Love in Noble Silence

Dominika and I shifted out of the role of partner,  of man and woman,  to give temporary rebirth to the role and teacher and yogi on the annual Bodh Gaya retreat in the Thai Monastery. I planted my backpack in the corrugated roof room up the outdoor stairs beside the row of cells. Dominika took a straw mat and placed it on the balcony in a row of straw mats and mosquito nets for women participants.  From the first evening, we entered into the silent realm. We passed each other regularly enough whether en route to the meditation hall, kitchen or into the grounds. Although,  the two of us, plus more than 100 others, were enveloped in the noble silence of the retreat, we allowed each other the occasional flicker of the eyes  – the momentary acknowledgement of each other’s presence, a gesture of appreciation and a love that speaks without words. Towards the end of the 10 day retreat, we spoke a few words,  nothing of profound significance, more a recognition of our intimacy.  It is a credit to authentic love that it transcends the roles that have been defined either by ourselves or by others. Love is not a slave to identity. It is important that partners can easily and respectfully between role and various commitments. The role of teacher is not an identity but a function. We are not our role, not that that is remotely possible. Who we are lacks form and substance thus we abide in that without any construction, without an identity.  If we solidify roles, then we lose our capacity to drop the role and take up another  role,  and drop that for another role or to revert to the old role.  After the retreat was over, and the international participants had left the monastery to continue  their travels, Dominika and I agreed wholeheartedly love endears itself to noble silence. That such silence and such love belong to the same event.  One cannot be distinguished from the other.  A shared flicker of the eyelids reveals the ultimate passion.