Noble Silence is a term attributed to the
Gautama Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...
, for his reported responses to certain questions about reality. One such instance is when he was asked the
fourteen unanswerable questions
In Buddhism, ''acinteyya'' (Pali), "imponderable" or "incomprehensible," ' (Sanskrit: अव्याकृत, Pali: , "unfathomable, unexpounded,"), and ''atakkāvacara'', "beyond the sphere of reason," are unanswerable questions or undeclar ...
. In similar situations he often responded to antinomy-based descriptions of reality by saying that both antithetical options presented to him were inappropriate.
A specific reference to noble silence in Buddha's teaching involved an occasion where Buddha forbade his disciples from continuing a discussion, saying that in such congregation the discussion of the sacred doctrine is proper or practicing noble silence. This does not indicate
misology
''Phædo'' or ''Phaedo'' (; el, wikt:Φαίδων, Φαίδων, ''Phaidōn'' ), also known to ancient readers as ''On The Soul'', is one of the best-known dialogues of Plato's middle period, along with the ''Republic (Plato), Republic'' and th ...
or disdain for philosophy on the Buddha's part. Rather, it indicates that he viewed these questions as not leading to true knowledge.
Pali Canon
While
silence
Silence is the absence of ambient audible sound, the emission of sounds of such low intensity that they do not draw attention to themselves, or the state of having ceased to produce sounds; this latter sense can be extended to apply to the ce ...
is generally thought to be something observable on the outside of a person, an external state, whether they are talking, in the
Pali Canon
The Pāli Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the most complete extant early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly from the Tamrashatiya school.
During th ...
noble is an internal state which is synonymous with
jhana
In the oldest texts of Buddhism, ''dhyāna'' () or ''jhāna'' () is a component of the training of the mind (''bhavana''), commonly translated as meditation, to withdraw the mind from the automatic responses to sense-impressions, "burn up" the ...
.
"But what is noble silence?' Then the thought occurred to me, 'There is the case where a monk, with the stilling of directed thoughts & evaluations,
enters & remains in the second jhāna: rapture & pleasure born of concentration, unification of awareness free from directed thought & evaluation — internal assurance. This is called noble silence.'"
Of the eight jhanas, in the second jhana is when the inner dialog goes silent during meditation.
Concept
Noble silence requires an understanding of the Buddhist conceptualization of noble. It is described as something or someone who has united three aspects of his being, namely, body, speech, and mind.
Such a union provides individuals the awareness of their whole body and understanding who they are and, in the process, allow others to be who they are as well.
It is, thus, not merely the absence of speaking because sometimes not talking cannot be considered noble.
This is said to lead to a subsiding of thought and examination so that a ''
bhikkhu
A ''bhikkhu'' (Pali: भिक्खु, Sanskrit: भिक्षु, ''bhikṣu'') is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male and female monastics ("nun", ''bhikkhunī'', Sanskrit ''bhikṣuṇī'') are members of the Sangha (Buddhist ...
'' can enter and dwell in the second
''jhana'', a meditative state characterized by internal confidence and a unified mind.
An interpretation also noted that noble silence is not about silence for silence sake. Rather, it is an injunction if the primary ideal of conversing about the ''Dhamma'' is not met. If the disciples cannot do so, then they are encouraged to pursue noble silence - one that requires the attainment of second absorption. One account also cited how Buddha used noble silence when he was asked a question, opting to discuss another topic, which he deemed more significant to the questioner.
In
Vipassana Meditation, the noble silence covers a period of nine to ten days and this includes the so-called silence in deed, which means no gestures or the use of communication tools such as mobile phones, computer, and the Internet.
Further reading
*A.J.V. Chandrakanthan, "The Silence of Buddha and his Contemplation of the Truth", in ''Spirituality Today'' Summer 1988, Vol.40 No. 2, pp. 145-156. ALSO http://www.domcentral.org/library/spir2day/884025chandrak.html
*Larry A. Samovar, Richard E. Porter, Edwin R. McDaniel · ' Communication Between Cultures,'' 12th Edition, Nelson Education, 2017
with “talk” over silence in the popularity of radio and television programs called “talk ... This idea is brought out by the Buddhist scholar A. J. V. Chandrakanthan: ... page 333
See also
*
Buddhist philosophy
Buddhist philosophy refers to the philosophical investigations and systems of inquiry that developed among various schools of Buddhism in India following the parinirvana of The Buddha and later spread throughout Asia. The Buddhist path combi ...
*
Hesychia
The Greek term ''hesychia'' (, ) is a concept that can be translated as "stillness, rest, quiet, silence".
In Christianity
In hesychasm, an Eastern Orthodox Christian mystical tradition, it refers to the state of stillness and peace that is obt ...
Notes
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Buddhist philosophical concepts
Silence