#17 Silence with the Sound Meditation

Concentrate on the void at the beginning or end of the sound of any letter. Then by the power of that void, one will become the Void.Verse 40, Vigyan Bhairava Tantra

Importance of Silence

Paramahansa Yogananda was a Self Realized Yoga Master of India, who lived in the latter part of the 1 9th century, and the first half of the 20th century. He was responsible for spreading the practice of yoga in America, particularly a variety called Kriya Yoga. Yogananda emphasized the importance of silence. He used to teach that silence was the altar of God, and that conversation with God requires silence. Being aware of silence is a very important way of stilling the mind. The meditation given in this verse is a variation of the previous one.

Method

Instead of using the sound AUM, any sound can be used. Choose a sound that you love. That will help you in your meditation.
Now chant this sound. Concentrate on the void, the silence before the sound begins or after the sound ends. Continue with this practice.
You will find yourself going deeper and deeper into silence. As you do so, you will become more and more peaceful by the power of that void, one will become the Void. The void, the silence, will make the mind silent.
Ultimately, the mind will become completely silent. All thoughts will stop. At that stage, one will become the Void, one will become God. Most of the sitting meditations make one very peaceful. Whether it is the breath meditations, or the meditations using sound and silence, or any other meditation.
The peace one feels needs to be experienced. It is not something that can be easily described or experienced in the outside world. Once a person has experienced it, she longs for a repeat of the same experience. A person starts looking forward to practicing her meditation. It also changes the person completely. You remain calm and peaceful for the rest of the day. External events do not trouble you anymore.
Simple things start bringing you joy- going for a walk in the park, or spending time with your family. You no longer find it necessary to keep switching on the television. You are happy even spending time with yourself, alone. You are peaceful. And you are happy being alone, being peaceful.