Silence

Shantanu sat in silence
in a corner at Shanti Space
keeping the space calm
and quiet

♫ ♫ ♫

There’s no need
to speak
all the time,
Shantanu knew
There is often a time
and a place
for talking,
but more often than not
silence
is more beautiful

Shantanu understood silence well:
the art of being silent,
being comfortable
with silence,
enjoying silence,
loving silence,
being silence

He also knew
how to listen,
and how to converse
without interrupting
the flow of words when others spoke

♫ ♫ ♫

May I join you?
asked a woman

Welcome

I see you here
almost every day,
sitting alone
quietly

I’m doing café meditation

What’s that?

I sit
and observe
and remain equanimous
while drinking tea

Cool

I teach meditation
in the Silence Studies department
at Shanti University

A master of silence,
he had spent many months
alone
and with others
in silence
at Damma Sota,
the Goenka vipassana meditation center in Rahaka

What can you tell me about meditation
and silence?
the woman asked

Speaking mindfully
and using the language in a beautiful way,
Shantanu shared his insight
while the sun began to set

♫ ♫ ♫