Munishwarji:
The Unstruck Sound: Moving Beyond the Five Senses

This weekend, at the invitation of one of my students, I had the opportunity to participate in an extraordinary experience that was exponentially expanding. We visited an exhibition called “Dialogue in the Dark” which is taking place simultaneously in Atlanta, New York, Hong Kong, Munich, Tokyo and other major international cities. Dialogue in the Dark is an interactive journey in total darkness in which participants are led through an exhibit by blind guides.

During the process, one learns to interact and communicate by relying on one’s other senses.  As part of the one hour simulation, we performed ordinary tasks such as walking through a park, visiting a grocery store, crossing the street, getting on a boat and paying for drinks at a concession counter – all in pitch blackness – without relying on our eyesight. During the process, the visually impaired guides became our “life lines” for navigating the world – teaching us to rely on our senses of touch, hearing, smell and taste, rather than sight. The blind truly was leading the blind in a remarkable role reversal. The process of learning how dependent we are on our eyesight was humbling, yet it also enhanced our ability to rely upon other sensory perceptions and to walk a mile in the shoes of a visually impaired person.

The experience reminded me of a similar process that happens when our natural spiritual abilities begin to unfold. At first, we may not even notice that we have subtle inner senses and that there is a Divine Unifying Presence always supporting us. The Divine is always speaking to us, yet we are very rarely listening. The stars are always shining as brilliantly as ever in the heavens, yet the brilliant sunlight masks their majestic twinkle during the day. In the same way, the “white noise” of mental chatter and discordant emotions often totally eclipses the still quiet voice of the Divine Within. At first, we may experience the Voice of the Divine as a barely perceptible whisper, yet the more we tune in, the more we realize the full majesty of the Voice of Silence that speaks a Most Eloquent Tone – and that it is in fact Deafening.

In Sanskrit, Voice of the Divine is called the “Unstruck Sound” (Anahata Nad) and is associated with the human heart. In fact, in Sanskrit, the word for the Heart Chakra – the Anahata Chakra – refers to the Voice of Silence that is experienced within our heart. The Saints and the Sages of the East say, “Do not hurt the human heart, for that is where God dwells.” They also say, “God dwells within you as You.” By creating time in our daily lives to become more in tune with our inner senses and with the Voice of Silence, we can enhance our lives and live a more expanded multi-dimensional experience. Observing periods of Ritual Silence is great practice that will assist you quieting your external senses in order to expand your awareness of the Inner Dimensions of Light and attune yourself to the Unstruck Sound.

How to Observe A Full Day or More of Ritual Silence: Set aside one day or more dedicated to the observation of complete silence in order to experience the Voice of Silence Itself. Complete silence means time without speaking, reading, emailing, texting or otherwise intentionally engaging in verbal or nonverbal communication.  You may wish to contact your family, friends and coworkers to let them know you plan to observe silence so that they will not expect to hear from you, and so you will not need to be concerned about communicating with them. When we begin to observe Ritual Silence, we will soon notice how we are constrained by language and how much language shapes our thoughts. Ritual Silence allows us to notice our own inner dialogue, and eventually, to move past that inner dialogue into Communion with the Silence of our Heart – the Presence of God. When we let go of language, our thoughts are no longer confined by the limitations of words. We begin to have direct experiences of the world around us, and we create the space for direct experience of the Self – the Divine Presence within each of us. The more time we create for sacred periods of Silence, the deeper these experiences of stillness become, and the more in tune we become with our Inner Life and the Source of Life Itself.

As you explore the practice of Ritual Silence, I invite you to share your experiences with me using the Ask a Messenger feature on this page.

For more information on Dialogue in the Dark, visit: http://www.dialogue-in-the-dark.com.

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