-The Arts Fuse
Amid Donald Trump’s dystopian whirlwind of chaos and destruction, Pico Iyer’s Aflame: Learning from Silence (240 pages, Riverhead Books) offers valuable advice: tune out the ugly noise and focus on connecting more deeply with oneself and others to marshal righteous action. The lessons in his memoir are drawn from notes taken over the course of his over 100 silent retreats in a Benedictine monastery in Big Sur over the last three decades.
Iyer originally came to the center in 1991 after his home burned to the ground and he had no place to stay. He returned again and again: after his father’s death, his child’s cancer treatments, and between international travel writing assignments. In this retreat he discovered that the solitude was “not so much about escape as redirection and recollection.”
Instructions to retreatants are simple: Put the whole world behind you and forget it. If your mind wanders don’t fret. Simply empty yourself out and sit waiting. Over the years, Iyer found that silence and contemplation liberating — it unleashed his creativity. Experiencing uncluttered undistracted time made him realize that “the point of being here is not to get anything done; only to see what may be worth doing.” Repeatedly, Iyer emerged more engaged with his surroundings and a renewed sense of direction.
In addition to beautiful descriptions of the wilderness setting, Aflame is enlivened by loving portraits of sweet-tempered monks as well as passing conversations with fellow seekers. Wisdom from spiritual, philosophical, and literary visionaries are peppered throughout, including reminiscences of Zen practitioner/songwriter Leonard Cohen.
Readers are reminded usefully reminded that clarity and silence are “available in many settings, not always monastic.” We are encouraged to pay more attention to our surroundings in daily life. The book’s title is drawn from a Christian proverb: “If you so wish, you can become aflame.” Iyer’s heart-felt wisdom urges a deeper examination of self as well as deepening our connection to others. Compassion and empathy move us forward — they are essential tools in a profane world.