The Mind Is Like A Pond : Why Silence Is Golden

Over 2500 years ago, the famous Greek mathematician and philosopher, Phthagoras, said, “Learn to be silent. Let your quiet mind listen and absorb.” Almost 22 centuries later, Blaise Pascal, the French scientist who made invaluable contribution to hydraulics and pure geometry, reiterated, saying, “All man’s miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room, alone.”

Pythagoras was a major contributor to the development of mathematics and western rational philosophy and his writings influenced the thoughts of philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle. Blaise Pascal invented the hydraulic press, syringe, and the first digital calculator. Everyone has learnt the Pythagoras theorem in school, and Pascal’s law of pressure is still taught in science classes around the world.

Both of these men, who both lived over 2,200 years apart, and left such strong marks on the world, emphasised the importance of silence and meditation in life. A student should understand, and he or she will not learn this at school, that there is a lot to be gained in finding time to spend in silence. To rid your worries, quiet your anxiety, and to find a rejuvenating peace, learn to sit silently in a room, all by yourself, and meditate.

A person has, on an average, about 60,000 separate thoughts every single day. That is remarkable, except that we have the same 60,000 thoughts every day, filling our minds with the same chatter, every day. Silence and meditation offer an effective way to enter the spaces between those thoughts. In these ‘gaps’, one can find a sense of total peace and tranquillity. One can find his direction, pull himself back toward his goals and set his priorities in life. It is imperative for a student to find those gaps, if he or she is to choose and sustain a fruitful career.

There is one problem, however. The train of 60,000 thoughts every single day leaves us no time to enter the spaces between our thoughts. Our minds race at top-speed day and night, zipping through studies, schedules, financial problems, sexual fantasies, fashion and accessories, friends, parents-on and on, in a vicious circle.

What we need to realise, and the earlier in our lives, the better, is that the mind is like a pond. There is a lot of disturbance on the surface, yet the surface is just a fraction of the pond. It is in the depth below the surface that you find stillness, where you realise the true essence of the pond. So it is with our minds.

Three conditions of the mind

The world is home to different kinds of people and umpteen attempts have been made to classify them. However, all kinds of men and women fall under 3 broad mental categories:

1. Restless Mind
2. Imperfect Mind
3. Perfect Mind

A self-centred person is concerned only with himself, his own interests and his own welfare. Everything that he does is aimed at his own benefit and he has no interest in anyone else. The world, however, is not made for the convenience of a particular individual. As such, a self-centred person remains dissatisfied and frustrated. He or she will forever have a restless mind.

Even a social and responsible person may experience periods of disturbance and agitation when he finds himself being insulted or belittled. A single incident can keep him disturbed for days, even weeks. The world is full of unpleasant and undesirable situations and a person who gets offended and disturbed quickly will lose his inner peace and harmony. Such a person is said to have an imperfect mind.

A fully evolved person is free from mental agitation. He is unaffected by the world’s negativity and has learnt to remain calm and composed in the face of even the worst environment or circumstances. He has reached a state of eternal peace and unconditional happiness, and has a perfect mind.

All students should strive to achieve this perfection along with academic superiority, to live a life of balance and fulfilment. To be able to enjoy their successes and take failure in their stride, and move with ease towards a meaningful and exemplary life.

These are some of the teachings of Vedanta, the science of life that has been developed and perfected over thousands of years by our Indian civilisation. The principles of Vedanta are general and timeless, and apply to all persons, regions and circumstances, even in today’s material and fast-paced world. Someone who has learnt to live his life in accordance with this simple but far-reaching guide to life finds that the happiness, peace and satisfaction for which people are scurrying about all around him, come easily and effortlessly to him.

It is especially important for a student, who is about to take the plunge into professional and family life, to realise the value of these principles, and begin to integrate them with his or her life.