Back home in Georgia, when faced with something surprising or unexpected, folks were prone to say "Well shut my mouth!"
During an overnight faculty retreat for Campbell University Divinity School (held at Caraway Conference Center), we were challenged (very politely) to shut our mouths and practice silence from the end of our evening session until the beginning of our first morning session, about half an hour after breakfast.
Being silent isn't hard for me, though it's a lot easier when accompanied by solitude. A few signs in the hallway notified the staff and other groups at Caraway that we were practicing silence, but it was still hard not to say "Good morning" or "thank you" to the lady who "morninged" me before serving up breakfast, or to people we met in the hall. We had even been instructed to avoid non-verbal communication as much as possible, which made for a rather awkward meal and really bland eggs, as I couldn't ask for the salt and didn't want to exercise my boarding house reach.
Since we weren't expected to talk to each other, however, the setting seemed to encourage alone time. After nearly a decade of hectic activity in reporting on Convention-related meetings (often contentious) at Caraway, I had a chance, for the first time, to spend some time in a solitary canoe on the lake. That 20 minutes was incredibly refreshing, and on many levels.
Maybe I ought to shut my mouth more often.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
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6 comments:
I've always heard "hush my mouth." Maybe that's a more polite way to say it. :-) Anyway, good thoughts.
Joe Glickman, author of "the Kayak Companion" while kayaking the Missouri River (77 days across Montana) went 9 days without speaking.
This old monk meditates and
Rests in the empty mountains
In loneliness and stillness
Through the days and nights.
When I leave the pure cliffs,
I am distracted by callers
The world of people is first
And always the world of people.
Seigan Soi (1588-1661)
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A young man wanted to become a monk. After visiting the monastery, the abbot shared one final rule. The vow of silence was to be strictly adhered to with one exception: on Good Friday of each year, the monks were allowed to say two words.
On the first Good Friday, the abbot asked the young monk if he had anything to share. "Hard bed," said the monk. The next year, the young monk simply said, "Bad food." Finally, the third year, the abbot asked if he had anything to say and he defiantly said, "I quit!" The abbot replied, "Good. You've done nothing but complain since you got here."
:-D
I was told that the professors as well as the staff were invited on this retreat. When I read your blog I had to laugh and did so out loud. Elaine, retreat, silence. NOT HAPPENING! :)
Seven Points of Practice
1. Study and practice the buddhadharma only for the sake of the buddhadharma, not for the sake of emotions or worldly ideas
2. Zazen is our truest and most venerable teacher
3. Zazen must work concretely in our daily lives as the two practices (vows and repentance), the three minds (magnaminous mind, nurturing mind, and joyful mind), and as the realization of the saying “Gaining is delusion, losing is enlightenment.”
4. Live by vow and root it deeply.
5. Realizing that development and backsliding are your responsibility alone, endeavor to practice and develop.
6. Sit silently for 10 years, then for ten years more, and then for another ten years.
7. Cooperate with one another, and aim to create a place where sincere practitioners can practice without trouble.
- Uchiyama Roshi (1975)
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