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An Ecstatic Silence (See... No Speech)
Old Orchard Beach, Maine
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Saying: She mirrors to others the Light they are and she is. She knows the joy of Light with Light.
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First, an important, foundational premise for all that follows in this writing: Our basic, fundamental self is luminous. In the words of Thubten Yeshe, the late Tibetan Buddhist -
Normally we think our mind [mind-heart, heart, spirit, essence] is bad, deluded, and that we have to make it clean. But mind’s nature is clean-clear: clarity is a fundamental characteristic of mind. In Buddhism, this applies both in philosophy and in meditation. You don’t need to make effort to make your mind this way or that; you just need to leave it alone. Its clear-light nature is pure from the beginning, and this nature exists forever [the darkness cannot alter it, even as clouds cannot alter the Sun].
*Mahamudra: How to Discover Our True Nature.
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In the 2004 movie "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," all have returned to Hogwarts for the start of a new school year. After the students are seated, Professor Dumbledore begins with announcements. He introduces new faculty members. He, then, turns to a topic concerning the students' safety. He says, "On advice of the Ministry of Magic, Hogwarts will, until further notice, play host to the Dementors of Azkaban, until such a time as Sirius Black [who was perceived to be a dangerous foe] is captured. The Dementors will be stationed at every entrance to the grounds."
The Dementors are frightening beings, and Dumbledore says that they will not disrupt the school. He warns, however, "Dementors are vicious creatures. They will not distinguish between the one they hunt and the one who gets in their way. Therefore, I must warn each and every one of you—give them no reason to harm you. It is not in the nature of a Dementor to be forgiving. But, you know, happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."
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Despair is alien to Spirit, yet we are not immune to it. Also, much despair surrounds us. This despair is a sign of darkness. We need an intention to attune to the Light daily. Turning on the light is better said attuning to the light. The light of Light is already present.
How do you do this?
What does the light mean to you?
How do you feel when you care for yourself - body, mind, spirit - daily?
How do you feel when you neglect to do this?
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Meditation and Contemplative living are means to transform energies of negativity. We need a path of practice offering us antidotes. Through these means, we do not fight the darkness; we apply tools of the Light.
We work at this daily and lightheartedly, with firm intent and consent. If despair or another form of suffering arises, we know this is not our nature. And it is not unspiritual or weak to realize we need psychiatric help or counseling. These, too, can be instruments of the Light.
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Faith does not mean denying "the darkest of times." Faith looks through eyes of Light to see the truth that good is inherent in evil, clarity is integral to doubt, and love resides within hate.
Transformation means... There is a Jesus inside "Satan." A Buddha inside "Mara." We can free "Satan." We can liberate "Mara." A field of hurt can become a Buddha Field. A stone wall, within or without, can become a Buddha Gate. A hell realm can become heaven. A clan of thugs can become the Body of Christ. In fact, the presence of darkness can illumine for us the Light, for Light manifests through contrasts.
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We experience personal and cultural Dementors. Such negativity includes anything that brings harm and fragmentation to others and us. And, in meditation and silence, we experience this dark side arise, manifesting subtleties of harmfulness and selfishness we would not have seen without the ego being disarmed by the Quiet.
Thus, a daily practice of silence is an invitation not only to inner peace but, also, emotional upset. Yet, we can meet the pain with the salve of self-love. Our self-love is love, the same love we love others with, and they love us with. There is only one love.
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The Pharisee (lit., "holy, pious, one") functions as an archetype in the Gospels of the Christian Bible. He was a chief opponent of Jesus, and the dangerousness of the Pharisee was in denying the darkness that captivated his heart-and-mind. This darkness could not see itself as darkness. This is key: darkness cannot recognize itself as darkness. Darkness parades as light. The Pharisee represents that in us that has been deceived even by conventional thought: political, religious, spiritual, ...
However, one Pharisee, Nicodemus, realizing the Light of Christ, came to Jesus in the dark of night (St. John 4.1ff). Later, before his colleagues, Nicodemus contended for Jesus' right to a fair trial (St. John 7.45ff). Also, he assisted Joseph of Arimathea in taking Jesus' body off the cross and the burial (St. John 19.48ff). Nicodemus brought the ointment to apply to the body. Nicodemus is a sign of the potential transformation of darkness by Light, the conversion of negativity into positivity, indifference or hostility into compassion.
Judas, through betraying Jesus, manifested the potential of darkness. Though possibly well-meant, his action provided the context for the Light to demonstrate its love.
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Light arises out of darkness, for its potential is already in darkness. This is intuited in the Christian Scripture: For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (II Corinthians 4.6, ESV). The passage does not read, "Let light replace darkness" or "Let darkness be destroyed so that light may shine." No, "Let light shine out of darkness."
So, look deeply into the darkness. Faith says, as Elohim in Genesis 1: "Let there be light" (AV). And, amazingly, one finds that in saying this, she discovers that the Light of God is the Light she has within herself. She is the Light, for one Substance with the Father, with the Mother, with the Brother and Sister, with the Neighbor. Then, she knows that to shine the Light is to be truly herself as an incarnation of the Light. This gives her a humbled sense of inestimable worth. She spontaneously sees this Light in others. She mirrors to others the Light they are and she is. She knows the joy of Light with Light.
(C) brian k. wilcox, 2025
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