Listening Meditation During this mindfulness practice,
You'll be invited to expand what we usually understand by listening.
It is possible to listen not just with the ears,
But with the whole body,
Especially the heart,
In a way that enhances the relationship between the listener and that which is being attended to.
This is a form of calm abiding meditation,
Infused with loving kindness and compassion,
Where we invite our attention to return again and again to the present moment,
Allowing thoughts to come and go without acting on them.
Our initial wish is to make friends with ourselves through an attitude of gentle and non-reactive knowing.
Then,
Over time,
We can bring the same friendliness to the people and the world around us.
Let's begin by finding a dignified posture,
With a strong back and a soft open front,
Feeling the spine lengthening up and letting the face and shoulders start to soften,
Allowing the skin and muscles to drape over the skeleton,
Knowing that it will continue to hold us upright as we relax deeply,
Opening the throat,
The chest and the belly,
Enabling all the senses to receive information from our inner and outer worlds.
Our intention for this practice is simple,
To listen deeply and enhance our relationship with all the living beings we share our life with.
So let's begin by taking five deep,
Relaxing breaths,
Listening to the breath,
Like a gentle breeze as it flows in and out of the nostrils.
And now,
Slowly expanding your awareness to take in the furthest sound.
It may be a continuous sound in the distance,
Or a series of intermittent sounds,
Noticing from which direction the sounds arrive,
As if you were sitting in the center of an orchestra,
Opening to the symphony of sound.
Next,
Letting your attention draw closer in,
Where you may recognize familiar sounds within your environment.
These may be natural sounds,
Or ones made by machines or by people as they go about their daily lives.
Seeing if you can open to all sounds without resistance or rejection.
Allowing them to arise,
Display,
And dissolve away one after the next.
Noticing layers of sounds,
And how they overlap,
One above another.
Bringing a quality of intimacy and interest to the sounds that make up our daily lives.
This is how we cultivate Beginner's Mind,
A mind that is open and interested in everything,
Fresh and curious.
If it is helpful,
For a minute or so,
You can silently note the different sounds.
Car,
Footsteps,
Barking dog.
Giving them a name without adding extra stories or preference.
When we name something,
It is a sign of recognition,
And acknowledges our relationship with it.
And even when we hear things that we don't like,
We can still listen.
We don't need to be affected when we are protected by an attitude of care.
A barking dog may aggravate us initially,
Yet when we listen more deeply,
We may hear the dog's pain or frustration.
Then we can offer compassion.
And now letting the naming process dissolve away.
As your capacity for paying attention increases,
Seeing if you can notice the more subtle sounds that you hadn't witnessed before.
Sounds that don't demand attention,
But are present nevertheless,
As long as we are willing to hear and receive them.
Imagining perhaps that these different sounds are like our friends and family members.
Some crave for attention,
Speaking loudly and frequently.
Others may contribute when they feel comfortable to do so,
Or when the need arises.
And then there are quieter friends,
To whom we need to bring a greater level of intimacy and interest.
We may need to reassure them that we are listening,
Before they will offer their quiet wisdom.
Who do you choose to listen to today?
What does the world need you to listen to?
Our next invitation is to open into the space between the sounds.
Touching into the silence from which sounds arise,
And back into which they dissolve.
Silence,
Like space,
Holds all things.
Silence is not the absence of something,
But rather the presence of everything.
Allowing the world to be just as it is in this moment.
Now let's bring our attention close in,
Becoming familiar with our different inner languages.
The body speaks to us through the language of sensation,
So we can bring an inner ear to our felt sense.
What feels pleasant,
Neutral,
Or unpleasant in this moment?
Which strong or subtle messages is the body sending you?
We can experiment with breathing in to any uncomfortable sensation,
And softening around it on the out-breath.
As if we were opening an ear to our inner world,
In order to understand it more deeply.
And in this way we can learn to respond to our experience with greater tenderness and care.
Now let's bring attention to the heart mind.
The heart speaks to us through the language of feelings and emotions.
Different emotions arise and dissolve away,
Maybe overlapping,
Or even contradicting each other.
Grief may overlap with relief.
Excitement may feel like fear.
What messages are you receiving from the heart in this moment?
And finally,
Listening in to the head mind,
The world of thoughts and inspiration.
This language often overrides our other experiences,
As it seems louder,
Closer in.
What concepts or ideas are moving through your mind in this moment?
Maybe you notice rapid,
Chattering thoughts,
Familiar circular concerns,
Or recycled habits.
But sometimes the messages may come with a different voice,
A whispered voice of insight,
Wisdom,
Or clarity.
Learning to listen to the different layers,
So that we don't miss these moments of inner guidance.
Which of our inner voices do we choose to listen to?
Learning to console the frightened inner voice.
Learning to take guidance from the voice of clarity and wisdom,
In order to take skillful action.
Learning to encourage the shy,
Tentative voice of insight,
Giving it time and space to reveal its own wishes and messages.
We listen deeply to ourselves,
With the motivation to offer space and compassion.
As we open back out into the world around us,
Bringing a sense of loving-kindness and care to the different voices and sounds within our environment.
Often when people or other living beings are suffering,
They become silent over time.
We can even open the space for listening to the voices that have been silenced.
This is an invitation to learn the languages of those without a voice.
The plants,
The trees,
The earth itself.
How do these unspoken voices communicate with us today?
What needs can we help fulfill?
Can we bring a feeling of intimacy,
A sense of stewardship and relationship with our natural world,
So that we too learn to listen and respond with kindness?
We listen in order to give the world a chance to express itself.
And from this deep place comes a willingness to help,
To act with insight and wisdom.
Deep listening is compassionate listening.
It is transformative.
And this deep listening practice invites us to open a wider space for the people and the world around us.
Then our relationships and the world itself can be transformed through gratitude,
Reciprocity,
Loving-kindness and compassion.
Thank you for listening.
