Finding Quietness
What is calling to me is quietness. How do we find deep peace in this wild whirl of a world 
we live in? How do you?
The only answer I know is: by letting go. Letting go of the to-do list, even if just for a few moments, a few breaths. Letting go of my connections to others ~ emotional, mental, psychic, and electronic ~ just for now. Letting go of seeking answers, knowing they are more likely to arise when I quit grasping after them. Letting go of all shoulds and shouldn’ts. Letting go of any images or ideas of who I am. Going into the silence, the stillness, the nothingness.
Perhaps that sounds scary, but something lovely arises when I manage to do this, even for five or ten minutes. A sweet emptiness, a quiet fullness, a spreading warmth in my core, which bring a gentle smile to my lips, a feeling of okay-ness just being here now. This inner peace is so rich, so nurturing, it’s a wonder that I so often forget to let go and drop in to this quietness.
Why do I forget? “There’s so much to do!” I say to myself. “I have to get busy.” Well, sure. We all have things to do. That’s okay. And, I try to remember what the Dalai Lama said: “I have so much to do today, I better meditate twice as long.” This reminds me that I’ll be calmer, more centered, and a lot more efficient, if I take the time to let go in meditation.
Note: Following the Contemplation Questions is a poem/meditation from Frog Spirit, which I hope you enjoy.
Contemplation Questions
- How do you react to the thought of letting go of:
- your to-do list?
- your connections to others, for example, your cell phone?
- all the images and ideas of who you think you are?
- What helps you find quietness?
Please share your answers, if you are willing. I’d love to hear from you!
Here is a poem/meditation/teaching from Frog Spirit. It helps me let go. I hope it may do the same for you. (Suggestion: scroll through slowly, taking time to absorb each phrase.)
Wisdom of the Frog
by Rahima Warren
Notice the slow breath ~ ~ ~ ~
Let yourself go heavy ~ ~ ~ ~
Sink down, down to the bottom of the pond ~ ~ ~ ~
in the cold water, in the darkness of grey winter ~
Bury yourself in the soft ooze ~
Settle yourself into the enveloping mud, let it close around you ~ ~ ~ ~
Rest in the non-doing
Let the images drift and bloom ~ and drift away
Let the words float away ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Go into the no~thing~ness ~ ~ ~
From this quietness, stillness,
ask to receive what you most need now ~
Let your maw gape open ~ and wait ~ ~ ~ ~
Always letting go, sinking down, down, down~~~
Trusting the stillness is all that is necessary ~ ~ ~
Allowing emptiness,
Fullness naturally follows.
Allowing stillness,
movement is born.
Allowing blankness,
beauty arises.
Allowing silence,
wisdom emerges.
Always begin by doing nothing ~
being still ~
listening to the silence.
From the bottom of the stillness ~
fluid action arises.
I agree that letting go on a moment to moment basis would be a good idea. I just sometimes can’t reach it with sitting in a meditative pose. I need to move and find I can reach a state of peace by walking or doing something to take my attention into another dimension. When I wash dishes, I concentrate on the motion of my hands in and out of the water. When I walk, I feel my body move with the rhythm of my feet touching the Earth. And so on. I find I am better able to make it through the day when I can come into my present moments with consciousness and that in itself is my process of letting go. Thanks for your inspirational and mindful writing.
Beautiful comment! Thanks for sharing. You make two good points. One is that for some people, sitting still may not work well, where movement or action might work better. The other is that the big challenge is to keep in touch with that inner quietness no matter what we are doing!
Love this Rahima! Thank you for reminding me to stay still and connect to the quiet.
You’re so welcome, Monica!
I can relate to what Earlene says. The Buddhists have a walking meditation. It is especially useful during times of deep grief when one finds it difficult to ‘keep going’. I have lost the outer range of my hearing and so find that I am always in a somewhat meditative state since I am spared the cacophony of the world around me. And I love movement. When the music starts, my body moves rhythmically which puts me in a meditative state, too.
How lovely! Sounds like you have many ways to reach the quietness. Love the re-frame on losing some hearing (as I have.) And everyone is unique. I have tinnitus, so listening to meditative music helps me get quiet.
Your poem is a beautiful, sage reminder to be in the quiet, still now. Frogs have long been my favorite little critter so it was especially easy to ease into its (my) meanings. Another writer prompted me to reflect on aloneness and loneliness the other day, and I honestly could not remember the last time I ever felt lonely. But I was adamantly positive about my solitude – I cannot fathom my life, my creativity without it. Lucky, I am, to know the blissfulness of being alone.
Glad you like Frog’s wisdom, and frogs! I too love solitude, and have had a lot of it. However, my husband just retired. My new challenge is to create inner solitude and quietness with my beloved partner around. That’s actually what prompted this post! I was experimenting to see if I could go into my study, close the door, meditate, and write, while he did his own thing. Hurray! It worked!
Like everything in life, my ease of letting go varies from day to day. I try to be easy on myself and welcome my mind back whenever I realize it has strayed. I find walking meditation to be of help on hard days. Trees are great for focusing. From now on, I will remember to feel myself sinking into Frog’s pond and wrap myself in the warmth of the muck – a detoxifying mud bath for my mind.
Thank you so much.
You’re most welcome and thanks for your thoughtful comment. Yes, the stillness of trees is also a wonderful focus for finding quietness, so deep and strong. I love your description: “a detoxifying mud bath for my mind.”