To the silence of the gods

How long for us to eschew the mute god?

Where are thou?

I cannot see you nor can I hear you.

I feel nothing when I close my eyes and fold my hands to you.

There is no voice, no form, there is no God, and yet there is a need to conform. 

I was frustrated as he never replied, he never listened to me or saw my pain, 

I left the temple and broke my chain; I threw my ring and walked in the rain.

The rain washed away the sandal from my forehead and the idea of God from my mind.

 

I grew up reading of the mind, of Freud and his thoughts.

I went on investigating from blogs to books of all sorts.

I then discovered much later that it was in a state of no mind and no thoughts.

That peace prevails.

It becomes bolder as our mind become more silent, our thoughts become clearer,

And we can see through to the floor, like gazing through still water.

We understand that our being is walking a tightrope, 

Over the water and we look forward to hope.

Our mind balancing between the past and the future,

We often fall into the trap of one or the other. 

We learn that by only walking moment to moment,

A step at a time, can we have the balance, to see ourselves reach the future unbent. 

I learned that the silence that follows once our eyes closed,

Is the silence that we were always looking for, it needs no name, no form,

No need to conform or follow any norms.

I learned that this was what the Buddha asks us to seek,

Gain strength from this silence, and not to be weak. 

Author's Note

Inspired from the words of the great OSHO (Acharya Rajneesh)
The man who moved the world and spoke the truth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kll1XQ90JOs

Please do share your thoughts, let us have a healthy discussion, debate.

Won - Story/Poetry contest by 'Skib'

Reviews

[T. Edana Talbott]

...this was kind of hard to read - but because I could relate so powerfully to this. It was really amazing. I've had many years as of late, where I've consistently struggled in my relationship with God, sometimes just struggling to have faith in him. There are still many days where I resent him for the things that goes on in the world, but at some point we humans have to take responsibility for our own actions, God or no God.

Very amazing write.

[Ashwin Shanker]

I completely agree with you. The dilemma that you are facing now was what I faced many years ago. read moreI completely agree with you. The dilemma that you are facing now was what I faced many years ago.
The idea of god can be attributed to nature itself. The very consciousness of nature. Where some species or the other prevails...

[Marianne Rose]

I loved the beginning, so like a psalm, filled with passion: "I left the temple and broke my chain; I threw my ring and walked in the rain"- how like my own seeking- strong images of the break with the vows to follow religion, embrace the cleansing of nature, to seek on one's own. "I grew up reading of the mind, of Freud and his thoughts. . ." Like my own journey- I studied philosophy, theology, psychology . . . Got a MA in the School Education in Counseling . . . Seeking to understand the mind of mankind. Went on to Martial Arts, an obscure form from monks who dwelt in caves- and in that, emptied the mind, embraced the moment of each movement, stood for hours working through the body/mind response to emptying thought. I love the 4th stanza in its entirety- especially the image of walking a tightrope over water. My spiritual walk has felt like this at times, and other times, I step off the tightrope and realize I am still walking on water, softly, relaxed, no need to balance because there is no strain and the natural balance takes over. In the last stanza, you speak of the silence that needs no name, does not conform- this is like the groundlessness we fight as human beings- wanting to grasp, and in ceasing that grasping, peace comes, silently. Where I have experienced this silence, I have also experienced the fullness of all creation in it, and then, the silence again. Where some seek this transcendent moment, i am called to manifestation- the creation out of the void, humming and moving with life, all possibilities held suspended until manifestation comes. In that, I find joy, peace comes too, after the joy settles quietly. I have a friend that embraces the silence and transcendent peace you describe- it is his way. And we both know I am called to a path of spontaneous action - as the spirit leads me, in inner voice, song, and right action in the right timing. Another way. I honor your deep silence, and the peace that comes in the present, so fully felt. Your poem captures this well. Thank you for inviting discourse; we honor each other in celebrating how each of finds the present moment and the peace you speak of. Great thought-provoking read.

[Ashwin Shanker]

The beginning that you loved, well, was my least favorite and I was about to delete that whole stanza :P . I am so amazed to find that people would end up loving those bits about my work which even I may personally not like much.

I am also at wonder to find that you shared a similiar spiritual journey like the one I did.
The power of mindfulness and spontaneous action cannot be stressed enough.
Most of what I have written here is the result of meditation and the discourses of OSHO, which I follow very closely. I was happy to discover that I am able to put in words the meditative experience that I had upon practicing his teachings.
Thank you for reading my poetry, means a lot to me.

[Marianne Rose]

I'm so glad you didn't delete the first stanza! It really sets up the journey- shows your humanity and questioning that led you to seek another way. I like that you said mindfulness and spontaneous action go hand in hand- so many seek transcendence to leave the world of pain . . . I have always resonated with the bodhisatva (hope I spelled that right) that stands behind until all can experience enlightenment. Thanks for clarifying, as I am not familiar with OSHO (yet).

[Ashwin Shanker]

Please do look him up on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kll1XQ90JOs
This is one of his most profound of talks (just 10 mins long) but will shake the very roots of your consciousness.

U missed a 't' in Bodhisattva :P ... hehe. I am not going to be anal about grammar and spelling in this site for sure :P ...

More than Buddhism, I have found that OSHO's meditations and teachings are far more effective in leading a fulfilling holistic life. Because Buddha's teachings are centuries old, many of them may not exactly work in the modern context. Whereas, OSHO has tweaked and tailored his teachings to fit into the lifestyle of the modern man.

[Mavericks]

Very Inspiring Read, my friend. Some Deep thought's poured into this beautifully crafted Poem. Very Introspective too. One of Best i have read so far on WC, lately. Keep up the Good Work. Feeling Enlightened. =)

[Ashwin Shanker]

Wow, One of the best you say. that is really encouraging. But YEs, I did spot some tremendous poetic work on WC. I have to say some of the best. This place is not about finding the silver needle in chaff, but rather finding a golden needle in a stack of silver needles.
Happy to know that you feel enlightened. Do look up OSHO's talks on youtube. They are far more enlightening and inspiring, it will make you write poems like how I just did. (You will thank me later, I gaurantee it)

[JetMardium]

i very much enjoyed it, it was great to see poetry with hues of religion from places other than my own rotten country

[Ashwin Shanker]

Glad you enjoyed this Jet.
Which country are u from, if I may ask?

[JetMardium]

the home of decadence and sin, a land where people claim to have freedoms, but we are only slaves to a false ruling class. a land founded by rapists, murderers, thieves, and high treason traitors
the so called "great" usa

[Ashwin Shanker]

haahahah.. USA you say. Wow. The whole world is in awe of USA. Including us Indians

[JetMardium]

thats sad, this country is scum at its finest, so many of the worlds most atrocious inhumanities devised and developed within our borders and by our people