Silence is the answer¹⁴

There was once a very advanced, great seeker. Many people used to come to him for advice, but he would not advise anybody. He always used to say, “If you want to come and meditate with me in silence, I am more than willing to meditate with you. But I will not tell you anything.”

People were satisfied with this. They were all gratitude to him for giving them the opportunity to meditate with him. Always they felt a kind of intense delight when they meditated with him, and tremendous inner joy used to envelop them. Sometimes during meditation he would smile at them most soulfully, but he would never talk to them.

One day a young man came to him and touched his feet, pleading with him for advice. “I am in trouble. I have all kinds of emotional problems. You have to save me.”

The advanced seeker finally opened his mouth and said, “Look, my boy, why do I not talk? If I tell the truth, the world hates me. If I don’t tell the truth, God does not love me. Now where do I stand? Truth is painful for humanity. I can’t tell the truth or humanity will have ill will. And if I tell lies, I displease God. I want to please both man and God. So I remain silent.

“If I am deeply absorbed in silence, God is pleased with me. At the same time, humanity sees that I am not involved in anybody’s affairs, either individually or collectively. To everyone I am the same. I pray for humanity inwardly, but if I were to become involved outwardly, I would have to open my mouth. And the truth humanity finds impossible to accept. Therefore, I remain silent to please both humanity and divinity. Silence is the answer to please the higher worlds and the lower worlds at the same time.”