Quietness

Moral tranquillity – the freeing from alternate subjection to love and hate, joy and sorrow – is said to prepare the soul for the "inflowing and teaching of the Holy Ghost", (St John of the Cross). Brooding over anything which disturbs the soul creates an interior disorder which hinders moral good and prevents spiritual progress. In addition to its positive effect on the spiritual life, quietness aids in relieving those pains and troubles of the mind which exacerbate the adversities of life. It is for this reason that schools of wisdom and the great religions have taught the establishment of inner tranquillity. Every individual is said to know the value of such tranquillity in which the fulfilment of life is experienced; but external circumstances and personality both affect the awareness of such knowledge. Systems of discipline such as the Japanese cult of stillness seek to cultivate freedom from external distraction and restlessness, and promote inner harmony. The individual learns to react to external situations so that, instead of being subject to them, the mind uses them to evoke a characteristic calmness. Systems of yoga also teach restraint of the external sense organs and the overcoming of the mind's restlessness.