Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself, and know that everything in life has purpose. There are no mistakes, no coincidences, all events are blessings given to us to learn from.
– Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
In Silence
But they didn’t speak. Two days passed…those two days became very long. The disciples were waiting while Kabir and Farid sat silently. Finally, when they had left, when Kabir had seen Farid off, Farid’s disciples asked, “What happened? Why didn’t you speak? Ordinarily you are always speaking. If we ask anything you speak. And we had brought you together with Kabir in the hope that there would be some talk between you, some juice would flow, so that we unfortunate ones could also drink a little of it. We brought the two riverbanks together so that if the Ganges flowed we could bathe in it, but the Ganges didn’t flow. What happened?”
Farid explained, “There was nothing to be said between Kabir and me, nor any language to say it in. Neither anything to ask, nor anything to say. Much was present there, a current was flowing, the Ganges flowed but not in words – in silence.”
Kabir’s disciples asked him the same thing: “What happened? Why did you become silent? It seemed as if you were a deaf-mute!”
Kabir said, “Idiots! If I speak in front of Farid I prove myself ignorant. Whoever speaks proves himself ignorant. Where not speaking will do, there is no question of speaking. Where a needle can do the job, only a madman raises a sword. It was already happening without speaking. An immense stream was flowing. Didn’t you see how the tears were flowing, what ecstasy there was?”
Words are not needed between two enlightened ones. Between two unenlightened ones there are words heaped upon words, but without any meaning. Between two enlightened ones there are meanings within meanings, but without any words. Between an enlightened one and an unenlightened one there are both words and meaning. For dialogue, an enlightened one and unenlightened one are needed.
Between two unenlightened people there will be argument. Dialogue is not possible, conversation is not possible: only a clashing of minds is possible.
Between two enlightened ones there is no verbal conversation. In some deeper world their centers are meeting. Union is happening, what need is there of conversation?
Without speaking it is communicated, without talking about it they both see it.
The possibility of dialogue exists between an unenlightened and an enlightened person. If the enlightened one is ready to speak and the unenlightened is ready to listen, then dialogue is possible.
He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words.
– Elbert Hubbard
