II: 46

Chapter 2, Verse 46

"As unnecessary as a well is
To a village on the banks of a river,
So unnecessary are all scriptures
To those who know the truth."

Sri Eknath Easwaran:

"When the whole countryside is flooded, as it is during the monsoon in my native state of Kerala in South India, where is the need for a little reservoir to get water from? In the villages of India, during the heavy monsoon period, all the tanks, pools, rivers, and wells are filled up with water. But as summer sets in, wells begin to dry up. Tanks and pools dry up, and people in the villages have to walk long distances to the river to have their baths and fetch water. In the dry season, not even a bucketful of water is wasted.

As long as the living waters of awareness are not flowing all the time within, we have to use little water-pots. We bring a little pot with us as we sit down for meditation, and afterwards, when we get up and go about our day, the pot is full. By the next day, the pot is empty again, and we need to sit in meditation and fill it up once more. All this is necessary. But when the living fountain from within bursts forth, when the love for the Lord who is ever present within wells up, why would we want pots? Why would a person want pools who is in the midst of the limitless sea of love? At that time, you do not need to meditate. You do not need the scriptures. You do not need to repeat the Mantra, because it will go on in your consciousness constantly. This is the great ideal to be experienced, but for the present, we are to be regular about our meditation, familiarize ourselves with the scriptures, repeat the Mantra with faith and devotion, and master the senses with discernment."

[Scriptures often "work" by steering us in a particular direction. But sometimes, as in Arjuna's case, words are not sufficient. It wasn't Krishna's words in themselves, but the power of his presence that transmitted the wisdom needed so that Arjuna would know how to proceed. If outer guidance is not available or effective, inner guidance is always present. It is up to us to access it. In meditation we cultivate the ability to tap into that stillness within which is fertile ground. The proper course of action is often revealed when we are in a state of receptive stillness.]

Eckhart Tolle:

"When you lose touch with inner stillness, you lose touch with yourself. When you lose touch with yourself, you lose yourself in the world. Your innermost sense of who you are is inseparable from stillness. This is the I AM that is deeper than name and form."

From Grist: Environmental News and Commentary

Mark Hertsgaard
10 May 2005

How long could you survive without your car? For the many Americans who think nothing of driving 10 blocks to buy a gallon of milk, the answer is obvious. But before any of you dedicated pedestrians and die-hard cyclists start feeling smug, try this question: How long could you survive without talking?Chances are, nowhere near as long as John Francis did. After a massive oil spill polluted San Francisco Bay in 1971, Francis gave up all motorized transportation. For 22 years, he walked everywhere he went -- including treks across the entire United States and much of South America -- hoping to inspire others to drop out of the petroleum economy. Soon after he stopped riding in cars, Francis, the son of working-class, African-American parents in Philadelphia, also stopped speaking. For 17 years, he communicated only through improvised sign language, notes, and his ever-present banjo.

John Francis: “Silence is not just not talking. It's a place where all things come from. All voices, all creation comes out of this silence.”