The Power of Silence - A Buddhist and Zen Story

gton Buddha always used to tell his students that our words can be very powerful he said that our tongue which we use to speak is like the sharpest knife in the world he also said that the most dangerous weapon in the world is our words even though they don't physically hurt people our words can hurt people emotionally our words can be a source of strength but they can also be a weakness if we don't know when where and how much to speak when we speak kindly and wisely at the right moments it can lead to

success but if we speak unkindly or at the wrong times it can make our life very difficult so friends today I'll share a story about the importance of staying silent and how it has the power to change your life this story will help you understand how silence can be powerful once upon a time in India there was a famous Buddhist monk who lived deep in the quiet Forest far from the noise of the world he was a very meditative person and was also very famous throughout India one day a king came to him and said

respected monk I always feel tired frustrated and upset my mind is very restless even though I have everything wealth Fame and all the luxuries one could desire there is still no inner peace Within Me Oh monk please help me to get rid of this Restless mind the monk said you already hold the answer within you but you have never discovered it I want to do an experiment would you like to do that experiment after this experiment there will be no unrest and worry in your life the King was very upset after hearing all this but

asked the monk to tell him what to do and said I am ready to do anything for my peace of mind then the monk replied in a calm voice for the next 15 days you will stay in my Monastery and live like a normal person for these 15 days you will sit alone in silence and speak as little as possible the king agreed to the Monk's plan on the first day he noticed that his mind was more Restless than usual many questions and thoughts kept popping up and he felt uneasy living a simple life like

everyone else he really wanted to talk but resisted the urge and stayed completely silent just sitting quietly but as the night went on he began to feel an unexpected sense of calm and happiness this experience puzzled him because he couldn't understand why his restlessness was fading away the next day the king continued to spend time in solitude watching Nature Flowers plants and birds in the sky for the first time he truly appreciated the beauty of nature surrounding him he could observe and connect with the natural world all around him 10 days went by and all

the inner restlessness and Chaos in his mind gradually vanished on the 12th day he found himself entering into deep meditation as his eyes closed on their own he closed his eyes and entered into a deep state of meditation and his mind became free from worry the king experienced profound inner peace after spending the last 3 days in deep meditation he approached the Buddhist monk and said respected monk I have discovered why my mind was so troubled he explained as I figured out the reason for my distracted and troubled mind the monk asked please share with

me what you've learned the king replied I used to talk too much and spend a lot of energy on people often thinking negatively about them this excessive talking and negative thinking wasted my time and made my mind Disturbed as a result of this Behavior I couldn't perform my tasks effectively and I started failing in almost everything these continuous failures made me even more unhappy and easily annoyed it continued to negatively impact my life however these 15 days were a transformative experience now I feel like I'm truly living life to its fullest and I realized that

before this I was living it the wrong way I also realized that we don't have to force meditation it happens naturally the Buddhist monk mentioned that it's not just the king many people in the world talk too much even today many people use speech to hurt others and this excessive talking is still causing problems in their lives the monk explained to The King The Importance of Being silent he shared a story about a student who once asked Gautama Buddha why he was silent so often Buddha replied I stay silent to dive deep within myself silence

is the first step to truly knowing yourself without silence self-discovery is impossible so the first step is to be silent only speak when necessary and you'll see that most of our talking about 90% is harmful it would have been better if people didn't talk too much it could have reduced about 90% of the problems when people become quieter there are fewer fights less restlessness and less arguing if both individuals learn to stay silent many problems in the world could be avoided someone who understands the value of Silence can be at peace even in a crowded

place being alone can be like heaven the company of others can sometimes make us uncomfortable it's important to start by finding peace Within yourself and embracing silence allowing your inner energy to flow invite your thoughts to settle down if you wake up and feel disturbed by the presence of others it's a good idea to close your eyes and reconnect with your inner self you'll find a sense of freshness inside yourself because that's where your life originates it's not in anyone else it comes from the same source as you when no one else can take you

within you must go there yourself so look inward because you are the ultimate ruler of your inner world that's where life begins and that's where happiness is born when you look inside yourself you'll encounter the depths of life and even touch upon the notion of death this inner journey is like watching your own life go through ups and downs like the sun rising and setting every time you take this inner journey and come back you'll feel refreshed it's like you feel cool after a nice bath in the same way when someone takes time to be

quiet and reflect on their thoughts they often feel more peaceful and happy afterward when you really connect with your inner self you'll find that talking doesn't make your mind feel upset instead there's a constant feeling of calmness inside you you can talk and still remain connected to your inner self you can use words without breaking your inner peace when you do this your words will have a beautiful quality like music and everything will be in harmony speaking this way will touch others deeply when you maintain inner silence you start to tap into a strong inner

strength and break free from societal pressures you'll find a special joy in life similar to The Joy of those who passionately follow their dreams your face will have a new brightness and your your eyes will shine with a unique light as you dive into the ocean of endless peace friends you might have noticed that talking too much doesn't bring peace to the mind it makes it hard to control our thoughts and to stay focused people who talk too much find it difficult to concentrate on one task because of this they can't give their full attention

to their goals and often miss out on understanding the true meaning of life making it more difficult to attain their desires success furthermore you may have noticed that those who talk too much are sometimes mocked by others and those who speak less and stand by their words will earn respect from others because people tend to pay attention to what someone says and trust their words however a person with a troubled mind typically finds it hard to succeed because they lack genuine interest in their work true intelligence lies in knowing when where and what to say

and those who develop this skill tend to succeed in various situations a person who speaks less often becomes the center of attention and tends to succeed in various Pursuits when we observe the qualities of great individuals we find that they use few words carefully considering what they say and this contributes to their success in contrast there are many who talk excessively of often resorting to dishonesty and spreading negativity about others which can harm relationships and reputations that's why the people close to them often try to avoid and stay away from them in ancient texts from

different cultures they often talk about how our words reflect our beliefs and values being quiet helps us become patient which makes us more aware meditating can help us understand ourselves better so my friends I suggest you spend at least 20 minutes alone in solitude every day this can bring so much positive change in your life as we come to the end of this Zen journey I invite you to become an integral part of our Inspira Zen Community if you found inspiration in this story support us by hitting the like button sharing it with your friends

and leaving a comment below with your thoughts or any Zen stories you'd like to hear next and for more moments of motivation and Tranquility don't forget to subscribe and ring the notification Bell your engagement fuels our journey thank you for walking this path of wisdom and Enlightenment with [Music] us [Music] k