From: leilas@ems.cdc.com (Leila Schneberger)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.quaker
Subject: The Psychology of Silence
Date: 11 Nov 92 14:02:15 GMT
Reply-To: leilas@ems.cdc.com
Organization: Empros Systems International, a division of Ceridian

The following was written by Pierre Lacout, a Swiss Friend. It was
originally published as Dieu est Silence:

"Contemplative silence is a special form of attention. The better we understand
the latter, the better we can practise the former. Malebranche tells us that
attention is 'a natural prayer by which we are enabled to be enlightened by
Reason.' John of the Cross writes tof contemplation that it is 'loving
attention.' The philosopher states that attention is prayer, the mystic that
prayer in its highest form is attention. Everything is to be gained, in my
opinion, by such a comparison.

Attention is seeing with the eyes of the spirit. It is an inward attitude.
These ways of seeing, these attitudes, seek to fix themselves on their
object, the better to grasp it, analyse it, be penetrated by it. Our eyes
can be turned towards outward things, toward material realities, or inward
towards psychic realities - ideas or states of mind. Is not contemplative
silence a look inwards to the deep realities of the soul? Silence has this
peculiarity that it seeks an object which is hidden - it is a gaze fixed
on the invisible. In the field of our conscious being there must be no point
on which it comes to rest. It is a gaze which cannot and must not have
a final objective.

The person who comes permanently to rest in their ideas about God,
however lofty they may be, would be turning away from God:'My thoughts
are not your thoughts.' The person who greedily clings on to the sweet 
savours which may come from God is turning away from God to nourish
themself on their own spiritual condition. Lights are not the Light.
These fragmentary pleasing experiences are not the joy and the peace
which are above all satisfaction of the senses. Contemplative silence
is a way of seeing which needs no object. It can only be defined as
direction. It is a looking towards, not a looking at. Ideas about God
are good only if I move quickly on from them. We must always go beyond.
The Inner Light is a space without boundaries.

The difficulty of Silence for beginners is precisely this absence of
object. The beginner needs an object. Before contemplating, the beginner
must meditate. Let them take the Gospel or other spiritual writings
and nourish themselves on words about God. Let them from the very
beginning practise looking beyond the words. It will not be very long
before spiritual understanding begins to dawn in them and this will 
make it possible to distinguish the words which lead into Silence from
those which shine with a false brilliance. The Holy Scriptures are
silent words with the power to lead the soul into silence. It is by this
sign that the friends of Silence recognize them."

This extract came from a small pamphlet. I have learned much about
Friends from reading what other Friends have written. Many pamphlets are
available at University libraries. I encourage people who are curious
about Friends to seek them out.

-- 

 Leila Schneberger                 leilas@ems.cdc.com  
Newsgroups: soc.religion.quaker