Embracing the Quietude and the Silence of the Mind

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In Western society, people are
inculcated from early childhood

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in the idea that they need to be
active in order to succeed in

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the world.
The outlook is extremely focused

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on an outward perspective.
The body, life force and mind

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have to be trained and harnessed
into action.

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Time not spent in active efforts
at development and putting the

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powers of being to work is
considered to be time wasted.

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People who do not focus on
putting the powers of mind, life

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and body to work in the world in
a noticeable way are considered

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to be dreamers and are not taken
seriously.

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Conversely, vacation times and
the period known as retirement

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after the active working life
has been completed are treated

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as times for the individual to
simply cease from efforts.

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Countless numbers of people head
to the beach and simply sleep

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and absorb the sun during their
vacations.

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The absence of the rajasic,
mental and vital activity

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frequently falls into a temasic
torpor and lassitude.

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While this is the basic standard
of Western society, there is no

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doubt that the underlying
attitudes involved have crept

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into the Eastern view of modern
day life as well.

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This is now something of a
worldwide phenomenon.

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These attitudes colour the view
people have about the process of

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meditation in general and the
need to quiet or silence the

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mind.
Before meditation or the silence

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of the mind can actually take
place, the individual has to

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overcome the basic mindset that
equates quiet with the wasting

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of time.
When the practitioner begins to

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experience the quietude of the
mind, one of the first issues he

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faces is the fear that the
emptiness he is experiencing in

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the mind is somehow a negative
event.

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He may feel he is on the point
of dying and losing his

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identity.
He may feel like he is becoming

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incompetent without the thought
processing that formerly

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occupied his mind.
He may feel like he is losing

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something essential to his
being.

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Whatever feeling arises, he
needs to find a way to overcome

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it.
Let the silence seep into the

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mind stuff and turn with
aspiration to become receptive

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to the higher spiritual force
that informs and manages without

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the constant flow of words or
images that constitutes the

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normal mental space.
Those individuals who have

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depended on the mentality for
their action in the world, who

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have a career and an act of
external life, sometimes fear

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that they will not be able to
function.

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For these individuals, it may be
best for them to create a time

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and space for letting the being
separate itself from the

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activity and retrain the mind to
honour and appreciate the

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quietude until such time as a
new mode of action develops that

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can continue to work within the
silence and quietude.

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Sriorobindo writes Quote Keep
the quietude and do not mind if

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it is for a time and empty
quietude.

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The consciousness is often like
a vessel which has to be emptied

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of its mixed or undesirable
contents.

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It has to be kept vacant for a
while till it can be filled with

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things new and true, right and
pure.

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The one thing to be avoided is
the refilling of the cup with

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the old turbid contents.
Meanwhile, wait, open yourself

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upwards, call very quietly and
steadily, not with a too

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restless eagerness for the peace
to come into the silence, and

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once the peace is there, for the
joy and the presence.

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End Quote reference Shrioro
Bindo Basis of Yoga Chapter 1

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column Peace and Equality page
8.