The benefits of silence

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Kim OHara
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The benefits of silence

Post by Kim OHara »

I haven't checked the science mentioned here but none of the points made here seem unreasonable and most of them agree with my experience.
The Proof that Noise Hurts and Silence Heals

The value of silence is felt by everyone at some point in their life. Silence is comforting, nourishing and cosy. It opens us up to inspiration, and nurtures the mind, body and soul. Meanwhile, the madness of the noisy world is drowning out our creativity, our inner connection and hampering our resilience. Science is now showing that silence may be just what we need to regenerate our exhausted brains and bodies.

Studies show that noise has a powerful physical effect on our brains, causing elevated levels of stress hormones. ...

The Effects of Silence

In 2011, the World Health Organisation (WHO) examined and quantified its health burden in Europe. It concluded that the 340 million residents of Western Europe (about the population of the United States), were losing a million years of healthy life every year, due to noise. WHO also said that the root cause of 3,000 heart disease deaths was due to excessive noise. ...

Taking Time to Switch Off

According to the Attention Restoration Theory, when you are in an environment with lower levels of sensory input, the brain can ‘recover’ some of its cognitive abilities. With our digital world, our brains get less time to switch off. We are constantly processing enormous amounts of information. Research has shown the constant attention demands of modern life is placing a lot of stress on our prefrontal cortex–the part of the brain responsible for making decisions, solving problems and more. When we spend time alone in silence, our brains are able to relax and release this constant focus. ...
https://upliftconnect.com/science-says- ... ur-brains/

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Kim
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Pseudobabble
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Re: The benefits of silence

Post by Pseudobabble »

I am working up to taking a vow of silence - I think it will be very pleasant once I get used to it.
"Does Master Gotama have any position at all?"

"A 'position,' Vaccha, is something that a Tathagata has done away with. What a Tathagata sees is this: 'Such is form, such its origination, such its disappearance; such is feeling, such its origination, such its disappearance; such is perception...such are fabrications...such is consciousness, such its origination, such its disappearance.'" - Aggi-Vacchagotta Sutta


'Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return.' - Genesis 3:19

'Some fart freely, some try to hide and silence it. Which one is correct?' - Saegnapha
Saengnapha
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Re: The benefits of silence

Post by Saengnapha »

Pseudobabble wrote: Sun May 27, 2018 9:14 pm I am working up to taking a vow of silence - I think it will be very pleasant once I get used to it.
Real silence is the stopping of your mind, not the stopping of your mouth. One does not lead to the other, but go ahead and try it. :D
budo
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Re: The benefits of silence

Post by budo »

Anyone who has been bed ridden in a hospital for a long time knows how depleting and exhausting stimulus is. In Jewish custom you are not allowed to visit sick people too much for this reason, as to allow them to heal, visiting the sick is actually a commandment in Judaism and a good deed but there is a set time and duration that you are allowed to visit.

Also from the book "My stroke of insight" by Jill Taylor, which is an amazing book btw, she talks about when she was bed ridden in the hospital after her stroke, that some doctors and nurses depleted and drained her energy while other doctors and nurses gave her energy, and she became extremely sensitive as to what demands energy and what gives energy.

From my own personal experience, noise is the worst robber of energy and form of stress, motors and incessant chatter being the top. followed by light. Light in meditation prevents sloth, but light at night when you're trying to rest, especially the LEDs from electronics, are really bad.
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Pseudobabble
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Re: The benefits of silence

Post by Pseudobabble »

Saengnapha wrote: Tue May 29, 2018 4:41 am
Pseudobabble wrote: Sun May 27, 2018 9:14 pm I am working up to taking a vow of silence - I think it will be very pleasant once I get used to it.
One does not lead to the other
Nonsense. Talking requires thinking. Less talking, less thinking. Try to be less deep, and you might actually say something useful..
"Does Master Gotama have any position at all?"

"A 'position,' Vaccha, is something that a Tathagata has done away with. What a Tathagata sees is this: 'Such is form, such its origination, such its disappearance; such is feeling, such its origination, such its disappearance; such is perception...such are fabrications...such is consciousness, such its origination, such its disappearance.'" - Aggi-Vacchagotta Sutta


'Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return.' - Genesis 3:19

'Some fart freely, some try to hide and silence it. Which one is correct?' - Saegnapha
Spiny Norman
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Re: The benefits of silence

Post by Spiny Norman »

Kim OHara wrote: Sun May 13, 2018 4:59 am Studies show that noise has a powerful physical effect on our brains, causing elevated levels of stress hormones. ...
I think that's true of intrusive "man-made" noise, but I am not at all bothered by natural sounds like waves breaking, wind in the trees, etc.
Buddha save me from new-agers!
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Re: The benefits of silence

Post by Spiny Norman »

Pseudobabble wrote: Tue May 29, 2018 7:39 am Talking requires thinking. Less talking, less thinking.
That has certainly been my experience on silent retreats.
Buddha save me from new-agers!
Saengnapha
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Re: The benefits of silence

Post by Saengnapha »

Pseudobabble wrote: Tue May 29, 2018 7:39 am
Saengnapha wrote: Tue May 29, 2018 4:41 am
Pseudobabble wrote: Sun May 27, 2018 9:14 pm I am working up to taking a vow of silence - I think it will be very pleasant once I get used to it.
One does not lead to the other
Nonsense. Talking requires thinking. Less talking, less thinking. Try to be less deep, and you might actually say something useful..
I don't think I was trying to be deep, just factual. You will continue to think and talk to yourself. What is the point of not talking? I am just asking a question.
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Pseudobabble
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Re: The benefits of silence

Post by Pseudobabble »

Saengnapha wrote: Tue May 29, 2018 8:48 am
Pseudobabble wrote: Tue May 29, 2018 7:39 am
Saengnapha wrote: Tue May 29, 2018 4:41 am
One does not lead to the other
Nonsense. Talking requires thinking. Less talking, less thinking. Try to be less deep, and you might actually say something useful..
I don't think I was trying to be deep, just factual. You will continue to think and talk to yourself. What is the point of not talking? I am just asking a question.
Apologies, my first post in the morning...

