Thursday, October 27, 2011

IN SEEKING WISDOM

"In seeking Wisdom, the first stage is silence." -- Rabbi Solomon ibn Gabriol (11th Century) To begin with, there are two Silences and not one: There is the Silence of the Mouth and, in addition, the Silence of the Mind. The former does not necessarily accompany the latter, but the latter always accompanies the former. That is, one can be silent "in-the-mouth" while not, at the same time, also being silent "in-the-mind." On the other hand, one who is silent "in-the-mind" is, at the same time, always silent in-the-mouth. Thus, there are three types of Lomaidim (Hebrew = "Learners"): THE FOOL: Silent neither in the Mouth nor Mind THE HEARING IMPAIRED: Silent in the Mouth but not the Mind THE LISTENER: Silent in the Mouth and the Mind. Of the "fool," Buddhism says, "A fool is like a spoon: it can sit in a bowl of soup forever and never taste it." Donmeh West

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