Thanks dear Heather, for such a thoughtful profound answer. I consider "Perhaps when we're grounded in the present moment and not adding to harm with our words we actually are more safe?" the answer to my inquiry. When I am in "Noble Silence", I am not defending my position with words, which I have been prone to do in the past, I am more safe in this situation. If I told the Confederates what I was thinking, they would not of allowed me to stay on their side of the street, so they too, felt more safe with me." That is what I mean by "defenselessness". It is from ACIM (A Course In MIracles) "In defenselessness my safety lies."
Michelle had to go across the street, however,
:I had every intention to walk in silence and peace. And no intentions of them taking away Your path. Sometimes our plans are sidelined for a greater good! I got to tell the CPD just what I thought along with the racist confederates on the monument." (So Michelle was ordered to go across the street to join BLM. as I was able to stay on the middle way, as Confederates did not feel threatened by me.)
Ahhhh. Thanks for re-asking your question.
Noble Silence is a mindfulness practice that supports deep looking and understanding. In silence we can be confident that we are doing no harm with our words. Also, in silence, it's easier to notice and name our habit energies as they arise, see how our habitual responses move to the tip of our tongue. It's easier to feel our inner urgency to express our "point of view" and easier too to stop ourselves with the humility of understanding that ours is only one possible point of view out of many. Walking in Noble Silence, we feel our footsteps on the earth, connect our mind with our body, and stay grounded in the present moment and this helps us keep our attention to the here and now even as our thoughts try to carry us away.
In Noble Silence we may feel safe or we may feel unsafe--depending on the reality of what's happening the moment. Either way, silence helps us identify our feelings. Our silence doesn't shape our feelings, our perceptions, or the reality of our safety, it simply helps us notice these things so we can keep showing up to the reality of now. (But perhaps when we're not carried away by our feelings and perceptions we have more capacity to see that we indeed are still safe in this moment? Perhaps when we're grounded in the present moment and not adding to harm with our words we actually are more safe? Ultimately, the safety or non-safety of the present moment is dependent upon the deep currents of causes and conditions at work in the moment. With Noble Silence plus mindfulness, when our mind and body is uncluttered by feelings and miss-perceptions, we are metabolizing sensations of overwhelm moment-to-moment. This helps us more accurately understand what's happening so we know better what to do moment-to-moment.)
Defenseless-ness is not a Buddhist term that I'm familiar with. But I think it has resonance with a brave commitment to deep listening (to what's said and unsaid) and allowing ourselves to be emotionally and intellectually open to those who hold a different point of view.
I will close with this: we mustn't be stupid in our degree of openness or vulnerability. If we find ourselves in the company of a snake, then we must be excellent snake handlers so we don't get bit.
Does all this make sense?
Thank you for the beauty of your practice.
Love,
Heather
Heather Lyn Mann
Chân Liên An
She/Her (why this is important
hola hermano - good talking with you and thank you for your sharing about the powerful medicine of "Noble Silence”. much appreciated. it holds true wisdom. i invite you to share some of your experiences with LiveLoveNow relatives via our facebook page. your work is so powerful and inspirational. keep on keeping on. love, t.
No comments:
Post a Comment