Zen story: The whispering Zen master
By emptychair
@innertalks (23739)
Australia
August 23, 2021 11:57pm CST
The Zen master, Quietude Fretonse, had a very softly spoken voice.
His students often had to strain hard to hear what he was saying.
He would talk into his ample beard, and the sound would come out, like it was dampened by the experience.
He would say that his power was in his whisper.
If he spoke louder, his whisper would contain no power.
The whispers of love should never drown real love out.
Speech is important, a message carries a message, but my whisper cuts through the mind, without slicing it with my words.
The Zen master refused to talk louder, and when the King visited his ashram, he even spoke in his whisper to him.
The King looked at his bodyguard, and he also whispered a command to him.
The Zen master looked again, and thought,
"What had he said? What would the guard do next?
The guard pulled out his sword, and he walked over to the Zen master, and swished it loudly through the air.
"What you say never cuts to the quick like this sword does. Learn to speak louder to the King, or he will speak louder to me, to cut out your tongue, my friend."
The Zen master poked out his tongue.
"I do not speak with my tongue,"
he whispered.
"Truer words you have never spoken",
said the guard, and quickly as a slash, he cut the tongue clean off.
The Zen master never talked in a whisper again. He had to talk on a slate with chalk, and all could hear what he said then from seeing it more clearly with their eyes.
What is the underlying message here for us here then?
Love is silently given, but love will make the right noises to be heard.
Never whisper your love to another, give it full strength, with the full blast of itself.
The Zen master had thought that he was doing this too, but really he was trapped within his own whisper.
Photo Credit: The photo used in this article was sourced from the free media site, pixabay.com
Should we have a sharpened tongue, or a soft tongue, or use it to suit the occasion?
4 people like this
3 responses
@DocAndersen (54399)
• United States
24 Aug 21
There was a study done on communication many years ago. One of the things they found was if you vary the cadence of your voice, and the timber and volume, people will listen more.
it is true!
3 people like this
@innertalks (23739)
• Australia
24 Aug 21
Yes, many communication experts will also say that the message is not so much in the words, as it is in the non-verbalised message along-siding the words.
People will usually get out of the way, more quickly, of a loudly screaming maniac too, than from a whispering wimpish person.
2 people like this
@innertalks (23739)
• Australia
26 Aug 21
@DocAndersen Yes, and vice versa too.
Sometimes the pleasure shown on the face, does not agree with the words spoken either.
Some people are very reserved in their words, but their sparkling eyes show you that you tickled their fancy.
2 people like this
@DocAndersen (54399)
• United States
25 Aug 21
@innertalks yes sometimes the distaste conveyed by the face, negates the words from the mouth!
2 people like this
@Shiva49 (28375)
• Singapore
24 Aug 21
It is true people tend to strain their ears to listen to whispering messages than when loudly spoken which can be more of a distraction.
Of course, not everyone can pull it off like the Zen master did till he found his nemesis in the form of the king's bodyguard! His soft words could have been grating to the ears of one who is more used to loud commands!
The Zen master was hardly fazed and found even more of a silent way to convey his messages and they got through loud and clear in black and white!
Looks like the king could have been also silenced by the violent act of his bodyguard!
2 people like this
@innertalks (23739)
• Australia
24 Aug 21
Yes, it is hard to know if the Zen master came out as a true Zen master here, or not.
He was a bit stubborn, but not in a stubborn way. He sacrificed his own tongue to get his message clearly out to all who would hear his true message.
There was a great Indian spiritual master, Meher Baba, who also never spoke but used a board to write out his messages on.
He said once:
"No amount of prayer or meditation can do what helping others can do."
Was he helping others with his method of communication?
He must have been in his way, I guess.
If it's written down, at least the transcripts of his talks would be accurate!
Maybe, he didn't want his messages scrambled by his student's memories, when they wrote them down from his actual words inaccurately remembered.
1 person likes this
@innertalks (23739)
• Australia
25 Aug 21
@Shiva49 Yes, I have heard that too.
Sometimes someone would have an audience with such a spiritual master, who would say nothing, but something was transmitted to the person sitting with him, as some type of an energy, which could help him to be uplifted spiritually too.
They even talk about the gaze of a master being able to affect people too.
@Shiva49 (28375)
• Singapore
25 Aug 21
@innertalks Ramana Maharshi was also into periods of silence.
Silence is the most potent form of work according to him.
Maybe he could transmit his teachings/blessing when there was pin-drop silence.
For me, silence is needed for contemplation. We are mostly lost in the din and bustle of a hectic lifestyle.
I used to treasure the time when I was alone in the office. In fact, I used to go early an hour before office time to plan out my schedule before the phone calls and visitors trooping in.
I also wonder whether the true picture has been vitiated by interpretations and writings of others.
That is why I like to hear from the Horse's mouth and the context and intonation.
Some gurus were not only silent but also whisperers even, like this Zen master!
1 person likes this
@innertalks (23739)
• Australia
24 Aug 21
Thanks. I wrote it to be a little bit humorous too.
2 people like this
