Instant Silence: Life Truly Began the Day I Stopped Seeking

By Seb Wichmann

How would you cope with life, if in an instant your thoughts suddenly vanish? You know those voices, telling you to judge yourself for what you say and do. What would life be like for you without them?

The moment I experienced ‘INSTANT SILENCE’ was when my search for the truth stopped and life truly began. It shares the remarkable journey of the rediscovery about my authentic self that will certainly open your eyes to new ways of living — if you allow it.

We all have experienced moments of chasing after the next goal that feels so vital to be accom-plished. If you observe the way people go about living daily life, you may even recognize yourself, running around in a frenzy. I lived my life the same way, fearing to stop — thinking it would keep me away from ‘That’ which I was after. Some philosophies teach us to be present, while others ar-gue that we should focus on our desired future. ‘INSTANT SILENCE’ gives rise to both worlds, gently guiding you to the true mid-point, at which life becomes a meditative practice.

When these profound insights suddenly opened up to me, I not only experienced life as brightly as ever before, but it was equally the most challenging time of my life, as my long search came to an abrupt halt.

INSTANT SILENCE is a raw and humble story filled with moments of immense struggle, as well as that of pure joy. It is a journey with uplifting highs and shattering lows, of finding what I knew is my authentic nature, and then losing it repeatedly. This book will reveal ways of living that are not only full of life, but also point you toward the truth of what life is all about — yourself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Seb Wichmann
• Release date: May 25, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463670989

Book preview

INSTANT

SILENCE

LIFE TRULY BEGAN THE DAY

I STOPPED SEEKING

SEB WICHMANN

Copyright @ 2019 by Seb Wichmann

Smashwords Edition

Table of Contents

Guiding Words Of Wisdom

Coming Back Home

Finding Your Equilibrium

When Pressure Rises

Breathing In Grace

Like Ripples In The Water

Miraculous Moments of Silence

A New Beginning

Reborn Into Life

A Matter Of Energy

The Dropping Of Reward

Letting Go Of Self

Guiding Words Of Wisdom

A well-prepared mind can be important to some, a wide open heart shall be essential to all. - Seb Wichmann

Since I was a young boy, around four years of age, I recall trying to describe in words deep visions that I experienced within my being. Visions that seemed so contradictory to the path of how the majority of people in today’s world choose to live. At that time, I did not have the vocabulary to express my insights about this truth of mine to the people I cared most about. What I had though was the capacity to talk to what I associate as my being — my authentic true nature. It was then and continues to be a deep sensation that innately represents the truth to who I am. It is not a belief but an utter conviction; a conviction as strong as the knowledge that the sun is going to rise tomorrow morning. This conviction, I now humbly know, asks me to guide humanity into a new millennium of consciousness.

Very early on, I recognized most people walking through life in a state of disillusion. Individuals, who have forgotten the truth that they once knew so well. The vision I specifically had as a young boy ignited an ever growing spark that now allows me to express in words what I always felt deep within me to be true.

 This vision was me sensing people walking through life with a thick cloud of fog in front of their eyes. Fog so thick that it prevents them from seeing the ‘beauty of the forest’, so to speak — the truth about who they are. For generations and even centuries, this scenario has held humanity imprisoned and it continues to prevent people from living life to the fullest. The creation of fear-based thought is the uncontrollable force that feeds unbearable pain, and the continuation of this process causes major ill health, hardship and could eventually result in the thought-based distraction of our very own world.

This vision of me viewing the world in a particular light has accompanied me on my journey for many decades now. I eventually recognized it to be my true calling to share my perspective of the truth with the world, with the purpose of maintaining the equilibrium of life.

Since then, I had been on a journey to discover who I truly am and what life is all about. Over time, I recognized that people like us are intrigued by the idea of living an extraordinary life, both emotionally and physically. We are seekers of timeless wisdom, which are teachings that have remained pure for countless millennia and which apply today as it did centuries ago.

