves in the pool of silence. We are refreshed—mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Silence creates the space in us to spread out our thoughts and emotions. It creates time and space for us. It frees us from the burden of our own thoughts.
Often, when we travel with heavy luggage, we have to carry it on our shoulders and hands. The weight begins to sear into the skin. It weighs us down. Taking a few moments of rest to recapture your strength will not harm you. In fact, it will empower you.
Silence empowers you and equips you to deal with chaos with a sense of clarity, peace, and abundance. It renews you and provides you with the scope to rediscover yourself. It transforms you. Thus, if you ever plan on going somewhere and cannot decide upon the place, try to enter this pool of silence within your own being. You might be amazed to discover what you find there!