Posts Tagged ‘silence’

Speaking One’s Mind . . .

Speaking one’s mind is one thing. Speaking truthfully is altogether a different thing. The mind cannot know what is greater and grander than itself; it is from there that speaking truthfully originates. Speaking truthfully is not about content; it is not about POVs and beliefs and positions and arguments and justifications and rationalizations and finger-pointing and fear-mongering and saber-rattling. That is mind. Speaking truthfully originates in awareness itself, in silence, in that which observes the mind from a distance greater than what can be measured. And yet, that which observes the mind is closer than one’s breath, one’s flesh and bones, one’s synapses, even one’s soul. As far from the mind as this awareness is, at the same time it is closer to us than can be measured. This might seem paradoxical. It is, and it isn’t.

This is because Existence, or reality, is layered: dimension upon dimension upon dimension. Speaking truthfully comes from awareness, from silence — and these are so far from the mind that the distance cannot be measured. And yet, awareness and silence are closer to us than can be measured. In the same way, the distance between what mind can understand and perceive and what awareness and silence can understand and perceive cannot be measured. Speaking truthfully is the drumbeat that keeps time for Existence.

Speaking truthfully is the primordial intelligence, the mastermind of creation, expressing itself.

Conversations: Robert Rabbin & Gabor Harsanyi

I am happy to share an ongoing series of informal conversations between myself and Gabor Harsanyi, moderated and produced by Nurit Oren. Some of the themes and topics in these conversations include: Silence, meditation, spirituality, nonduality, mind, gurus, embodiment, god, awakening, self-realization, self-inquiry, bliss, ecstasy, pleasure, sex, functionality, spiritual practice, and many more. If you would like to hear us speak on a particular topic or have a question, please send an email to: info@nuritoren.com (more…)

Silence. Presence. Silence.

when we are quiet and still

as when we sit in the sand looking out to sea

and beyond

to where the eyes can’t follow

a Silent presence can be felt

it seems to be from within but it is equally without

moon over lake

this Silence is the soul of existence and it permeates all things everywhere

Silence cannot be known by the mind as an object

as we know an orange or shovel

because Silence is the power by which the mind functions

it is the source from which the mind comes

Silence itself is formless and nameless

 

remain still until this presence

this Silence

takes you

and do not take yourself back


(This is an excerpt from Sound Bites from Silence — available through the Bookstore.)

INTERVIEW: Sound Bites from Silence — #2

This is another segment in an ongoing series of conversations between author and teacher Nurit Oren and myself, about my book Sound Bites from Silence.

“I am so deeply moved to hear such a non-answer to a question that cannot be answered and yet it is the best explanation to why it can’t be answered. Even these words don’t do it justice since this is the deepest elaboration in words that I ever heard. Listening from the silence perspective of “no reference point” it is so touching and soulful (for lack of better words) that I am on the verge of tears.” – Gabor Harsanyi, spiritual initiator, master of silence

The Dark Night of the Soul Isn’t So Dark-HD from Robert Rabbin on Vimeo.

Piercing the Fear of Self-Revelation

Speaking Truthfully has many facets. The one I want to talk about now is the aspect of Speaking Truthfully I have termed “self-revelation. It is what I point to when I use words like transparency, intimacy, vulnerability, honesty.

Rather than try to define “self-revelation,” I’ll tell you a story, which I’ve never before written about. You will take from this story what you want, and I’ll be happy with that. It’s where I first came face-to-face with the fear of self-revelation, and what I did to pierce it. (Warning: graphic sexual content follows!)

Quite some time ago (how’s that for specificity?), I lived in Marin County, California. I had just finished leading a weeklong meditative inquiry retreat in the Sierra Nevada mountains. I met a lady there, who shortly afterward became my girlfriend. She lived in nearby San Francisco. When we recognized we wanted to get together, we went for a long walk in Muir Woods, sharing with each other what we wanted, what we were able to give; you know, let’s start with some conscious communication and go from there. (more…)

1 2 3