About The Book
Vinoba was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi. Throughout his life he worked on Gandhian lines; nevertheless he had his unique personality. It can be said that all in all he was a Spiritual Being. Jayaprakash Narayan has said, "Vinoba is first and last a man of God. Service to humanity is to him nothing but an effort to unite himself with God. He endeavours every second to blot himself out, to make himself empty so that God may fill him up and make him His instrument." 'Where Silence Speaks' narrates Vinoba's thoughts on Meditation.
Preface
"Upon analysis of what I do all day, the answer that I receive from my inner voice, is dhyana." – Vinoba Vinoba's entire life, work and philosophy reflected dhyana. He always remained at the core of his own Self, but instead of becoming isolated he remained in constant contact with the societ society. He kept trying to find answers to the problems of society. In spite of incessant effort, he did not budge from his own plane, foundation and principles. The inner sanctuary was his permanent and daily residence. The divine stillness was his constant state. Moved by compassion and love, he would come out of that sanctuary and would mingle with us. No sooner was the purpose served than he would return to his own place. He never lost the connection he had with the original Primal Source. This gave him an innate ability to touch and address the small and big, personal and social questions from a unique plane. Purification of the chitta is the golden gateway to that inner sanctuary. Vinoba wanted to hold our hand and lead us there so that access to that Primal Source would be facilitated. For this he kept on reiterating the importance of chitta-shuddhi (purification of the mind). By taking chitta-shuddhi as the main pillar he would delineate different facets of dhyana. This is a humble effort to string together the pearls of the different aspects of dhyana which are spread all over his vast literature. Vinoba's language has the skill and power of condensing the ocean of wisdom into a drop. In his own words, some ripples of that ocean have been put into words here. To be honest, without the experience of having been in that inner cave, or sanctuary, one cannot have the power to fathom its depth. The effort will prove to be worthwhile if the ripples attract us towards the solemn depths of dhyana. The effort of offering the oblation of sea water to the sea itself has a purifying effect. The one who takes even a sip of this with faith would be touched by that purity. Prostrating with gratitude to this unusual and novel yogi who always resided in that inner sanctuary, we request his blessings to help us in our journey inwards.
Hindu (1765)
Philosophers (2327)
Aesthetics (317)
Comparative (66)
Dictionary (12)
Ethics (44)
Language (350)
Logic (80)
Mimamsa (58)
Nyaya (134)
Psychology (497)
Samkhya (60)
Shaivism (66)
Shankaracharya (233)
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist