Empty mind is God’s Playground not devil’s workshop
Photo Copyright Suresh Gundappa 2006
As kids we all have heard teachers saying ” Empty mind is a Devils workshop”. Probably this is the worst lesson you can learn as a child. Our education on occupied mind has driven man to Insanity. Man is restless.
Today if one thing people find it heard to understand is silence. Silence has been the most misunderstood phenomena. First education for the child should have been the value of silence.
I have seen so many times parents trying to talk to a child who has been silent for a while. They will start debating about what happened to the child. Parents start getting worried even if child stays silent for 10 minutes. They will start theories/argument about why child is so silent.
I tell you child is enjoying silence so please stay away!.You never allow your child to explore his own place or his own being. This is where the trouble starts. You will switch on TV or Music system or you start talking to him. You will make everything to make sure that child talks or gets into an activity. I assure you if you want your child to follow gods path then leave him alone once in a while. Allow him to be silent from all your chit chat for a while.
Take him to places near nature where you and child can be silent. Even in Temples, Churches, Mosque People has been shouting loudly as if God is Deaf.
Teach your child silence. If a child can learn silence then he has learned the art of communication. Learned one’s from all religions say Music is definitely Dancing way to GOD. IT’s not without a Reason. If you want to be a good Musician then first fundamental requirement is to understand silence between notes. not the pitch not the higher or lower notes but the Gap between notes is the hallmark of a Great Musician. That’s why Music is sure way towards knowing God.
Ican tell you with Authority if your child discovers Art of silence when is young then you can be sure he has mastered the art of Communication.
Child’s silence is close to meditation. In meditation you are close to creator. In-fact you are the creator. Your creative thoughts will come up like a radio station thru an antenna. As you grow your mind grows into center of rubbish knowledge. If you can plant a seed of silence to a child right from beginning then you have already payed way to a Buddha or a Christ or a Mohammad or a Krishna. To me this very sacred phenomena. Thru silence in Child you are creating a possibility of a Christ or Buddha or Mohammad.
Teach your child silence. Teach your child Empty mind is Divine.
God bless you My friends and May you discover silence in your life!
Lots of Love – Suresh
If mind becomes silent, it is no-mind , enlightned state. You are right, people sometime accidently enters into such state, but that makes them fearful, they cant sit silently.
Great post.
JV
August 18, 2006 at 12:36 pm
It is rather ‘idle’ and not ‘empty’; because mind can never be empty. Enjoying silence and nature make the mind overflow with peace.
And yes, such saying do create a negative impact on people.
Alex M Thomas
February 27, 2007 at 6:39 am
Yes you are right “Empty mind is a SOURCE OF ENERGY”. It’s really good keep going sureshji.
Keerthi Sekhar
November 19, 2007 at 6:20 am
to be silent sometimes is ok .. is understandable .. but to be silent all the time .. thats not normal .. one more question .. how can we understand the silence of others .. when we cant see them .. talk to them .. in short how can we understand the silence of someone on chat ..
Sirus
February 9, 2008 at 7:37 pm
We are apes anyway, jumping from one thread of thought to another. It’s hard to break are real self.
Dhval
April 13, 2008 at 11:24 pm
sureshji what u mean to say is quite right but only when if we think it spiritually.peactically the saying is for elder ones.
vishwajit
November 6, 2008 at 7:23 am
too true – everyone needs some down time to recharge!
Chapati
March 6, 2009 at 1:40 pm
I really appreciate the thoughts in this article, however I have to disagree with your original statement, that teaching a child that an “empty mind is a devil’s workshop” is the worst lesson you can teach a child.
What you were dealing with in this article was the art and beauty of silence, I belive silence is very healthy for a child, but just because I or another peron is being “silent” does NOT in any way mean that the mind is “empty.” It is full of thoughts, questions, answers, people, to-do-lists.
The stilling of the tongue is one thing, but an empty and useless mind is another. Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, has given us this marvelous tool, we should use it, he also gave us one tongue and two ears; we should listen to those around us and only after contemplating on His truth, then should we use our tongues in response.
It is greatly enjoyable to sit in the Lord’s marvelous creation and enjoy it, but that is not a “greater act” then to sing, dance, and make music unto His name.
Gwen
March 30, 2009 at 10:42 pm
sir
u know you should be more clear about what you write
you have just written a vague statement.
i ask you if you sit idle for sometime without thinking something will you experience god will you experience divine… whatevr tou have written.
i bet you won’t. Plz justify- silence is sitting idle or is it thinking about god our focussing about something to calm your mind.
i bet you must have written this blog in your free time in order to keep yourself busy
plz clear my doubts and let me know what you exactly mean by this statement of yours
rahul
June 22, 2009 at 7:10 am
Hi, whatever i rad above is what one should know and understand. Not only a child but also a matured sensible or mid-age person should not be disturbed if in silence becuz in silence a person can think and meets with new ideas and to execute them one will have to get it perfectly and which is only possible to get in silence and it is natural. we dont what a person is thinking it can be negative or coluld be good and positive. as Suresh ji says one should visit nice places, well this is the main thing which effects anybodies thinking. If a person is visiting positive places and beautiful nature he will receive good thoughts and will have to be positive. Paretnts should not get scared that why there child is silent but they should take him to ood places and i am very happy to read something from Suresh GURU JI who is doing an amazing and fabulous thing. thank you and god bless you.
potus
July 19, 2009 at 12:17 pm
In beautiful nature one does receive good thoghts. But once if one got lost in a forest or it starts getting dark before one has returned, then the same beautiful nature where one was getting good thoughts, one now may start getting horrible thoughts of worry and fear. Eg whether one would reach home safely before dark or not and so on. But even in such a case, silence helps to think clearly and pragmatically.
And btw the saying I had heard is “Idle mind is devil’s workshop” which may be true to a certain extent for an adult (unless idle mind eventually becomes an empty and relaxed mind) But this post clearly mentions the context of a child, and for a child there is not that much difference between idle and empty, and so this post makes perfect sense. And for an adult, its a reminder to recall the silence of his/her childhood.
Sanjay M
July 22, 2009 at 5:44 am