Is It Okay To Use Earplugs During Meditation?

[With English interpretation] Ven. Pomnyun Sunim's Answer to “Is it okay to use earplugs during meditation?” A question is chosen from the weekly Sunday meditation with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim. Peace of mind is only one step away. Join Sunday Meditation and Live Dharma Talk with Ven. Pomnyun Sunim.

Transcript

Because I am bothered by my family's noise outside the room where I meditate, I become judgmental and angry inside. Is it okay to wear earplugs when meditating? There are two ways. If at all possible, Try to find a place where you can hear your family's noise. If you can't find a place, Try to find a quiet place. If you can't find a quiet place, Try to find a quiet place. If at all possible, Try to find a place that's quiet where you can't hear your family outside. But if you can't find a situation like that, Then wearing earplugs when meditating is a way, Is an option. But if you close your eyes, It doesn't really affect you that much, Right? Instead of just closing your eyes, But if you wear earplugs, There's some kind of echo and noise inside you. And that kind of buzzing noise or echoing interferes from you being really sensitive and aware of your subtle breath. So, Instead of focusing on the noise, Try to focus on the breath. If you can hear the noise, Then you can focus on the breath. If you can hear the noise, Then you can focus on the breath. If you can hear the noise, Then you can focus on the breath. But from another perspective, The fact that I'm bothered by your family's noise outside the room where you meditate means that you are imbuing those noises with certain significance and you're allowing your mind and focus to drift towards that noise. However, Conversely, If you can maintain that focus on the breath, Then you can focus on the breath. However, Conversely, If you can maintain that focus on the breath while all this noise is going on outside you and you're able to let them drift without imbuing them with any meaning, Then it's actually a better situation and context for you to practice meditation. So, My opinion is that instead of putting earplugs in, It's almost kind of challenging yourself to be able to focus and not follow that noise or not imbue that noise with any meaning and be focused on your breath in the midst of the noise. So, My suggestion is to take this seemingly bad situation and turn that into an actually positive situation by looking at it as an ideal kind of a challenge for you to hone your ability to meditate and focus on the breath while encountering that noise. So, I think that's a good way to approach this. So, It's not the noise that's preventing you to engage in good meditation practice. It's that you are actually imbuing significance to that noise that's preventing you from practice. So, I wish you can transform this bad situation into actually a positive situation for you, For your practice.