Listening

[Jitendra Hy-do-u-no-us?]

Most of us frequenting this site were brought up in western cultures where we were taught to pray or talk to God. We learned how to express ourselves in many scenarios. But rarely were we taught the art of listening. Meditation is very different in that sense because it is the art of listening. How good of listeners are we? i have found over the years that i am not such a good listener. Many times i may have succeeded much better had i had the ability to listen to other people and the message they were trying to convey to me. It is not a matter of whose right or wrong but rather the ability to 'hear' another person to know them inside out. To respond to what they are trying to tell us and not always what their words are saying.

The interesting thing about meditation is that we must be good listeners; yet quite often we find our mind constantly 'talking'. That is why we are given techniques to meditate with; to give the mind a chance to center in on something other then its own repetitive conversations. Meditation gives the ability to slow all our biological, physical and mental chatter down so that we are able to open up to new levels of awareness by listening.

[guest88]

yes, especially important when a person may lash out. keeping calm and understanding what they are conveying, not the words they are spewing, has been a way for me to embrace the entire ordeal with a more compassionate tone which usually helps scale everything down and find resolution that much quicker.

cheers