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Restoring the Quiet Temple
There was a young French woman who was born about 200 kilometers from Plum Village. Growing up, she was angry with her mother, her family, and with France itself, so she left for England and lived there for 35–40 years. As a child, she had to undergo many surgeries, and her mother, caught in her own suffering, was unable to care for her wholeheartedly. This led to knots of suffering, watering and escalating the pain for both of them. At the age of 19, she left her family, gradually forgot her French, became fluent in English, but recently she began to miss her mother and wished to use gentle speech to reconcile. Each time they met, although her intention for reconciliation was strong and her bodily actions were already on the path, her speech—her verbal actions—would erupt like the mouth of a volcano, causing them to argue again. The root cause was not the “mouth of the volcano,” but the fire from deep within the earth; similarly, words are only the outward manifestation, while the root lies in the seeds of afflictions in the consciousness. In Buddhism, the three karmas deeply influence the mother-child relationship and all reconciliation. They are:
- bodily karma (actions of the body)
- verbal karma (speech)
- mental karma (thoughts, contemplation)
The way to transform suffering and purify the three karmas is not simply to prohibit speaking, but to practice mindfulness through mindful breathing, walking meditation, sitting meditation, and the Dharma door of noble silence: making a vow not to speak for one hour, seven days, or longer (often 3, 5, or 15 days), using pen and paper or hand signals to communicate when necessary. After just one hour, there are already results; after seven days, the transformation of body, speech, and mind is clear. In the family and the Sangha, it is important to inform others in advance to avoid misunderstanding, and to support each other: “to eat rice with soup, to practice with friends.” Noble silence helps to stop the escalation of suffering, to nourish peace, mindfulness, and lasting inner security.