There is no precise evidence but only my subjective observation of the world, which causes me to feel that not even 1% of the world's population is currently living out their calling to consciously experience life. Within that equation, about 99% of mankind is living out their self- projected desires that their mind impresses upon them. I see people running around in frenzy all day long. They rush to eat, rush to drive, and even rush to sleep. They live life inspired by the idea to one day be, having or do something so wonderful; that it opens the doorways to a life lived in utter peace and fulfilment. And that, I am here to tell you, is an illusion.

Looking at the world, we recognize human beings from all kinds of nationalities, races, and social interest groups who are not able to escape the rut of their psychological construct of the world. This realm has been and continues to create much pain and suffering within the lives of people. Simply observing peoples’ level of fulfilment, we recognize through what lens they must have been conditioned to view life — the lens of trying to find happiness in the acquisition of physical objects? Yet, even the attempt to pursue feelings like happiness is no different to acquiring objects. Both, is we longing for a way of living that is located outside of who we truly are and right here we search for ‘That’ which cannot be found or discovered.

It simply is interesting to observe how influential individuals of global institutions cleverly attempt to out-smart people, by making them believe that the idea of acquiring external possessions increase our overall level of joy and meaning in life. You only need to watch TV, listen to the radio or other mass media production channels to experience an incredible off-course diversion from our authentic life’s purpose.

I’d like to congratulate you on your choice to wanting to look behind the curtains upon a world you can’t physically see with your eyes nor touch with your hands. You are acknowledging your inner voice to answer some of your most deep-centered questions and that is worth celebrating.

As you would agree, we cannot see air and yet we cannot deny its existence, by recognizing its essential need for sustaining life. We only see plants moving in the wind, what we cannot see is wind itself, but it exists undeniably. Us merely living in a world we can see, hear, smell, taste and touch, are not all there is. We must also recognize the truth about a world that moves us — consciousness. We cannot see it, yet we cannot deny its existence.

In this book, I share answers to your most sought-after questions that have most likely been kept hidden from you for quite some time. By shedding light onto my path, it is my knowingness that you will find truth for yours. Me sharing my journey with you is inherently also your journey and my wish is for you to recognize your truth — in relation to your life — in what I am going to describe to you in this text.

I will refer to teachings of timeless wisdom that I have been fortunate to receive over many decades by physical and non-physical teachers of our time. I will draw those answers out through my own personal life story, by sharing my ultimate highs and shattering lows with you.

The way we live life is like the way we fall asleep at night; it simply is different to all of us. Some of us go to bed early and some of us late, some alone, some with a partner, pet or even multiple partners — just kidding. Though, the reason for doing so has remained the same over centuries, which is to rejuvenate whatever has to be rejuvenated. We also have different ways of living, yet the reason also remains the same for all of us.

I feel very strongly about appreciating each individual’s way of living, instead of judging the way other people have chosen to live, just because we might not understand or agree with it. However, this does not exclude the possibility of us appreciating it. There is a difference between agreeing and appreciating, and it is yours to find your truth within it.

As mentioned, there is a reason for living as there is a reason for sleeping. In its purest form, the reason for life is to experience it to the fullest in every moment of our existence. What the words EXPERIENCE, FULLEST and MOMENT in the above sentence mean to you personally, depend on what meaning you impress upon these expressions. Therefore, it is subjective to your reality only, and this text is my attempt to share with you my perspective upon it.

Our life’s journey, in its context, differs from person to person, yet the learning experience we make along the way remains the same, just like sleep does. As you know all too well, things within our external environment seem to trigger certain emotional responses within us, that only once mastered permit us to evolve to the next level of our journey. Therefore, my knowingness is that you will be able to relate easily to my life lessons learned, which I would like you to do through the lens of your own life. By breathing in what I am sharing with you, you give rise to answers that already reside within yourself — your ‘Being’. I would like you to see my words as doorways to new ways of living that you can open up and decide to step through if you choose to. However, it is important to recognize that you are best not to contemplate upon my words, as they only can be realized if you EXPERIENCE them.

Question: Seb, what do you mean by the term ‘being’, as I am not sure whether or not I am using the right definition?

First of all, there is neither right nor wrong, yet there certainly is your subjective version of the truth. The word ’being’ describes your most authentic true nature, which is that part within you that is aware and silently observes your body and mind. Let us call it ‘consciousness’ for the sake of pointing you into the right direction.

