"Silence is the language of God. All else is poor translation."
—
~ Rumi
(thanks to @zenessentials)
"As I silence myself I become more sensitive to the sounds around me, and I do not block them out. The songs of the birds, the rustle of the wind, children in the playground, the roar of an airplane overhead are all taken into my worship. I regulate my breathing as taught me by my Zen friends, and through this exercise I feel the flow of life within me from my toes right through my whole body. I think of myself like the tree planted by the ‘rivers of water’ in Psalm 1, sucking up God’s gift of life and being restored. Sometimes I come to meeting for worship tired and weary, and I hear the words of Jesus, ‘Come unto me, all that labour and are weary, and I will give you rest’. And having laid down my burden, I feel refreshed both physically and spiritually. This leads me on to whole-hearted adoration and thanksgiving for all God’s blessings. My own name, Tayeko, means ‘child of many blessings’ and God has surely poured them upon me. My heart overflows with a desire to give him something in return. I have nothing to give but my own being, and I offer him my thoughts, words and actions of each day, and whisper ‘Please take me as I am’."
—
Tayeko Yamanouchi, 1979; “Quaker Faith & Practice” 2.54
More here
"Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one’s weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart."
— Gandhi
"Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is daily admission of one’s weakness. It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart."
— Mohandas Gandhi (via yama-bato)
"Silence Is God’s First Language"
—
This quote from John of the Cross is the start point for a short article by Cynthia Bourgeault which starts with:
“Most religions consider a practice of ‘intentional silence’—such as centering prayer—essential to spiritual awakening….”
"True silence is the rest of the mind; it is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment."
— William Penn (1644-1718)
"Let us be silent that we may hear the whispers of the gods."
— Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) U.S. poet, essayist and lecturer.
"Silence is unceasing eloquence. It is the best language."
— Sri Ramana Maharshi (via silencesounds)
"
“Every word, every image used for God is a distortion more than a description”
“Then how does one speak of God?”
“Through Silence”
“Why, then, do you speak in words?”
At that the Master laughed uproariously. He said, “When I speak, you musn’t listen to the words, …. Listen to the Silence.”
"— Anthony de Mello; “One Minute Wisdom”
