Nyepi 2020 - Poignant Silence

[Shivani Devi]

Om Swasti Astu.

With the Hindu Lunar New Year quickly approaching on March 25, thoughts turn towards the silence...the inner and outer silence - Antarmouna.

During the day of Nyepi, it is customary (if not mandatory) for every Hindu to observe 24 hours of isolated meditation. I have been in Bali many times during Nyepi Day and even the birds don't fly...the dogs don't bark. The island becomes a "ghost town" for 24 hours.

What we are witnessing in the lead up to Nyepi New Year is the whole world becoming a "ghost town" for weeks if not months due to coronavirus while everyone remains isolated in contemplation of an uncertain future that is really pointless to contemplate...but mankind has never faced such a situation within living memory...even though there are longer memories than that.

Even in Mecca, the Umrah pilgrimage has been cancelled and the Haj is still going ahead at this stage, but it could be called off at any second due to coronavirus...we are witnessing unbroken traditions which have lasted for hundreds, if not thousands of years come to a grinding halt - totally unprecedented in human history.

One of the traditions that will not be affected is Nyepi..the day of solemn introspection however, Hari Raya Melasti, the bathing of temple idols at the beach and the burning of effigies signifying the symbolic destruction of negative energies on this planet won't be going ahead, as it attracts a very large crowd...so, in effect, Nyepi day is going to last for basically the first half of 2020, if not longer...six months of silence and introspection while the world stays in "lockdown" waiting for the last known case of the virus to either recover or pass away and for the economy to get somewhat back on track...it is a time to "turn within" and not "turn without" and if we don't do it voluntarily, Pertiwi Dewi will place us in such a position where we will have no choice... because all of the excuses NOT to be meditating just won't be there.

Here is a broadcast from the SBS in Bahasa Indonesian... fortunately, I am able to understand every word... unfortunately, many of you won't be able to
..but some may and so this will be for them.

https://www.sbs.com.au/language/engl...cred-day-nyepi

Om Santi Santi Santih

[ajay00]

The present Kali Yuga is the time where the guna or element of Tamas is at its peak. Tamas is considered a negative guna ( compared to the neutral rajas and positive sattva) and is accompanied by delusion,dullness,addiction,depression, helplessness, inactivity, apathy, brutality, ignorance,greed, confusion, attachment, heaviness.


https://www.yogabasics.com/learn/the-3-gunas-of-nature/


With increase in inauspicious tamas, there is bound to be increase in destructiveness and conflicts. Natural disasters are also bound to increase as nature is uncomfortable with increasing tamas while it is neutral to rajas and favorable to auspicious sattva.


Increase in sattva through spiritual practices can bring about a harmonious environment reducing natural disasters and even crime rates as well.


According to the Prajapita Brahmakumaris, each Yuga or worldy cycle consists of five ages in a single cycle of 5000 years. In this cycle, the Sat Yuga or Golden Age emerges as the very first yuga and lasts for a period of 1250 years. The same goes for the other Yugas such as Treta Yuga, Dvapar Yuga, Kali Yuga. The fifth Age is the present Confluence Age which lasts for a hundred years and is considered to be a transition period between the Kali Yuga and Satya Yuga.


https://www.brahmakumaris.org/wisdom/wheel-of-life

[Unseeking Seeker]

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The zone of polarity interchange in every pulse is silence in heightened potential. Breath is easy to understand. Each half breath has a pregnant pause. Each pause too has an opposing inherent polarity, differentiated by intention. One preparing for inhalation and the other for exhalation.

Once our awareness becomes centreless, there is a continuum of inner silence as an ever present dynamic stillness.

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