You probably have experienced moments in your life in which you are aware about the thoughts you are having. Even right now, you might be able to become aware about the thoughts you are having —! Try it out! Take a few deep breaths in and out, let it settle for a little moment and while you do so consider the thoughts you are having. By you becoming aware of your thoughts, you naturally raise your level of consciousness. You have elevated your perspective from being caught up within the thought itself to a higher level of consciousness, as you now are watching the thought from above. This silent witness is the part, which is you — your authentic true nature or your being.

You might agree that when we are caught up in the misery of life, we simply are caught up in it. Hence, we do not see or even recognize the fact that we have a choice to express ourselves differently. Once we observe the thought, we can disassociate from it, which gives us the choice to alter our reaction to life’s stimulants. A good example is moments in which our emotions feel aggravated, which causes us to uncontrollably react, rather than graciously respond.

Consciousness means BEING aware about what is happening right now in your life. This can also be referred by other terms, which are frequently called awareness, heart or intuition. It all stems from the same source of truth; the only difference is the degree to which you experience it. It is the part within you that you cannot see or touch but know it is there at all times. As mentioned before, it is like wind that you cannot see, but you know it exists. It is the part within you that is aware about these voices in your head that you most likely know all too well.

This may sound straight forward but it is most complex, and yet equally most simple, that is, if you know how to master it. Once you embody that truth, you once again have become the master of your own life’s journey. Countless of generations of Zen masters and Buddhist monks have devoted their lives toward the mastery of that particular subject matter — the mastery of oneself.

Question: This is interesting Seb. I hear my mind’s voices all the time; in fact I can’t shut them off. What are they and how can I better work with them, instead of them working against me?

Well, do not even try to work with it, as in truth these voices do not exist, even though they may seem very real right now to you. If you look at the teachings from varied philosophies around the world, you recognize that they all point toward a very specific direction — your level of awareness. These teachings offer practical as well as theoretical advice on how to raise your level of consciousness within the context of your life.

If you want to close the gap between where you are and where you want to be, you do that best by raising your level of awareness in your life, as we only then open the space to further recognize parts within us that do not serve our highest good any longer.

We attach different meanings to certain situations, which is the main reason why we feel emotionally compromised and experience pain. It validates our self-doubt, fear, worries, and anxiety and the result over years is not only the germination of major dis (eases) in our body, but also subsequently the destruction of our mind’s ability to aid our life’s progress.

 (Illustration 1: Thoughts Within Consciousness)

The little voices sitting on your left and right shoulder who tell you what to do, what not to do, what is ethical and what is rude, are the parts within you which have nothing to do with whom you really are at all. It is an illusion, a self-projected image, I also call it your ‘story’, that was made up, in the desperate attempt to protect yourself — your heart — actually your ego-mind from getting hurt. Right here, people’s stories become their reality and they get lost.

The voices you hear (shown in Illustration 1) are part of your overarching ego-mind construct, which has been creating a comprehensive, encapsulated second reality (our mind), that echoes back upon the mind, anything it wishes to communicate and wants executed. It represents our self-projected image or peoples’ ‘story’. The voices seem to communicate with your mind, when in fact the voices and your mind is part of the overarching ego-mind construct and originates from there. Consciousness (the biggest circle in Illustration 1) is all encompassing and has nothing to do with the ego-mind, yet it seems related. The relation between thoughts to consciousness is the same to the one from darkness to light. Darkness cannot exist in the presence of light. Therefore, these two entities have never met each other in time, yet co-exist in various degrees. Consciousness, as the ‘source of life’, has the ability to point out, witness and observe the mind’s false assumption. It acts as the gatekeeper — the safeguard — of our existence. Be aware how I used the singular term as in ‘the gatekeeper’. Why do you think that is? Yes, that is right, because even though people speak often about a subjective truth, which inherently points to the existence of multiple truths, consciousness is one — the objective truth that originates from the source, without dilution and distortion.

The recognition of that truth demands a heightened sense of awareness, and unless we realize the demand to regularly connect to ourselves (raise awareness through such practice), we will