Jiddu Krishnamurti - The Great Silence

photo Fred Mount

 Way down in the valley were the dull lights of a small village; 

it was dark and the path was stony and rough. 

The waving lines of the hills against the starlit sky were deeply embedded in darkness 

and a coyote was howling somewhere nearby. 

The path had lost its familiarity and a small scented breeze was coming up the valley. 

To be alone in that solitude was to hear the voice of intense silence and its great beauty. 

Some animal was making noise among the bushes, frightened of attracting attention. 

It was quite dark by now and the world of that valley became deep in its silence. 

The night air had special smells, a blend of all the bushes that grow on the dry hills, 

that strong smell of bushes that know the hot sun. 

The rains had stopped many months ago; 

it wouldn’t rain again for a very long time and the path was dry, dusty and rough. 

The great silence with its vast space held the night 

and every movement of thought became still. 

The mind itself was the immeasurable space and in that deep quietness 

there was not a thing that thought had built. 

To be absolutely nothing is to be beyond measure. 

The path went down a steep incline and a small stream 

was saying many things, delighted with its own voice. 

It crossed the path several times and the two were playing a game together. 

The stars were very close and some were looking down from the hill tops. 

Still the lights of the village were a long way off 

and the stars were disappearing over the high hills. 

Be alone, without word and thought, but only watching and listening. 

The great silence showed that without it, 

existence loses its profound meaning and its beauty.

 From Krishnamurti’s Journal, page 124