Intentional silence, where the presence of who you are is present, is different from the silence that comes from apprehension, fear, or shyness. It’s an expanded state in which you are aware of many things rising within you and, at that moment, are not subject to what is there.
The ego mind is usually too busy controlling, scheming, organizing, questioning, etc., for silence to exist. When you are aware of this flow, the mind-ego becomes more silent—it feels the witnessing arise. If you can focus more on your breath and whatever is there, you’ll be able to expand this space little by little.
In the beginning, it becomes joyous, but it can also be uncomfortable. The mind feels it is betraying itself, not being who it is. The reality is that we are never the same, and having open space for whatever is arising inside will make you more in tune with it and, at the same time, help you see things clearly.
