Internal silence: the promoter of positive thinking

An incorrect way of thinking does not solve any problems. The correct thinking needs a lot of concentration. If we have a problem to solve and we do not apply an accurate way of thinking to the challenge this means that the solution will take much longer to formulate. The question must be asked to our conscience or to the warehouse of our conscience. Our thinking is not enough to give a solution to our problems. Our consciousness is the real engine that will provide the answers to our questions. While we sleep, our conscience is still working. Then suddenly after a few days, the solution to our issues comes. This happens because we have entrusted our questions to the warehouse of our conscience and not merely to our way of thinking. Therefore, we should each of us train to the path of meditation and rely on our conscience. When the solution to our problems arrives, then we have the knowledge that we have reached a moment of enlightenment.

 When we let go of our thoughts, ideas and our concepts, we actually open ourselves to the pure mind. Our correct way of thinking is silent without words or concepts. Silence is actually a gift that comes from within us and does not need external influences. It already exists in our hearts and makes us see the actual reality that surrounds us. To be silent actually does not mean that we never talk or that we do not commit ourselves to do things, it means that we have no internal troubles that our heart is pure. The real silence must be sought within us, and we must do it because it helps us to live better. The way is to find inner calm in all the things we do to appreciate them better. Sometimes we think we are silent because we see that there is no sound around us.

In many cases, the sound is still in our minds. The sound in our minds needs to be stopped.  This can just be done if we change the way we think or observe things. Inner silence is what helps us to see the world in a better way. If this is what we can achieve then loneliness should not scare us at all. In fact, isolation is the moment when we are able to observe what is happening around us. In other words, when we are aware of what is happening around us we have the confirmation to become mindful of every feeling and every perception. This is true loneliness.

When people think of silence, they do it negatively as if it was a dictatorship state in which there is no freedom of expression. For example, sometimes it is forbidden to speak of a sensitive subject. This kind of silence is dangerous, and it makes things worse. In many families, there are situations of forced calm. That kind of silence is very negative, and you can't endure it for long. The real silence creates joy, relaxation, peace and is able to generate positive energy for us and for the people around us. For example, if we go to an open space to enjoy nature, we can observe the sun, the trees, the grass, the flowers. We can also listen to the wind circulating through the trees, maybe listen to the chirping of birds. We can observe nature and enjoy its beauty. In this case, the way we hear is done with joy, with inner silence. This type of silence is constructive and dynamic and promotes positive thinking.

Giuseppe Loporchio

Source: Silence by Thich Nhat Hanh