The Sound of Silence

August 2017

Simon and Garfunkel's much loved lyrics from their classic song, 'The Sound of Silence' express a deep truth intuitively shared by humanity - we all know quiet, serene moments of silent inner 'Peace' that we can't put words to - truly, a 'Peace which surpasses all understanding' and few, in those moments of Peace, would wish to argue about whether our inner experience of 'Peace' is called 'Shanti', 'Shalom' or 'Paix' in other languages, cultures or faiths.

Linguistically, 'The Sound of Silence' is an oxymoron; that is, a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction with one another. An oxymoron makes no rational sense to the conceptual thinking mind and, is therefore 'non-rational' as there is, by definition, no actual 'sound' to 'silence'. Yet, we intuitively sense the deeper poetic-truth of 'The Sound of Silence' - the experiential 'Peace' which indeed 'surpasses' our understanding, intellectual, rational minds. In this sense, an oxymoron is a rhetorical device that uses contradiction to illustrate a point or to reveal a paradox.

As a student of OneSpirit Interfaith Seminary (www.interfaithfoundation.org), which seeks to focus on what can be shared in the depths of all faiths, I am fascinated in plumbing the depths of the various 'wells' of Faith and the many ways or methods to connect with Humanity's Creative Source. For example, oxymorons are commonly used in the Japanese tradition of Zen Buddhism in the form of Zen 'Koans'. A Zen Buddhist Roshi will give his/her students an individual 'Koan' for the student to contemplate to help the student to 'go beyond' the rational, conceptual, limited thinking mind into 'Satori', a direct realisation of or connection with our Divine/Creative Source, which is called 'Buddha Nature' in Buddhism. An example of such a 'Zen Koan' is: What is the Sound of One Hand Clapping? and the Zen Student would sit with that one question, periodically taking his thoughts and answers to the Roshi for as long as it would take until the Zen Roshi would know that the student had finally 'got it'; i.e., the direct experience of 'Satori', expressed as the inexpressible non-rational experience of 'connection' or of what might also be poetically-phrased 'The Sound of Silence'. In this sense then, in oxymoron fashion, we might say that the sound of one hand clapping is the Sound of Silence!

So, how can Zen Buddhist meditation be linked in any way to Christianity? Father Thomas Keating is regarded as one of the 'architects' of the Christian contemplative practice of 'Centering Prayer' which is considered to be Christianity's answer to Buddhist mindfulness meditation. Thomas Keating says beautifully that 'God's first word is Silence' and so he devised a Christian depth practice of contemplative silent prayer focussing on the gentle repetition of a sacred word, such as 'Peace' to help Christians to find another complementary way to a deeper connection with God's Presence in Silence. It is no coincidence that monasteries of all denominations and faiths all over the world practice Silence in the most beautiful, peaceful places and some may be interested in Laurence Freeman's work with the World Community for Christian Meditation.

Over the years, I have practised various forms of Buddhist meditation as well as Christian Centering prayer amongst other forms of spiritual/religious practices on my Interfaith Journey and, in each case, I have found a simple profundity of silent-connection which feels like an 'open secret' that is only discovered in our own experience of contemplation, meditation, prayer or perhaps in being 'at one' with Nature. Thomas Merton, who is one of the greatest Christian writers of the Twentieth Century and who pioneered early Interfaith dialogue after his own immersion into Zen Buddhism under the guidance of D. T. Suzuki writes about the 'secret' of Contemplation, Meditation and Prayer beautifully in his book, When the Trees say Nothing: '...the silence of the forest is my bride and the sweet dark warmth of the whole world is my love and out of that dark warmth comes the secret that is heard only in silence'.

So with echoes of the lyrics of Simon and Garfunkel's song, we can contemplate further what indeed is the sound of One Hand Clapping which might reveal the secret which Thomas Merton found - the secret that is heard only in silence. Can this 'secret' be exclusively claimed by any one Faith alone? Perhaps Simon and Garfunkel have the answer:

"The words of the prophets

Are written on the subway walls

And tenement halls

And whispered in the sounds of silence."

– Rev. Jenny Miller

 Jenny Miller, "Interfaith Matters - The Sound of Silence", Frensham Parish Magazine, (August, 2017)