Meaning of Silence………….

One day some people came to meet a solitary monk who was sitting quietly near his small hut.  They asked him very politely: “Sir, what is the meaning of silence and meditation?  We would like to hear it from you.”  He got up without saying a word to the people and went to a deep well which was besides his hut and started scooping water from a deep well. 

He then said to his visitors: “Look into the well.  What do you see?” The people looked into the deep well and responded: “We see nothing!”  The monk put down his bucket.  After a short while, he urged the people once more: “Look into the well! What do you see now?”  The people looked down again: “Now we see ourselves, they said.” 

“Earlier you could not see anything,” replied the monk, “because the water was restless as your life.  But now it is quiet.  This is what the silence gives us: “One sees Himself in His true self”.  Then the monk told the people to wait a while again.  Finally, he asked them: “And now look again into the well. What do you see?”

The men looked down and said: “Now we see the stones at the bottom of the well.”  The monk then said: “This is the experience of silence and meditation.  If you wait long enough, you can see the purpose of all things in their true perspective.” This was a profound lesson that they all learnt on silence and meditation and returned to their village completely satisfied.