The commitment to embody nonviolence, to live with love and compassion, requires skill and practice. We must have congruent speech and action and be aware of their more subtle counterparts—thought, will, motive and intention. Once we are aware of the continuum of intentions, thoughts, speech, action and external response we have the ability to circumvent violence from coming to fruition. The step beyond that is equally as important—to consciously supplant the seeds of violence with those of nonviolence that will then bear the fruit of harmonious right action. The manifestation of nonviolent means rests upon inner unity, the authentic expression of the highest good, the spark of divine love activated in the soul. Thomas Merton noted, “Gandhi’s spirit of nonviolence sprang from an inner realization of spiritual unity in himself. The whole Gandhian concept of nonviolent action and satyagraha is incomprehensible if it is thought to be a means of achieving unity rather than as the fruit of inner unity already achieved.” To be able to quiet the body and mind and experience inner silence (the peace of the soul) is the key to facilitating that unity. One is then capable of accessing the inner wisdom and discernment that is critical to nonviolent action and the pursuit of truth.
Gandhiji observed, “It has often occurred to me that a seeker after truth has to be silent. I know the wonderful efficacy of silence…What a great thing it would be if we in our busy lives could retire into ourselves each day for at least a couple of hours and prepare our minds to listen in to the Voice of the Great Silence. The Divine Radio is always singing if we could only make ourselves ready to listen to it, but it is impossible to listen without silence…It (silence) has now become both a physical and spiritual necessity for me.” Testimony to the physical and spiritual usefulness of meditative silence that Gandhi spoke of has gone beyond the subjective experience of those who embrace the practice; it has now entered the arena of scientific study.
Through such technological advances as electroencephalography (EEG), which measures the electrical activity of different parts of the brain, we have the benefit of being able to observe predictable physiological changes in meditators. Current brain research is beginning to produce concrete evidence for what many practitioners of meditation have maintained for centuries: Mental discipline and meditative practice can change the workings of the brain and allow people to achieve different levels of awareness. Though such research is still in its infancy, the initial results are encouraging both in terms of the ability to record the perceptible change in awareness that occurs during meditation itself and in what now appears to be the actual restructuring of the brain, which impacts our ability to choose a nonviolent response. Joel Stein, in an article published in Time magazine notes, “Tests using the most sophisticated imaging techniques suggest that it [meditation] can actually reset the brain, changing the point at which a traffic jam, for instance, sets the blood boiling.” Research indicates that meditation helps to evolve the brain from its ancient fight or flight reaction to stress to the ability to maintain equanimity, thus facilitating a greater conscious choice making capacity. The efficacy of this particular skill for practitioners of nonviolence is considerable. Skillful response requires skillful means and practice. Through a simple technique of daily meditation such skillful means are freely available to the average person today, regardless of social standing or religious belief and offer to all a beacon of hope for building a culture of peace and nonviolence. What is required is the commitment to cultivating inner silence and receptivity to truth, a simple technique, and the willingness to submit oneself to the discipline of attentive awareness.
Through practice, discipline, and grace, one can learn to achieve at will a state of focused mental alertness, a state where body and mind unite as one laser beam of power and awareness. When attention is focused in meditation, the mental field becomes calm and the light of the soul shines forth. This spiritual light removes our fears, makes known our deepest intentions, illumines the path of right action, and shows us the way to live with the integrity that is essential to nonviolence.
Think About It: Look at the pathology of violence. Being violent brings about a complete change in our biology. The muscles get an extra dose of blood and become tense. The adrenals give out extra secretion, which mixes with the blood and pumps in an excess of energy in the system. The liver too releases an extra energy in the system. The liver too releases an extra quantity of sugar in the blood stream. It brings about physical, psychological and chemical reactions. With the rise of aggressiveness breathing becomes fast. The normal rate of 10 to 15 breaths a minute goes up to 30 or 40. The stage is fully set for letting loose violence. Meditation puts the brakes on the over-busyness of the body and the mind and thus prevents violence.
—Acharya Mahapragya, from jainworld.com
Be Inspired: Silence is a great help to a seeker after truth. In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness. Our life is a long and arduous quest after Truth, and the soul requires inward restfulness to attain its full height. – Mahatma Gandhi 10 December 1938
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