Tuesday, November 24, 2009

the point of silence

I cannot reveal all I know. Not because I do not want to, but because it cannot be put into words. Not even if I were the most learned erudite vocabularian ever existing.

Jesus spoke in parables and in sayings obscure to common sense. Buddha and Chuang Tzu told stories and spoke in metaphor. Muhammad spoke what was told to him and could not speak what was not told.

To see in the dark requires that one look indirectly at the object. But it is more than that. Lao Tzu said it well: The name that can be named is not the eternal name.

As long as we are talking, we are beside the point. So all we can do is point. The best words point without getting in the way of the point. Each of us takes a look for ourselves.

On this Thanksgiving, when I ask myself what I am thankful for, I begin with a list and end in a deep and rich silence.

3 comments:

  1. Somewhere in between your words -- in the most beautiful way -- you said that which cannot be spoken. The silence around me grew with each sentence. By the time I stopped reading, the spacious, gently embracing silence had started to envelop me. That was an amazing, wonderful blessing. I'm going to stop writing now and fall back into the silence again. I am thankful for the Love that welcomes us there.

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  2. Words based on love and compassion can point us toward wonders and once there, are no longer needed.

    Looking forward to intranauting! RonK (LG)

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