For the next few minutes,
We will explore listening deeply as a meditative practice.
There's nothing to do,
Really.
Listening simply requires us to be.
We can relax into an attentiveness,
An openness to one's surroundings,
Expanding to the entire field of sound.
There's no need to mentally respond with opinions or judgments about what is heard.
We are simply listening to the details,
The nuances of sound in our immediate environment,
Right here,
Right now.
As we begin this meditative practice,
Turn your attention away from any thoughts that might be drifting through and focus instead on cultivating a radical attentiveness to your present sonic surroundings,
Like the sound of my voice,
The background music,
But also open wide to the awareness of the other sounds in your current environment,
No matter how faint or seemingly trivial.
Maybe the hum of an appliance.
Maybe the birds or other animals nearby.
Automobile traffic in the distance.
Maybe the subtle sounds of the weather,
Such as wind or rain.
Try not to label or identify any sounds with thoughts like,
That's a dog barking.
And also try not to judge any sounds,
Such as saying to yourself,
That loud noise is irritating.
Here,
We are just noticing the details of whatever is arising without any mental commentary.
You're just listening in a wide open state of awareness,
Receptive to all the sounds in your immediate environment.
While deeply listening,
The mind is in a very wide expansive state of awareness.
Inclusive,
Open and receptive.
Not distracted by thoughts.
Listen as the various sounds around you blend together in this expansive sonic experience of now.
Listen.
As your sonic awareness expands,
You may also notice a humming or ringing in your ears.
We ordinarily tend to overlook it,
But when the mind is open and relaxed,
You may begin to notice it.
If you are inclined to view the ringing in your ears as a negative experience,
Notice that's a mental judgment.
In this experience of listening deeply,
We are dropping all mental commentary,
Like judgments and opinions.
And actually,
Some meditation teachers call this sound a cosmic hum or the background vibration of the universe.
And because it can be continuous,
Some meditation teachers point out that this ringing in the ears can be a great meditative anchor,
Similar to the breath,
A bodily sensation that we can turn to with our focus of attention at any time to help ground us in the present moment.
For this reason,
Awareness of this cosmic hum can actually become a comfort because it can be used to enter this expanded state of awareness,
One that welcomes whatever arises in consciousness.
This is not a state where you are excluding anything,
Not even this ringing,
This cosmic hum.
Listen to everything around you.
Be aware of it all as it blends together in your experience of deeply listening to everything right now.
Listen.
Relax into the sounds with a sense of resting,
With a sense of peacefulness.
The mind is in a very wide,
Expansive state of awareness,
Inclusive,
Open,
And receptive,
Not distracted by thoughts.
Listen.
Relax.
After this meditative practice comes to a close,
Try to maintain an open attitude of listening deeply.
You can do this by being radically attentive to the background sounds of life around you.
You can do this by listening to music.
Approaching the world with ears wide open also provides a necessary pause before we take thoughtful action.
And it is extremely powerful when we deeply listen to other human beings,
Listening completely,
Not just to what is being said,
But to the tone of voice,
Listening to the body language,
Listening to the vibe behind the actual words,
Listening without thoughts running through our heads about judgments or how to respond.
Simply listening in this way can help to strengthen our connections with others.
Most importantly,
Remember that maintaining an attitude of open listening means you will be available to hear the quiet voice of intuition when it speaks to your heart.
Are you listening?
