Biography of Silence
Biography of Silence It is the second volume belonging to the silence trilogy, written by Spanish Catholic priest, playwright, teacher and author Pablo d'Ors. The work was published by the Siruela publishing house in 2012. In it, the Germanist writer, theologian and philosopher creates a sober essay on meditation, its benefits and applications in the material world, beyond religious doctrines. His detachment from the structure of dogma surprised critics.
In turn, this separation made many readers feel attracted to read the title, and carry out the practices that are proposed in the essay. A common opinion is usually that Biography of Silence It is a top seller, one of those books that must be reread from time to time to return to a certain conciliatory and peaceful orbit in this world increasingly filled with chaos.
Synopsis of Biography of Silence
At the beginning of the "sit-ins"
Biography of Silence could be defined as a short essay on the meditation. In fact, this is the subtitle with which the book is presented. After leaving behind a dedication to his mother and a poem by Simone Weil —which is directly related to the time in which the author began to meditate and to his book itself—, Pablo d'Ors narrates, through quite poetic prose, how he found himself immersed in his own inner world.
It all started with an innate curiosity to know himself. The reason that led him to study philosophy years ago was the same one that led him to sit, breathe and nothing else. His first approaches were frustrating and unsuccessful.
During the first sessions I noticed ailments that only appeared while meditating. The author also developed a deep itch that bothered his head and nose. The act of being with himself was devastating.
The life that exists under the mud
After trying an exaggerated variety of times to rediscover his own conscience, Pablo d'Ors was able to clear away that mental mud that seemed immovable. It was full of the author's thoughts, doubts, failings, and fears, and they kept him from concentrating hard enough to move on. In his book, he claims to be determined, so instead of giving up, he worked hard until he managed to silence the hundreds of voices that distracted his attention.
Eventually, Pablo d'Ors got rid of the mud and see a fauna and a flora that had always been there, but that he could not see because of the chaos that was inside.
He expounds, with great patience, that mastering meditation is a difficult act, because it requires strength and discipline. However, he also states that once a certain level of calm has been reached, it is easier to observe the entire ecosystem that hides behind the curtains of internal noise.
Disconnect to reconnect
One of the concepts that is usually associated with the practice of meditation is the momentary disconnection with the outside world. This, in turn, should lead to a better understanding of the interior. At the same time, both processes are related to a more optimal functioning, both internally and externally.
Pablo d'Ors explains that At one point, I had no greater knowledge of who he was, despite all his travels and the books he had read.
In his younger years, the author had convinced himself that the more experiences you had—and the more splendid and intense they were—the closer your approach to wholeness would be. However, today, the writer he maintains that the sum of a multitude of experiences only leads to bewilderment.
Along the same lines, Pablo d'Ors concludes that Flora and fauna that he discovered thanks to meditation can only be reached through calm.
Silence as a conscious door frame
To meditate, broadly speaking, is to sit and breathe. But To conduct a successful mediation, experts suggest staying silent, and achieving that is, perhaps, much more difficult than staying still.
Pablo d'Ors, on the other hand, relates that silence is nothing in particular. However, it is also everything. This state allows human beings to simply be part of the world and become confused with it, because for the author that is life itself.
To exist is to be and to be, nothing more. One has to put aside the myths that say that the many tribulations that allow a utopian reward. These, in the long run, only manage to shake the man until he is drunk with vivacity, but not with life.
Throughout his journey through meditation, the writer has discovered that this activity is the natural state of man: be with yourself. The act of sitting and thinking concentrates the human being, returns him to his center and teaches him to live with his own interior.
About the author, Pablo d'Ors
Pablo d'Ors
Pablo d'Ors was born in 1963, in Madrid, Spain. He studied in New York, Rome and Vienna. In these last two countries specialized in Germanic. He joined the pontifical in 1991. From then on he was sent to the Claretian mission in Honduras, where he carried out social and evangelizing work.
In 1996 he finished his studies in Rome, where you got a PhD. His thesis, which was tutored by the monk and theologian Elmar Salmann, is entitled: Theopoetics. Theology of literary experience.
Before his regular meditation practices, d'Ors he was a great fan of literatureTherefore, a large part of his activity fell on this art. When he returned to his native country, he served as a hospital and university chaplain.
later, iHe taught Theological Aesthetics and Dramaturgy classes. The author carried out these procedures in various centers of higher education in Spain and Argentina. As a writer, his most notable references are: Hermann Hesse, Milan Kundera and Franz Kafka.
Other books by Pablo d'Ors
Novels
- pure ideas (2000);
- Adventures of the printer Zollinger (2003);
- The stupor and the wonder (2007);
- illusion lessons (2008);
- The friend of the desert (2009);
- forgetfulness of self (2013);
- against youth (2015);
- Enthusiasm (2017)
stories
- Premiere (2000)
Tests
- Sendino dies (2012);
- Biography of Light (2021)
Translations
- The incidents of the Zollinger printer (2006);
- Zollinger stamp adventure (2010);
- Die Wanderjahre des August Zollinger (2015);
- The debut (2012);
- Biography of Silence (2013);
- A Biography of Silence. Brief essay on meditation (2014);
- biography of silence (2014);
- lamico of the desert (2015);
- Sendino dies (2015)
collective works
- interior itineraries.