MIDL 30/36: Insight Meditation: Mindfulness Of Hearing

In this meditation, Stephen Procter will guide you in the insight meditation skill of observing the autonomous (anatta) nature of the process of hearing and how to relax the effort of attention that supports it. As insight develops your mind will weaken its identification with what you hear and thereby more easily let go of tendencies of your mind to be attracted and averse towards what you hear in daily life. Support articles and instructions for this guided meditation can be found in the Free Online MIDL Insight Meditation Course by checking Stephens Procter's teacher profile.

Transcript

During this mindfulness training we will investigate the second sense door of hearing and we will learn the difference between the experience of hearing and listening.

It is helpful to be in a place where there are some external sounds and noise around you or you can put on some quiet background music for this meditation.

Start out by taking a meditation posture and closing your eyes over lightly.

Start to be aware of what it feels like just to be here.

Becoming aware of any sounds around you.

Allowing the change within the sound to hold your attention.

Allowing the change within the sound to hold your attention.

Allowing the change within the sound to hold your attention.

Now slowly bringing awareness into your body.

Becoming aware of any warmth or coolness within your body.

Holding them gently in mind.

Also becoming aware of the touch of your hands.

And the pressure of your body as it rests on the chair or on the floor.

Your whole body just sitting here.

And the pressure of your body as it rests on the chair or on the floor.

And the pressure of your body as it rests on the chair or on the floor.

And the pressure of your body as it rests on the chair or on the floor.

And the pressure of your body as it rests on the chair or on the floor.

Coming back into your body.

And slowly opening your awareness to any sound around you.

And the pressure of your body as it rests on the chair or on the floor.

Allowing the sound to come into you.

Focusing on the changing nature of the sound itself.

And the pressure of your body as it rests on the chair or on the floor.

Notice how sound comes and it goes.

And the pressure of your body as it rests on the chair or on the floor.

Notice how sound is a continuous flow of change.

And the pressure of your body as it rests on the chair or on the floor.

Can your awareness flow with the change within the sound?

And the pressure of your body as it rests on the chair or on the floor.

Start to know that there is an automatic recognition of what made the sound.

That recognition is perception.

It is an overlay of your mind.

It is a reflection of your body.

Can you separate that recognition from the purity of the sound itself?

I could prove that the perfection of the sound is too much without it as it rests.

Experiencing the flow of that sound.

Recall.

Often relax your awareness into that flow.

Becoming very present within the flow of the sound.

Becoming very present within the flow of the sound.

Soften your mental grip on the sound.

And slowly bring your awareness into the sensations within your body.

Softening into any warmth,

Any coolness.

Any tightness,

Any tension.

Soften.

And slowly bring your awareness into the sensations within your body.

And slowly bring your awareness into the sensations within your body.

And slowly bring your awareness into the sensations within your body.

Allow the flow of sound to pass right through you.

Offering no resistance.

Offering no resistance.

Offering no resistance.

Relaxing awareness into your body.

Relaxing awareness into your body.

Relaxing awareness into your body.

Now relax your chest and belly and start to be aware of the movement of breathing within your body.

Relaxing awareness into your body.

As the breath comes in,

The movement of the breath expands outwards.

And as the breath goes out,

The movement of the breath deflates inwards.

Relaxing awareness into your body.

Relaxing awareness into your body.

Anytime you notice that your attention moves out towards the sound,

Soften,

Relax that movement.

Relaxing awareness into your body.

And body expanding as the breath comes in.

And deflating,

Relaxing as the breath goes out.

Relaxing awareness into your body.

Relaxing awareness into your body.

Being aware of the breath and the sound,

The gentle flow of the breath,

The flow of the sound.

Relaxing awareness into your body.

Relaxing awareness into your body.

Relaxing awareness into your body.

Relaxing awareness into your body.

Relaxing awareness into your body.

Now bringing awareness back into your body,

Back into the experience of just sitting here.

Relaxing awareness into your body.

And when you're ready,

You can gently open your eyes.

Becoming aware of seeing,

Becoming aware of just being here in the room.

We are going to continue to observe sound one more time.

And this time I'm going to create a man-made sound,

The sound of a bell.

When I ring the bell,

I'd like you to stay with the changing nature of the sound.

For this you can keep your eyes open or closed.

See if you can track the changing nature of the sound of the bell right to the end.

I'm going to ring the bell right now.

The sound of a bell.

Could you notice when the sound of the bell struck your ear?

Could you notice the flow within the sound?

Could you notice the idea of a bell?

