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And a word about the simple way Quakers approach Silence. The general approach is no technique. Yet, I have found Friends not to discourage a specific way of meditating. In Meeting one may be sitting relaxed, eyes open, while one may be sitting in a traditional posture of hand mundra from Buddhism, and another may be reclining on a mat. Yet, the Friends general wisdom is simply to sit and be receptive, and this makes Quakers rare among religious and spiritual groups. This bears close analogy to some advanced teachings in both the Buddhist and Hindu paths, as well as Contemplative Prayer in the Christian way.
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The natural progression, then, and with widespread attestation, is that as we develop to identify with spirit and Spirit, meditation simplifies from technique with goals to a loving, being-present ~ so, from meditation to non-meditation. If we trust in Spirit, or the Divine, some awareness of this Sacred may arise in the Quiet, but does not remain. This is more like a bubble rising to the surface, then dissipating. Why? For in the pure Silence, the mind cannot sustain an object, even God as an object one worships, believes in, or prays to. This, once more, is why I sometimes speak of Pure Prayer: Prayer as resting wakeful in Grace, in Life, in the Love that cannot even be well-referred to as Love. The Silence teaches, then, that even what we worship is, after all, not an object, a thing inside us or outside us. This does not negate the object of worship, only clarifying such a Mystery is not an object. I find it difficult to think of a more reverential response to God than this deobjectifying of God.
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Over time, one senses the relief from technique, the joy of being, and sees how this being in the Silence produces transformations and results naturally, spontaneously flowing from the Silence Itself, and without seeking to manipulate Grace to do anything at all, as is often the case in common forms of prayer. This simple being reorchestrates the energies in the body, with positive shifts mentally and physically through this energetic rebalancing. I mention this, partly for many, if not most persons, are out of balance energetically. Simply being quiet, resting quietly, openly, invites more subtle energies to work and bring healing and new vitality. Yet, this happens naturally, and one should not focus on this as a goal.
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