Silence (maun)

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Silence (maun), quietude, stillness
shizukesa 静けさ, Stille

***** Location: India, worldwide
***** Season: Non-seasonal topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

Silence is not exclusive to India . . . experienced by everyone at some time or the other . . .
but all the same that experienced moment spells sacredness and Indian philosophy has gone deeply into understanding this pure moment.

Upanishads to our present Gurus, all talk of silences . . . and meditation is the art of learning about these silences . . .
Swami Ramana Maharishi was known for his silences and so was Mahatma Gandhi – a man of silence.

looking at a sun set. . .
sometimes there are moments of silence which we all experience - during meditation or just when looking - say at a sunset?

when that ‘I’ is not present – that ever chattering mind is quiet, maybe just for a moment?
And as philosopher J. Krishnamurthy had aptly said -
where beauty is – I am not
I here means one's ego.

Kala Ramesh

Read also : Creation and Silences
By Kala Ramesh

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.. .. .. silence
the stone Buddha
in the universe

© Gabi Greve

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God is the mirror of silence
in which all creation is reflected.

Paramahansa Yogananda

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Robert Hass on Haiku

... the silence of haiku,
its wordlessness, also has its roots in Buddhist culture, especially in Zen . . .
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/g_l/haas/haiku.htm

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The Infinite Cosmoses Of Infinite Silences

We have seen that Aum The Primal Resonant Mantram Of ParaBrahman Sadaashiva Created All The cosmoses. Pranava with its accompanying inter-woven silences pervades all the universes. You may call it Brahman or Tao or Rtam as you please.

Read
Some thoughts on SILENCE
by Narayanan Raghunathan

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July 10
Silence Day of Meher Baba
The followers of Meher Baba do their practice of commemorating July 10th of each year by maintaining verbal silence for twenty-four hours.


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Worldwide use

Bali Island

Nyepi or Silence Day, Silent Day, 2007
kigo for Balinese rainy season

Nyepi is a day to make and keep the balance of nature. It is based on the story of when King Kaniska I of India was chosen in 78 A.D. The King was famous for his wisdom and tolerance for the Hinduism and Buddhism societies. In that age, Aji Saka did Dharma Yatra (the missionary tour to promote and spread Hinduism) to Indonesia and introduce the Saka year.

Nyepi Day or silent day is a unique day where entire island of Bali is silent. There is no traffic, fire and human activities are allowed on this day. Bali Island is keep black out on the night where is there is no single light is allowed. This is very unique where there is no one region or country can stop the activities within a day in the world, but here in Bali you can meet it.

Nyepi day or silent day is a unique way of Balinese Hindu in Bali to celebrate their New Year which is called Caka Year.
Balinese Hindus have many kind of celebrations (some sacred days) but Nyepi is, perhaps the most important of the island's religious days and the prohibitions are taken seriously, particularly in villages outside of Bali's southern tourist belt.

In 2007, the Caka year is on 19 March 2007 where usual activities of procession to celebrate the Nyepi Day is held like Melasti Ceremony, Ogoh – Ogoh Precession and Ngembak Geni day.


Melasti Ceremony is one of the important Balinese Hindu rituals that are held every one year before the Nyepi Day.

Ogoh – Ogoh Procession or Big Giant Idol Pageant
One day before the Nyepi Day / silent day, it was regularly big event in Bali to pageant the big giant idol which is called Ogoh-Ogoh.



Ngembak Geni (the day after Nyepi) is the beginning day of Caka Year that is usually used to visit each other among the humanity (socializing). The social ambience is very felt in this day where mostly the Balinese can meet each other and forgive the sin if they have made a mistake.


The Balinese use many different calendar systems. They have adopted the Gregorian calendar for business and government purposes. But for the endless procession of holy days, temple anniversaries, celebrations, sacred dances, building houses, wedding ceremonies, death and cremation processes and other activities that define Balinese life, they have two calendar systems.

The first is the Pawukon (from the word Wuku which means week) and Sasih (which is means month). Wuku consists of 30 items starting from Sinta, the first Wuku and end up with the Watugunung the last one. The Pawukon, a 210-day ritual calendar brought over from Java in the 14th century, is a complex cycle of numerological conjunctions that provides the basic schedule for ritual activities on Bali.
Sasih, a parallel system of Indian origin, is a twelve month lunar calendar that starts with the vernal equinox and is equally important in determining when to pay respect to the Gods.
©　www.balistarisland.com


There are two discernible seasons in Indonesia:
the dry season, which extends from June to October, and
the rainy season, which lasts from November to March. Both are hot.
The coastal regions, however, are often cool, and in the mountains the air is often chilly.


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Japan

shizukesa ya iwa ni shimiiru semi no koe

静けさや岩に染み入る蝉の声

deep silence -
the shrill of cicadas
seeps into rocks

(Tr. Gabi Greve)

Matsuo Basho
The Japanese concept of SHIZUKESA !!!!!


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shizukesa ya chiru ni sureau hana no oto

静かさや散るにすれあふ花の音

quietude -
the sound of falling petals
touching each other
(Tr. Gabi Greve)

Chora 樗良
http://www.takase.com/Haiku/HaikuSource01.htm

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On snow, snow falling,
In this silence -
I am.

Taneda Santooka 　種田山頭火
http://terebess.hu/english/haiku/taneda.html

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shizukasa ya kosui no soko no kumo　no mine

しづかさや湖水の底の雲のみね

stillness--
in the depths of the lake
billowing clouds
(Tr. David Lanoue)

Issa　一茶
http://cat.xula.edu/issa/


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Kenya

Haiku about Silence (for the school exam enviroment)

in the exam room
a pen falls down
breaking the silence

~ Hussein Hadji, Peacock, Nairobi

Read more of the Peacock's Haiku !