Did it appear to you as one sound or as a flow of sounds?

Now I'm going to ring the bell again.

Notice the sound contacting your ear.

Gently soften the contact.

Notice your attention drawn to the sound.

The next time I ring the bell,

I'd like you to notice the wave-like quality of the sound.

The sound is a flow of waves.

The sound of a bell.

The sound of a bell.

Next I'd like you to notice your attention when it's drawn to the sound and gently soften that movement.

The sound of a bell.

The sound of a bell.

The sound of a bell.

The sound of a bell.

The sound of a bell.

The sound of a bell.

The sound of a bell.

The sound of a bell.

The sound of a bell.

The sound of a bell.

The sound of a bell.

The sound of a bell.

The sound of a bell.

The sound of a bell.

Soften.

Soften.

Soften.

Soften.

Soften.

Soften.

Soften.

Soften.

Soften.

Now coming back into your body.

Becoming aware of any sounds around you.

And allowing those sounds to come into you.

And allowing those sounds to come into you.

And when you're ready,

You can gently open your eyes.

Thank you for spending this time meditating with me.

Take care of yourself and have a wonderful day.

And goodbye.

Reviews

Another great meditation on awareness, awakened, and deliberate focus. Thank you, I hope this finds you well!

Thank you for this delightfull guiding.

20190925 thanks for the support done with this pubblic meditation. Sometime I need to be guided. Wormly Francesca

Grazie. Very simply, but very deep experience. Thank you again :-)

As always your guidance keeping me in tune and with practice bringing me closer and closer towards staying completely within and at the same time being connected as calmly as possible with the outer world. What a cool journey. Thank you

Great exercise for focusing in the effects that sound has in our mindfulness and meditation practice. The experience and consciousness of sound can help bring us back into the present. Thank you again for your wise words Stephen 🙏🏼🙏🏼☺️☺️

Great meditation, thank you Stephen.
😁🙏

Thank you Stephen! I really like how you said when you breath in, expand into the world and as you breath out let the world flow through you and become completely transparent. That really resonated with me and I truly couldn’t find the boarders of my body, which was a profound experience as that I felt in harmony with sound and it was easier to let sound flow through me :)

I am enjoying these longer meditations despite my minds excuses for avoiding them based on work, family and life but then I am able to soften into it and have enjoyed doing one of your daily meditations every day for about 18 months now. Thank you!

Another excellent offering, and I'm really enjoying this set of meditations exploring the sensory doors. As a Musician, with a house full of musical instruments, I love to listen to & be drawn into the oscillations of sound & often meditate with an instrument in hand, producing & experiencing sounds & following the waves until they fade into silence. I also enjoy meditating in my garden, with the activities of birds all around, along with the various elements. Thank you, as always.

Thankyou Stephen. I really enjoyed this one 🕉

A year later.... on repeating..... I am getting so much more out of your guidance Stephen. It is increasingly becoming part of my daily life. It works 😁
I look forward to more revelations with more repetitions in the years to come.
Grateful thanks for your meditations and for the wisdom I am gaining from your answers to others’ questions.
Namaste 🙏🏻

The word "vivid" comes to mind. Something associated with sight for me, but now associated with experiencing the world through hearing as well. Just when I am almost taking for granted the skill, commitment and depth of understanding in these sessions along comes another break-through. Ever grateful.

Thank you Steven for this wonderful experience! I'm making good progress experiencing sounds and noises. But I wonder how do you deal with background voices? It's easy to get trapped and react with thinking

Thank you! This is helping me meditate better with less resistance living in an area going through massive redevelopment.

Thank you once again Steven. The best start to the new year!

A really uplifting and inspiring led meditation on sounds. Highly recommended

Exquisite journey with sound and presence. Thank You for your guidance in slowing down the experience.

Learnings to embrace sound as an anchoring friend in meditation as opposed to a distraction. Very liberating. Looking forward to practicing sound this week as I begin to I corporate this doorway into my expanding awareness. Thank you Stephen!

Awesome and grounding 🙏🙏❤️❤️

I found your meditations most likeable. I get to really in touch with myself andy feelings. Namaste

Wonderfull! Very nice Stephen, thanks, is nice to experience how the sounds can
Become
Your friends during a meditation practice. I like the fact as well of practicing seceral times,
Every new day I follow u new things Im able to discover. I felt really sitting with you in your place with all those magnificent sounds of birds, while here in Milano I had only cars and planes sounds. Someday I will be there. Take care Stephen , be well , be happy, be safe