The third verse says,

Don’t engage disturbances, and emotional reactions gradually fade away;

Don’t engage distractions, and spiritual practice naturally grows;

Keep awareness clear and vivid, and confidence in the way arises.

Rely on silence- this is the practice of a bodhisattva.

I love how clear and practical this verse is for us all. Because here’s the thing: we DO engage disturbances. We also cause them! And when we start paying attention to all of our interactions, both in person and online, we can see how emotional reactions get all stirred up in the process. This isn’t a great game plan, beloveds.

But guess what? The minute we decide not to engage a disturbance, we see our emotional reactions fade away. It’s that simple.

The same is true for distractions. We know we have them. They are too numerous to mention. And we also know they keep us from growing in our spiritual practices. The moment we decide not to engage our distractions, we notice our spiritual practice naturally grows. Just like that.

Once these intentions get combined, we find that we become more aware, more clear. If you’ve ever spent a day on silent retreat, or taken a tech sabbath, you know you feel like your insight and awareness goes way up. Once the noise is gone, we can hear ourselves so much more vividly. And this brings about a sense of inner confidence. We know the way. We can walk it too, if we wanted.

All of this brings us to this last encouragement: rely on silence. The shared gift in all of these things is silence. We react better when we spend more time in silence. We grow more mature when we take time away from distractions to be silent. And our noisy brains get clear (and creative!) when we set aside time to let silence work its great medicine in us.

Ken McLeod says, “Arrange your life to reduce choice and unnecessary decisions.” Pare it down. Quit the hustle. Invite in some really gracious and wide margins of quiet and solitude. Find some space.

In two weeks, many Christians will begin to observe the season of Lent, which is all about taking a fresh look at life and choosing what needs to go and what might need to be brought in. It’s another way of practicing this third verse. In other words, disengage from the reaction hamster wheel. Limit distractions. Rely on silence to remind you what you’re here for, and why.

Consider taking time this week to notice your emotional disturbances and distractions. See where relying on silence might be just the medicine you need.