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU

There have been many contributions to the SILENCE topic.
Best start here with special galleries about

Silence and Stones

Silence Haiga

Then come back and read on.

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deep silences
mind silent
in silence . . .

night lake . . .
drifting in silence
yellow leaf

dhamma hall
silence of feet
. . . entering

Kala Ramesh

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Some Silence Haiku by Gabi Greve

wisdom -
whispering in silence
silence, silence

Wisdom

... ... ...

静けさや　虫の声の　最大化

shizukesa ya
mushi no koe no
saidaika

deep silence -
the song of insects
magnified

Silence 2005

With a following ku by Carol Raisfeld:

deep night
the silence of a spider
spinning

. Praying Mantis .

... ... ...



spring visitors -
among many words
a moment of silence


Fruehlingsgaeste <>
zwischen vielen Worten
ein Augenblick der Stille

Silence 静けさ

... ... ...

quietude -
an ant is sneezing
in a far galaxy

Quietude and the Galactic Ant ... Read Some Musings 　
静けさと蟻のクシャミ

by Gabi Greve

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mownam vyaakhyaanam
Parabrahma rahasyam-adbutham
shishtam mahaa vachanam
[ Sanskrit ]

elucidations in silences
parabrahman's wonder secret
the residual great word

Narayanan Raghunathan

Read many more Haiku about SILENCE by Narayanan

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silence
the final chord awaits
the first bravo

reading room
the silence
of turned pages

Bill Kenney, USA

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It just had this happen to me tonight. I was at my computer thinking.. in silence.. and suddenly a spider slipper down a single thread to bob right in front of my face. I blew on him and he scuttled back up to the ceiling.
A quick haiku to remember the moment.

in evening silence
a spider slips quickly
down a silk thread

Carole MacRury

... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Inspired by Carole, Sakuo Nakamura wrote the follwoing:

冬静かわが胸寿命を数えけり

fuyu shizuka waga mune jumyoo o kazoekeri

silence in winter
my heart counting
my life ...

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what is it that makes
the night time fountain so still?
city life goes on...

. . Read a beautiful haibun about the fountain in Brussels
by Isabelle Prondzynski

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sitting in silence
Daruma meditating
in Japanese

More about HAIKU and Daruma san by Gabi Greve

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raindrops
fall on a microphone
cenotaph silence

andrea gradidge, Canada

An appropriate day for silence as we pay our respects.

http://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/customs/silence.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/remembrance/history/cenotaph.shtml

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grasshopper buddha
converses in hibiscus ~
light floods green silence ~

Amanda Cazalet ( Jun. 13, 2004)

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earth glitters
watery silence ~ trees
hush after-rain scents

Shyam Santhanam ( Dec. 31, 2003)

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in the silence
of the zendo
my stomach growls

Angelee Deodhar
http://www.worldhaiku.net/poetry/eng/india/a.deodhar/a.deodhar.htm

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deeper
into the forest...
silence

hortensia anderson

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a musician’s silences -

going deep within
sudden applause
startles the singer

Kala Ramesh

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We sat together 　the forest and I
Merging into silence
Until only the forest remained

Li Po (Chinese, 701-762)

http://www.poetrylives.com/SimplyHaiku/SHv3n3/haiga_Modern/Ashe-Riutta/

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forest silence . . .
the cool green glow of lichen
wet with sunlit steam

John J. Polozzolo "ZOLO"
http://www.ahapoetry.com/PP101..htm

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winter’s silence
the slap-
............. slap-
..................... slap-
............................... slap
of wet duck wings

Copyright © 2004-2005 CarrieAnn Thunell

Published in Haiku Canada Winter 2005
http://www.shadowpoetry.com/members/collections/publishedhaiku.html#40

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the final silence -
who cares wheather god is
dead or alive


© Gabi Greve, 2005

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Winter dusk -
silently a snow owl
changes trees.

Zhanna P. Rader
(First-place winner in the 2005 Annual Shiki Double Kukai, in the category "Kigo Haiku".)

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writing haiku
in the subway---
about silence

Fred Masarani
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cherrypoetryclub/message/25543

http://mmasarani.homestead.com/

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old tree--
into its stillness
a grass lizard

Angelus--
the silence of
cash registers

NOTE on the second haiku:
Most Filipinos are Catholics. Especially in the rural areas, the recitation of the ANGELUS is seriously being observed not only at homes but also in public places. In one supermarket I visited, everyone -- including, of course, the cashiers -- had to stop at the start of the Angelus. You don't hear any sound, especially the sound of cash registers. The Angelus moment therefore serves as a break from our daily struggle in the material world, and a reminder of the spirituality of our existence.

Join me in The Walk of Ten Thousand Steps

roh mih, Philippines

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a sound of a walnut
rolling over the roof
falls into silence

Tomislav Maretic (HR)

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garden of silence
wisdom flowers
fragrance of joyous ease

silence
a wordless wonder
the voice of god


Read more of the SILENCE haiku by

Radhey Shiam, India Saijiki

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night traffic
the silent lake
seems much bigger

Johannes Manjrekar, India, 2006

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Related words

..... Silence and Stones
..... Silence and Haiga


***** Mandala

***** Meditation (dhyana)

***** . Autumn Melancholy , Autumn Solitude, Europe


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THE INDIA SAIJIKI

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