Words, words, words. That's what the prince of Denmark Hamlet lamented. He could well be the unofficial patron saint of zen.
At the New Haven Zen Center in Connecticut, the most compelling communications are wordless. Those might go for a one-hour meditation to a week-long silent retreat held at its larger facility in Providence, Rhode Island.
The silence is so rich that it spills over into times when oral communication is permitted. For example, last night after meditation, as we took off the robes (which we put over our street clothes), no one spoke. On the way out as we headed into the mean streets on urban city life, no one spoke either.
Creating and listening to the sounds of silence could be the ideal training for both speechwriters and speakers.
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