today, during our most recent meeting with the abbot, he spcified so clearly about the observance of silence in all the "silent-sections" of the monastery....perhaps, in the past days, he observed frequent instances of monks carrying their conversations while walking in off limit areas like the corridors, or the cloister corridors goin to church or simply in just goin to and fro of the phase two to phase three of the monastery. "such conversations", he stressed, " do not carry an urgent information to the brother receiving the "loud" talk , but just making one that is not of value and does not concern the welfare of the community and is therefore not allowed in our daily observance of silence"....this reminds me of chapter six of the Rule that says, "...indeed so important is silence that permission to speak should seldom be granted even to mature disciples, no matter how good or holy or constructive their talk, because it is written: In a flood of words you will not avoid sin and elsewhere, the tongue holds the key to life and death.Speaking and teaching are the master's task,; the disciple is to be silent and listen..."
silent prayer and meditation, a normal routine in the life of a cenobitic monk like me.
silence in the corridors...
silence in the hallway...
silence in doorsteps...
silence in the guesthouse...
silence for those who are engaged in the daily monastic work...
silence is the prevailing factor in the life of a monk like me.
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