Inner stillness is a fundamental concept across various spiritual traditions and practices, often described as a profound state of being that transcends the usual noise of the mind. It is not merely the absence of external noise but the quieting of internal thought and emotion, revealing a deeper dimension of consciousness. **Understanding Inner Stillness** - **Essential Nature:** Inner stillness is considered your essential nature, an "I Am" deeper than name and form. It is the inner space or awareness where perceptions and thoughts arise. Without this awareness, there would be no perception, thoughts, or world. It is the unconditioned consciousness, the Christ within, or your Buddha nature. - **Beyond the Mind:** The true nature of peace, clarity, and silence exists beyond the mind, as the mind itself is inherently prone to tension, confusion, and cloudiness. Inner stillness is the realm of pure consciousness, where your presence is felt with such intensity and joy that thoughts, emotions, body, and the external world become relatively insignificant. It is the "no-mind" state. - **The Void and Emptiness:** This stillness is described as a void or emptiness that is not blank but abundantly full, containing the entire universe. It is the "fundamental clarity" that is the most real thing, though unconceivable. Buddhists state that "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form," implying the essence of all things is emptiness. This emptiness is naturally pure and unchangeable, like space. **Achieving Inner Stillness** Various methods and practices are employed to cultivate inner stillness: 1. **Meditation and Contemplation:** - **Calming the Mind:** Meditation aims to calm or still the "flighty and otherwise distracted mind," which is seen as dysfunctional. This allows the mind to become lucid, spacious, and clear, like a murky sea settling when the wind dies down. - **Focusing Attention:** Practices involve focusing attention on a single object, such as the breath, visualization, or a mantra, to develop concentration (samadhi). This means bringing the mind back to the object repeatedly, letting go of past and future thoughts. - **Observing Thoughts:** In Vipassana meditation, the aim is to observe thoughts as they arise and fade away without being carried away by them, leading naturally to a quieter mind. This helps in disidentifying with thoughts and realizing they are mere processes, like bubbles. - **Entering the Gap:** Pay attention to the "gap" or silent space between thoughts, words, or breaths. This activates awareness and allows the formless dimension of pure consciousness to arise. - **No-Effort/Non-Doing:** Some teachings emphasize resting naturally, without effort or contrivance. Tilopa's instructions for Mahamudra involve "Do nought with the body but relax," "shut firm the mouth and silent remain," and "empty your mind and think of nought". Osho refers to this as coming back home, simply being where you are. The Taoist concept of _wu wei_ translates to "actionless activity" or "sitting quietly doing nothing," implying intense alertness without inner resistance. - **Letting Go:** Letting go of anxiety about the past and future, and relaxing into the present, promotes concentration and inner peacefulness. This also involves letting go of judgment, resistance, and denial of the present moment. - **Working with Difficult Emotions:** Instead of avoiding suffering, meditators are encouraged to embrace emotions like fear, anger, or despair with mindfulness and care. By accepting and welcoming suffering, it can become a healing process. This can involve focusing on the breath to gain stability and stop thinking when emotions are strong. - **Renouncing Attachments:** Practices like Yoga involve renouncing attachments and desires, performing duties with the mind in solitude, and purifying the mind to achieve peace. 2. **Physical Posture and Breathwork:** - **Stable Posture:** Maintaining a stable, comfortable, and erect posture (like the lotus pose or a straight spine) helps to eliminate physical reactions and distractions, fostering one-pointedness of mind. - **Conscious Breathing:** Focusing on the breath, whether counting inhales and exhales or simply observing their movement, is a powerful way to connect with the body and quiet the mind. This can naturally lead to the cessation of breath during deep concentration. - **Inner Body Awareness:** Feeling the energy field of the inner body helps slow down mental noise and serves as a doorway to a deeper sense of aliveness. 3. **Environmental Factors:** - **Silence and Solitude:** Seeking periods of silence, solitude, and retreating to nature (like forests or quiet churches) can powerfully nourish inner tranquility and help disconnect from the distractions of the world. - **Quiet Space:** Creating a dedicated quiet corner or "Om Home" for meditation, free from social conversations or other uses, can support practice. **Characteristics and Qualities of Inner Stillness** - **Peace and Serenity:** A deep, vibrant, and unshakeable peace is a primary characteristic of inner stillness. It allows one to remain undisturbed by external circumstances or inner turmoil. - **Clarity and Lucidity:** The mind becomes unusually lucid, clear, and spacious when still, like a lake without ripples. This clarity is sharp, naked, and vibrant, detecting dullness or