Who am I talking to???

I've stopped talking to myself. When I first went on voice rest (123 hours and 29 minutes ago - but hey, who's counting?) I found I carried on an internal dialogue (make that monologue in case there was any doubt about my sanity). My brain just wouldn't stop - it was fixated on the fact that I wouldn't be able to talk for 14 days. I wasn't feeling panicky - it wasn't that - I found my thoughts just churned. They finally settled, which means I must be getting used to this self-imposed exile. And it's got me thinking about what it means to be silent. Several friends have told me about people they know who have taken a vow of silence for a year or more. But they always add the caveat "they did write notes". Well, if they wrote notes were they truly silent? Does silence only apply to the spoken word? What about not speaking up about an injustice - is that not also keeping silent? And is keeping silent different than practicing silence? One implies judgment, doesn't it?

I decided to do a little searching (how did we ever live without google?? although my eldest daughter reminds me never to trust anything from wikipeida) and I found this from B.P. Wadia. I don't know B.P., I'm just siting my source. Here's the link: http://www.teosofiskakompaniet.net/BPWadia_TheVowOfSilence2005.htm

Our modern Theosophical student has not fully recognized the occult significance of silence. A vow of silence does not mean to become mute and not to speak at all. It consists in: (1) self-imposition of periodic silence; (2) not indulging at any time in injurious and untruthful speech; (3) not giving way to useless speech; (4) not asking questions on philosophy or practice till what has already been taught or is before us is fully scanned and thoroughly looked into from the point of view of our particular questions; (5) not indulging in ahankaric speech, i.e., not making statements about the Divine Self or Ego in terms of our kamic or lower nature; (6) not indulging in injurious speech regarding our lower nature, our own faults and weaknesses, lest by speaking of them we lend them the strength that ensues from the power of speech; (7) not to speak even that that is true unless at proper times, to proper people, and under proper circumstances.


He (or I guess it could be she, although I'm presuming he...wonder why that is?? Ok, I digress) goes on to say:

No doubt, it is difficult, well nigh impossible, for the moderns to attain this control over speech; but if not fully and wholly at least partly and partially it can be and should be practiced.

Deliberate speech will be the first result.

Hot diggity dog, this B.P. is on to something!

I'm not getting hand cramps from writing (as many have speculated I would) because I'm not writing all that much. To write is laborious, so each decision to write, and therefore each decision to communicate, becomes a conscious one. Yes, Jonathan, it is very Zen!

In just a few days this sacred node has turned an opinionated, critical, idealistic, energetic talker into a ... well, you be the judge! And will it last??