Listening - Becoming Buddha

This is an extract from 'Becoming Buddha', a small meditation book by Vikram.

"I listen like Buddha listens. I hear sounds close to me: my own breathing, in and out of my nostrils, sounds that are more distant, the humming of the fridge and the fan in the kitchen, and even more distant, a car that starts on the street outside, then driving away with a vroom, voices from someone passing by on the street, the high-pitched and liquid song of a swallow."

Transcript

I listen like Buddha listens.

I hear sounds close to me,

My own breathing in and out of my nostrils,

Sounds that are more distant,

The humming of the fridge and the fan in the kitchen.

And even more distant,

A car that starts on the streets outside,

Then driving away with a vroom.

Voices from someone passing by on the street.

The high-pitched and liquid song of a swallow.

And then I try to let go of the ideas,

Even though they are probably correct on one level.

Let go of nostril,

Fridge,

Fan,

Car,

People,

Swallow.

Just let there be sounds as much as possible,

Like a concert.

No,

Not the concert either,

Just various sounds arising and passing away.

See for yourself.

Sit with a straight back,

Alert and relaxed.

Close your eyes or rest your eyes on the ground in front of you.

Let sounds be the focus of your attention.

Become aware of sounds near you,

The sound of your own breathing or other sounds where you're sitting.

Notice how the sound changes,

That it arises and passes away.

Become aware of sounds further away from you.

Notice how the sound changes,

That it arises and passes away.

Be receptive to different sounds,

Just letting them come and go without having to search for them.

When you notice that you're making a story about the sound,

That it is a car or a bird and may have disappeared even further into the story,

You can let go of the story and return to the sound that is here and now.

Sound,

A simple phenomenon.

You you you

Reviews

Beautiful lesson on using sound as a tool to become present...Thank you!