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unusual potent vibration and forcefulness. At first he almost did not recognize his own voice. It felt like it was coming from the depths, and it gave him a new confidence in himself.
It was none other than the cultivation of simhavrutti, or the quality of the lion, as the ancients called it. It was the transformation of his self-image from a timid lamb to a fearless lion. From time to time, he was able to bring out this roaring quality. It was the special gift his teacher saw in him from the beginning his capacity to speak from his heart and build a bridge between soul and soul with his eloquent and meaningful words. That is why the Master asked Munishree to break his silence to give talks to the villagers.
He made several observations to himself.
Words are my companions. They come from my feelings. They have energy, color, and the power to affect both the nerves and the emotions. With the right image, I can bring joy to someone's heart. The color will come on the cheeks. If I use the right word at the right moment, I can stir someone's emotion and bring a feeling of vibration. If I use the wrong word, it can cause someone to turn pale and feel shaken. So in my silence, I am going to learn each word all over again, select the right word, and before applying it to someone else, let me apply it to myself. Let me see how it tastes and sounds. If I feel a good vibration from the word, then others will too.
He discovered that the best time for people to keep silence was when they were angry or feeling superior to someone else or in a mood to crack jokes. In all three occasions, he noticed both in himself and in others the way words spoken in unawareness hurt others' feelings He noticed how in silence the mind was sometimes tempted to voice out a subconscious need to put someone else down and pierce that person's joy. Any time this happened, he consciously cultivated the art of appreciation.
He liked to remind himself of the story of the poor monk who was unable to fast when all the other monks were fasting. The story went like this. The monk sat down to eat his rice while all the others were secretly gloating that they could fast so many days, but that he could not. They exchanged gossip with one another, "See him? Not even on this special festival
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