the churches and stirred their quiet pools. Meetings after meetings are held. The same energetic souls are found busy at their respective work as well as they are engaged in many good works too. But Meyer warns that one must beware that one does not substitute the active for the contemplative, the valley for the mountaintop. One should have time to be alone with God. The concealed and the shut door are indispensable. One should be still and know that God is within thee and around! In the silence of the soul the unseen becomes visible, and the eternal real. He prays that no day should pass without its period of silent waiting before God. - FB Meyer, The Secret of Guidance
FB Meyer wielded a deep influence on Frank Buchman (1878–1961). Buchman was originally a Protestant evangelist. He founded the Oxford Group (known as Moral Re-Armament from 1938 until 2001, and as Initiatives of Change since then). Buchman 's spirituality was such that he would daily practice a “quiet time" during which, he claimed, anyone could search for, and receive, divine guidance on every aspect of their life. Dr Karl Wick (editor of the Swiss Catholic daily, Vaterland) wrote that Buchman was responsible in
…show more content…
Consider another Zen story entitled, “The Sound of Silence”
Four monks decided to meditate silently without speaking for two weeks. They began with enthusiasm and no one said a word the whole day. By nightfall of the first day, the candle began to flicker and went out. The first monk blurted out that the candle is out. The second monk reminded him that no one is supposed to talk.
The third monk in an irritated voice asked the two the reason for breaking the silence.
The fourth monk said with happiness that he was the only one who did not speak.
There is a beautiful and profound saying in Zen, ‘When you don’t have anything to say, don’t say it’. Speech is, in most situations, are unnecessary but paradoxically we utter this truth thereby going against the advice in the