agitation. - **Presence and Alertness:** Inner stillness is not a trancelike state or a lack of vitality, but rather a heightened state of alert presence and wakefulness. You are fully present in the Now. - **Non-Conceptuality:** In deep stillness, conceptual thinking subsides, leading to a state where nothing is known or thought of by the mind. This non-conceptuality is a key aspect of wisdom and liberation. - **Oneness and Connection:** Stillness fosters a sense of oneness with all things, including nature and other beings. This dissolves the illusion of separation created by excessive thinking. - **Joy and Bliss:** A subtle emanation of joy and profound contentment naturally arises from within this state. It can manifest as "sublime great bliss". - **Non-Identification:** Stillness allows for a disidentification with the ego-self and its thoughts, revealing a deeper, more authentic identity. The self is understood as a mere imputation, not a solid, separate entity. - **Uncontrived and Natural:** The mind rests in its natural, uncontrived state, free from efforts to encourage or prevent anything. **Benefits and Outcomes of Inner Stillness** - **Reduced Suffering and Stress:** Stillness helps quiet distracting thoughts, leading to inner peace and relaxation, which reduces stress, tension, and many daily problems. It allows for the transformation of pain, fear, and anxiety. - **Wisdom and Insight:** It is the space where true intelligence operates silently, and creativity and solutions to problems are found. Wisdom arises from the ability to be still, leading to non-conceptual intelligence and clear seeing. This can bring understanding and new perspectives on life. - **Spiritual Transformation and Enlightenment:** Inner stillness is essential for spiritual awakening and enlightenment. It allows access to deeper levels of being, revealing the true nature of reality and the self. It leads to experiences of clear light and liberation from delusion. - **Enhanced Relationships:** Bringing stillness into relationships, particularly through true listening, creates spaciousness and allows for genuine connection and understanding, which are often obscured by mental noise. - **Inner Freedom:** It allows individuals to realize they are not their thoughts, liberating them from identification with mental chatter and its resulting psychological discord. - **Ability to "Be":** Awakened individuals find deep enjoyment in quietness and inactivity, as there is no inner turbulence to escape from through external distractions. **Challenges and Obstacles** - **Thought-Chatter:** The "incessant flow of our distracting thoughts" and "mental noise" are the primary obstacles to inner stillness. This includes repetitive, self-serving thoughts, worries, and daydreams. - **Ego and Identification:** The ego, or the belief in a separate "I," fuels thought-chatter and creates a sense of separation, making inner stillness difficult. - **Dullness and Agitation:** These are common hindrances in meditation. Dullness makes the mind lethargic and unclear, while agitation causes scatteredness and excessive thoughts. - **Resistance to the Present:** Mental-emotional resistance to "what is" prevents access to inner stillness and strengthens the feeling of separateness. - **Misconceptions:** Mistaking temporary experiences or an intellectually fabricated emptiness for true realization can hinder progress. Trying to force stillness or meditation can also be counterproductive. **Stillness in Different Traditions** - **Buddhism/Zen:** Emphasizes mindfulness, concentration (samadhi), and insight (vipashyana) to achieve mental stillness. Zen specifically teaches "sitting in stillness" (ts'o-ch'an) as not stirring up thoughts and being beyond good/bad situations. The "Diamond Sutra" advocates throwing away the notions of a separate self, human being, living beings, and life span to achieve true nature and freedom. - **Taoism:** Calls for "utmost emptiness" and "utter stillness" as a return to roots, leading to enlightenment. The Tao is described as inconceivable and instantaneous, like smelling coffee. - **Hinduism/Yoga:** Yoga practices aim to check the succession of mental states (citta vritti nirodhah), leaving the mind in an unmodified state of calmness and tranquility conducive to self-realization. It seeks union with Atman. The Upanishads describe the true Self by "No! no!" and state that when the mind is silent, it can enter a world beyond itself. - **Christian Mysticism:** Contemplation is described as an intuitive awakening to one's existential depths that open into the mystery of God, found by "standing still" in solitude. It is a "pure gift of God" that involves a "mystical death" of sense and spirit, leading to perfect freedom and union. The "still, small voice" is audible when outer senses are hushed. - **Islamic Spirituality:** Muraqaba is the practice of mindfulness, observing the mind's projections to distinguish who you are from what you think, leading to inner peace. - **Invulnerabilism:** Embraces inner stillness as a core aspect of achieving serenity in the face of life's vulnerabilities. In essence, inner stillness is a profound state of being, a quiet clarity of mind and spirit, that allows for deep self-realization, connection with the universal, and freedom from the illusions and suffering created by the constantly agitated, identifying mind.