Is Silence Equal To Complete Peace ?

[Loreena]

Now I want you to imagine that I'm constantly surrounded by megaphones. You could only imagine what it must feel like. So I've been wishing for some silence. Does pin drop silence bring you peace of mind ? I'm sure it does. 

So for the past three days I've been trying hard to meditate but no relief. No relief from megaphones. 

I am in deep pain. 

Is there a way to shut off completely from the outside world without going on a retreat because I won't be able to do that. Please help. 

Any tip would be highly appreciated. 

[ajasatya]

@Loreena no. there's no shortcut. you have to accept the entire universe just the way it is.

have you ever been to a retreat?

[Toby]

Silence/Peace includes noise and no-noise. For example: the sage Nisargadatta Maharaj held his meetings in the middle of Bombay which is quite a large city with lot of noise. It is also possible to be on a retreat in a perfect environment and still not able to find peace because the mind is too active. So the investigation would be more: what are the megaphones (thoughts, emotions) that are distracting you? Some of them might be too powerful to just ignoring and meditate away but worth giving some attention to.

Edited July 2, 2017 by Toby

[Joseph Maynor]

@Loreena You gotta meditate in a quiet place for 1 hour per day.  I use an eye covering to keep the light out.  I meditate laying in bed, but I've been told that's a no no.  But you might baby step meditation that way.  Find a comfortable place to meditate where you can relax.

Here's my prior daily practice (until very recently): I do concentration practice for 20 mins, do-nothing meditation for 10 mins, awareness-focus meditation for 10 mins, mindfulness meditation for 10 mins, and active-release meditation for 10 mins.  I do these in this order everyday, time adding up to 1 hour, about an hour after I wake up in the morning.  Concentration practice is thumb and forefinger.

Here's my current daily practice.  What's interesting is very recently I've been shifting to do-nothing meditation with a little labeling added in when needed.  And this is what I normally do when I'm not meditating.  So meditation and everyday life for me are kinda merging now.  1 hour of this per day.  Anytime of the day is fine.  Sometimes I'll concentrate on the sensation of my breath on my nostrils.

Edited July 2, 2017 by Joseph Maynor

[cetus]

12 minutes ago, Loreena said:

So for the past three days

Anything significant about the last 3 days to cause a change? What are the megaphones saying to you? Turn it around on it self. Maybe something needs to be heard?

[Key Elements]

@Loreena It does help if you let negative thoughts pass by like a train. Don't catch hold of them. Try not to. Practice this. Negative thoughts are bound to happen, and that's ok. 

The question is, what are your true thoughts telling you what to do in life? What is the next baby step to take? We all have different baby steps. What is yours? It must be something simple to help you progress in life.