In a sense you're right - just stopping the mouth is not enough to stop the mind. And in fact, if anything, it makes one's thoughts and mind-swirls appear all the louder. But not inclining the mind to verbal fabrication helps reduce the total incidence of fabrication.
"Does Master Gotama have any position at all?"

"A 'position,' Vaccha, is something that a Tathagata has done away with. What a Tathagata sees is this: 'Such is form, such its origination, such its disappearance; such is feeling, such its origination, such its disappearance; such is perception...such are fabrications...such is consciousness, such its origination, such its disappearance.'" - Aggi-Vacchagotta Sutta


'Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return.' - Genesis 3:19

'Some fart freely, some try to hide and silence it. Which one is correct?' - Saegnapha
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Sam Vara
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Re: The benefits of silence

Post by Sam Vara »

Pseudobabble wrote: Tue May 29, 2018 9:18 am just stopping the mouth is not enough to stop the mind. And in fact, if anything, it makes one's thoughts and mind-swirls appear all the louder. But not inclining the mind to verbal fabrication helps reduce the total incidence of fabrication.
Interesting points here. I remember lines by C.P. Cavafy about a man in a foreign land who does not speak,
...and he suffered no little discomfort,
Having whole conversations stacked inside him.
Conversely, there was a sign on the wall when I was on a Vipassana retreat which read something along the lines of

"By maintaining Noble Silence, we gradually arrive at the destination of mental silence".

That's a very approximate memory, but I liked that idea a lot, and would appreciate it if anyone knows where it comes from.
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seeker242
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Re: The benefits of silence

Post by seeker242 »

Saengnapha wrote: Tue May 29, 2018 4:41 am
Pseudobabble wrote: Sun May 27, 2018 9:14 pm I am working up to taking a vow of silence - I think it will be very pleasant once I get used to it.
Real silence is the stopping of your mind, not the stopping of your mouth. One does not lead to the other, but go ahead and try it. :D
Not one does not lead to another per say. However, one does prevent the other. If you never stop your mouth, then you'll never stop your mind. :meditate:
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ryanM
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Re: The benefits of silence

Post by ryanM »

Saengnapha wrote: Tue May 29, 2018 4:41 am Real silence is the stopping of your mind, not the stopping of your mouth. One does not lead to the other, but go ahead and try it. :D
:thumbsup:
sabbe dhammā nālaṃ abhinivesāya

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Saengnapha
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Re: The benefits of silence

Post by Saengnapha »

seeker242 wrote: Tue May 29, 2018 10:58 am
Saengnapha wrote: Tue May 29, 2018 4:41 am
Pseudobabble wrote: Sun May 27, 2018 9:14 pm I am working up to taking a vow of silence - I think it will be very pleasant once I get used to it.
Real silence is the stopping of your mind, not the stopping of your mouth. One does not lead to the other, but go ahead and try it. :D
Not one does not lead to another per say. However, one does prevent the other. If you never stop your mouth, then you'll never stop your mind. :meditate:
the mouth is a reflection of your mind, I believe. Your mouth cannot operate independent of thinking, but thinking can operate independent of your mouth (physical). Just have a look to see if it is true.
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seeker242
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Re: The benefits of silence

Post by seeker242 »

Saengnapha wrote: Tue May 29, 2018 3:09 pm
seeker242 wrote: Tue May 29, 2018 10:58 am
Saengnapha wrote: Tue May 29, 2018 4:41 am

Real silence is the stopping of your mind, not the stopping of your mouth. One does not lead to the other, but go ahead and try it. :D
Not one does not lead to another per say. However, one does prevent the other. If you never stop your mouth, then you'll never stop your mind. :meditate:
the mouth is a reflection of your mind, I believe. Your mouth cannot operate independent of thinking, but thinking can operate independent of your mouth (physical). Just have a look to see if it is true.
Exactly! Which is why if you don't stop your mouth, you'll never stop your mind. :smile:
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seeker242
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Re: The benefits of silence

Post by seeker242 »

Found this interesting. :smile: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/aut ... fnt-lds-47

The Buddha's attitude to noise is very clear from the Pali canon. He was critical of noise and did not hesitate to voice his stern disapproval whenever occasion arose.[AN III, 31.] Once he ordered a group of monks to leave the monastery for noisy behavior.[MN I, 457] He enjoyed solitude and silence immensely and spoke in praise of silence as it is most appropriate for mental culture. Noise is described as a thorn to one engaged in the first step of meditation,[AN V, 135] but thereafter noise ceases to be a disturbance as the meditator passes beyond the possibility of being disturbed by sound.

The Buddha and his disciples reveled in the silent solitary natural habitats unencumbered by human activity. Even in the choice of monasteries the presence of undisturbed silence was an important quality they looked for.[AN V, 15] Silence invigorates those who are pure at heart and raises their efficiency for meditation. But silence overawes those who are impure with ignoble impulses of greed, hatred, and delusion. The Bhayabherava Sutta beautifully illustrates how even the rustle of leaves by a falling twig in the forest sends tremors through an impure heart.[MN I, 16-24] This may perhaps account for the present craze for constant auditory stimulation with transistors and cassettes. The moral impurity caused by greed, avarice, acquisitive instincts, and aggression has rendered man so timid that he cannot bear silence which lays bare the reality of self-awareness.
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