“The waves of the mind demand so much of Silence … but she does not talk back … she is the hidden author of every moment … Silence.”  ~ Adyashanti

The waves of the mind
demand so much of Silence.
But she does not talk back
does not give answers nor arguments.
She is the hidden author of every thought
every feeling
every moment.

Silence.

She speaks only one word.
And that word is this very existence.
No name you give Her
touches Her
captures Her.
No understanding
can embrace Her.

Mind throws itself at Silence
demanding to be let in.
But no mind can enter into
Her radiant darkness
Her pure and smiling
nothingness.

The mind hurls itself
into sacred questions.
But Silence remains
unmoved by tantrums.
She asks only for nothing.

Nothing.

But you won’t give it to Her
because it is the last coin
in your pocket.
And you would rather
give her your demands than
your sacred and empty hands.

Everything leaps out in the celebration of mystery,
but only nothing enters the sacred source,
the silent substance.
Only nothing gets touched and becomes sacred,
realizes its own divinity,
realizes what it is
without the aid of a single thought.
Silence is my secret.
Not hidden.
Not hidden.

  ~ Adyashanti

For further information about Adyashanti’s background and his teachings, please visit his teacher page on this website, which lets you find blog posts, video posts, articles, books, DVDs, and more about him.

Above Poem: Emptiness Dancing by Adyashanti, pages 45-56.

Images: (edited) 1) Seascape by Pok_Rie, CCO Public Domain, 2) Sunset Landscape by AlainAudet, CCO Public Domain, 3) Phuchifar by Vorakorn,  CC BY-SA 3.0, 4) Sun Hand by papaya45, CCO Public Domain, 5) Todays spectacular sunset by Susanne Nilsson, CC BY-SA 2.0.

Further Reading...

Sacred Whirling, Sufism & Advaita, a 5-part Series Adyashanti: The Truth of what you are Adyashanti: Practical Guide to Spiritual Awakening Adyashanti: Foundation for Living Our True Nature Adyashanti: Three Orienting Ideas