Mauna - Silence

Mauna is not just about controlling the speech, but it's more about quieting the thoughts.

By limiting our actions and speech, it will lead us to slow down the thought waves. This will lead us into meditation.

Through talking, we are losing our Prana especially if we are speaking harsh words and lies, slandering, gossiping, censuring, condemning, destructive speech and all types of negative complaints and criticisms.

If we need to talk, may it be kind words, truthful, constructive, motivating, encouraging, uplifting and cheering.

Speaking and sharing the truth of Dharma with all without any discrimination is still consider Mauna. If we need to speak Dharma to the people who are in need of Dharma speech, we should not be stubborn or attached onto observing silence and refuse to speak Dharma to the desperate living beings.

Speech or expression in certain languages are very restricted and conditional. Most of the time, misunderstanding occurs because of misinterpretation towards the meaning of the words that is being spoken, because everybody might have different interpretations of words in different languages.

That’s why sometimes the best speech is being silent.

Dharma can never be fully explained or expressed through the limited speech and is difficult to be understood by the conditioned limited perception of the mind. Not many people can grasp the real meaning of Dharma through listening and reading or studying the Dharma. The best way of understanding and knowing the Truth is through self-inquiry and self-realization. Despite under such limitation, we still can share the knowledge of Dharma with other beings through speech and writing, or else it will be less opportunity for people to come in contact with the valuable Dharma.

Any speech that is pure and intention-less does not contradict with the practice of Mauna.

If we are observing Mauna not speaking for many months and years, but we still have lots of impure and evil thoughts in our mind and performing lots of impure and evil actions, then that is not Mauna at all.

When other people are speaking lies and condemning us, or being unkind to us, and if we know how to forbear all kinds of insult or humiliation, and be understanding, compassionate and forgiving, knowing that all these ignorant behaviors are deriving from ignorance, and remain silent and calm without the need of self-justification or reaction towards any unkind speech and actions, being undisturbed or undetermined by other people's freedom of thinking, action and speech, then this is the highest Mauna of all. This doesn't mean non-action. It doesn't mean that one should not be moving away from any ill-treatments inflicted from others unto oneself, encouraging and empowering such ignorant behaviors. One can be aware of such ignorant behaviors and perform necessary actions that might or might not bring certain awareness to the minds towards the presence of ignorance and consequences of ignorance, without attachment, identification or expectation.

The real Mauna is inclusive of total self-control or restriction over all the impure restless thoughts, actions and speech. It's not just about not talking, but continue to be expressing the ceaseless thoughts through the sign language, facial expression, body language, or in the form of writing and drawing.