Deafening Murmur Amidst Silence

The practice of silence, or Mugon Suhaeng as it's called in Korean Zen tradition, goes far beyond simply not speaking. In our latest podcast episode, we explored the profound depths of this practice and what it reveals about the human mind.

When we think about observing silence, we often imagine it as merely the absence of speech. However, as our hosts Myong-Ahn Sunim and Dr. Ruben Lambert discuss, the practice of Mugon exposes something much more significant: the constant, incessant murmuring of our internal dialogue. This mental chatter, which usually goes unnoticed like the hum of a refrigerator, becomes startlingly apparent when we consciously refrain from external communication. The real challenge isn't avoiding conversation with others—it's confronting the noise within ourselves.

The episode shares a delightful story about a monk who joined a monastery famous for its vow of silence. In this monastery, monks were permitted to speak only two words per year to the abbot. After the first year, when given his opportunity to speak, the monk said, "Robes rough." After the second year, he complained, "Bed hard." The third year brought another complaint: "Food cold." By the fourth year, before the monk could even speak, the abbot dismissed him saying, "All you do is complain." This story brilliantly illustrates how our minds often default to dissatisfaction and complaint, even when given limited opportunities for expression. The monk saved his precious words not for spiritual insights or expressions of gratitude, but to voice discomfort with his physical conditions.

Our hosts also discussed how spiritual practices, when undertaken without proper guidance, can sometimes cause more harm than good. Myong-Ahn Sunim shared an example of a practitioner who fell into depression after taking precepts without ongoing guidance. As they explained, spiritual practices are like "a blade of grass held awkwardly—it may cut you." This highlights the importance of having a teacher or guide who understands when a practitioner is ready for certain practices, similar to a farmer knowing when soil is ready to receive seeds.

The conversation then shifted to karma, particularly addressing a listener's question about generational karma and fairness. The hosts explored how karma isn't simply a matter of punishment or reward but rather a complex web of interconnected relationships (called "inyon" in Buddhist terminology). Every being and object we encounter has a karmic connection to us, formed through countless lifetimes. Our current family relationships, socioeconomic situations, and even geographic locations are all manifestations of these intricate karmic connections.

When we question the fairness of karma, particularly generational karma, we're often limited by our inability to see the full causal network. Using the analogy of a tennis ball bouncing off a wall, our hosts explained how karmic effects aren't personal vendettas but natural consequences following mathematical precision. The ball doesn't bounce back to hit you because it's angry—it follows the trajectory determined by the force and angle with which it was thrown. Similarly, karma operates according to natural laws rather than personal judgments.

The practice of Mugon and understanding of karma both point to the same fundamental truth: we are deeply interconnected with all beings and phenomena, and our actions have consequences beyond what we can immediately perceive. By cultivating awareness of our internal murmurings and understanding the complex web of karma, we can begin to move beyond self-centered perspectives and develop greater compassion for ourselves and others.