BRC Newsflash: July and August 2024

Silence And Diversity

‘We are all one in silence, and a diversity of voices,’ writes the Trappist monk Thomas Merton in Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander.

For the ancient Greeks silence was about as transcendent as you could get. The Greek mathematician Pythagoras is said to have studied the connexion between number and music and Andrew R. Burn in the Penguin History of Greece describes how Pythagoras found ‘by stopping a lyre string at three-fourths, two-thirds and half of its length, one obtained the fourth, fifth and octave of its note. Seeing that number controlled both sound and shape, he leapt to the intuition that this was the secret of the universe; that numbers are the elements of things, rather than water or any other substance known to sense.’

This idea was later extended to astronomy by Pythagoras, or his followers, who claimed the speeds of the planets then visible from earth ‘judged by their distances, are in the same ratio as the musical concordances.’ Pythagoreans said the sound of their movement formed a harmony, the ‘music of the spheres’, which to our ears, accustomed to it from birth, is silence.

Nice thought. But while we may be one in silence, as Merton says, we remain a diversity of voices. Human voices, wielded to express feelings, opinions and deeply held beliefs. We all know where that can lead.

One approach to vocal diversity and difference is that of the Greek philosopher Socrates who adopted a dialectic, described by Karen Armstrong, as ‘a rational version of the Indian brahmodya, the competition that attempted to formulate absolute truth but always ended in silence. For the Indian sages, the moment of insight came when they realised the inadequacy of their words, and thus intuited the ineffable. In that final moment of silence, they had sensed the Brahman, even though they could not define it coherently. Socrates was also trying to elicit a moment of truth, when his interlocutors appreciated the creative profundity of human ignorance.’

Armstrong, in her book The Great Transformation, examines what is known today as the Axial Age, the time between 800 and 300 BCE when there appears to have been a tectonic shift in the way people thought about their existence in the world, among them Socrates, the Buddha, Confucius, Jeremiah and Lao-Tzu.

According to Armstrong those ‘who came to Socrates usually thought they knew what they were talking about, but by systematically making them aware of their ignorance, Socrates led them to discover an authentic knowledge within, which had been there all along. When this finally came to light, it felt like the recollection of an insight that had been forgotten. This illuminating, almost visionary discovery, Socrates believed, would inspire right action.’

Buddhism takes a similar view, seeing ignorance as a form of delusion, the main obstruction to living the good life, hence ‘right understanding’, ‘right thought’ (seeing things as they really are) feature in the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path together with ‘right action’.

Back to silence and diversity. Armstrong goes on to say that in the 14th century CE, Greek Orthodox theologians, borrowing from the Axial Age, suggested that any statement about God should have two qualities: ‘it must be paradoxical, to remind us that the divine cannot fit into our limited human categories, and aphophatic, leading us to silence. A theological discussion, therefore, should not answer all our queries about the ineffable deity, but should be like a brahmodya, which reduced contestants to speechless awe.’

Sitting down with others in the meditation hall, the zendo, or a room in your home, strike the bell and let the sound lead you into the silence. The music of the spheres. Awesome.

Stephen Coan

Change Is Inevitable – The Enabler

The teachings on impermanence are a cornerstone of Buddhist philosophy. All that arises must dissolve and change is the only constant. Change happens and it is not the change that causes us to suffer, but rather our resistance to change. Without change, we would not be able to be better and grow.

As the BRC enters a new era without Louis, the Mastermind behind its origins and development, we can clearly see how a directed energy to shape things as they change can lead to wonderous things. From the eroded farmland that Louis bought to the beautiful place that the BRC is now, the wisdom and compassion that has been poured into its development are evident. Louis has set up a legacy and his long-term vision continues to serve the BRC as it continues through times of change.

As Chrisi takes the helm officially, she and her team face a sea of change which will have both rough waters and some stunning days to come. This is nothing new to the team and their unwavering dedication to keeping the BRC growing is admirable. This place has touched the lives of so many, helped them use the tool of change to become better people and thus contribute to the world around them when they go back home.

We hope that everyone who has been touched by the magic of Ixopo will offer their support to the BRC to continue to be a light in this world. Everything is in place as long as the resources are available. So, please continue to support the Centre by attending retreats or making donations as feels right for you.

With Metta

The Buddhist Institute of South Africa (BISA) Committee
Brendon Small, Rob Havemann, Pam Evans and Rosemary Turner

There are still a few spaces left on the following July retreats:

Conducted Retreats August 2024