What is Silent?

Silent is…

1. The still air on a hot day in Banaras
2. The leaf unfurling overnight
3. The ants walking in line with sugar and food on their backs
4. The conceived child in its mother’s womb during the first trimester
5. The sound of our cells splitting, growing, rejuvenating themselves
6. The pranayama practices of Anulom Vilom and Yogic Breathing
7. The puddle of water after a torrential downpour that every straddles their feet over
8. The royals eating dinner together
9. The digital clock that doesn’t tick
10. The tree that falls in the forest when no one is there
11. The sound of one hand clapping
12. The cement road that I walk upon
13. The ceiling of my house
14. The walls of my house
15. Everything to the old man who is deaf
16. The movements of her mother’s mouth because she is born without hearing
17. How I cry sometimes, deep within
18. A puppy who doesn’t whimper
19. Balls of cotton flying in the wind
20. The clothes in my closet
21. The stars in the night 
22. The moon in the morning sky
23. The rotation of the earth
24. The stack of plastic chairs in the corner of the hall
25. The television when it’s turned off
26. Sun’s rays
27. Drawings in my sketch book
28. People in meditation–especially Vipassana 
29. My friend who doesn’t pick up the phone and speak with me
30. The love of my grandmother 

But actually, nothing is really silent, because all of these vibrations, movements, and stillnesses still exude sound energy, albeit very tiny sounds. We can’t hear them because our hearing isn’t so keen and exact. Some things might be silent physically, but they hold stories which we can discover. Altogether, they create the sound of the universe: AUM.