Thinking is an indulgence

"Silence is the highest of all achievements."

This was a beautiful truth realized by one of the greatest living masters, Sri Ramana Maharshi.

The silence he refers to is a state where your consciousness so fully aligns with the present moment that thought ceases to exist. A state this great saint occupied for the majority of his life.

In this place, all needs are fulfilled. There is no seeking. There is no searching. There is no wanting. There is no striving. There are no problems. No cares and no worries. All internal systems are at ease. You are whole and complete everything, yet nothing.

You become still.

I'm sure some of you have had fleeting glimpses of this state.

And when the quiet leaves, you may come to see that thinking is a great, seductive indulgence. Like how TV was, and now how the Internet is.

How easy it is to get caught up in the storm of thinking, that pushes you out into the meaningless sea, further and further away from the harbor of yourself.

So many situations to consider. Problems to save. Mouths to feed. People to please. Worlds to save. Outcomes to contemplate. Plans to make.

Where did the silence go?

Why is it so hard to maintain?

Silence, a great achievement indeed.