Silence is not the opposite of speech just as life is not the opposite of death and peace is not the opposite of activity. Silence, like Peace is an aspect of the Divine.
It exists independently in its own right and would exist even if the whole creation is drowned in noise or vanishes from the scene. In other words, Silence is the state that upholds creation. It was there before the elements emerged and will be there when they are absorbed back into the Origin.
To get in touch with this silence is indeed very difficult almost impossible since we are tied all the time to the surfaces of life and respond to every knock and touch that enters us through the senses and the surface mind. The first step in practice therefore is to draw back from this constant bombardment of the sensory world that impinges and impacts upon our life in countless ways. It is an inwardness and not a shunning of activity. It is to be in the world and yet not be of the world.
The first practical step is to cut off the bonds of desire, expectation, wish for certain results that keep us tied to the surfaces. The persistent practice of equanimity and niskama karma (desireless action which is no more done with an eye on fruits or results) is what is advocated by Sri Krishna and Sri Aurobindo. It is the simplest and yet the most powerful of all practices. One may ask why then would one act if not for result and under the impulsion of desire. Well then action becomes a means to serve the Divine and is done by offering it to the Divine with the constant Remembrance.
As a result of this practice the strong knot of desire and ego self is broken and we begin to escape from the hard grip of the surfaces of life where there is no calm but only momentary lulls when the surfaces are quiet. This is not silence. It is only when we slowly begin to turn within taking help of the Divine Name that a moment comes when the veil is torn and we enter the Silence that weaves the stars in Space. Most yogas stop here. But Sri Aurobindo takes us further whence we pass beyond this Silence and discover He who is within it, covered by it, behind and beyond it.
