A quick summary of where we've been on our journey through the six senses... One of the Buddhist views of experience is as the sum of 14 component parts
Unconscious
Subconscious
6 sense organs (ears, eyes, tongue, skin, nose, mind)
6 sense consciousnesses (hearing, seeing, tasting, touching, smelling, thinking)
In meditation practice, we aren't trying to block one of these out (thinking) in so much as bring some balance into our experience of each of them. The best way of doing that, it turns out, is not to try too hard, not to make meditation into a project that we should check off our list. But instead, to carve out a little time in the day when we can relax with our world the way it is.
In these exercises, we consciously turn our attention to one of the six sense organs and one of the six consciousnesses in order to experience it anew, and bring it into balance with the others. Today we are going to tune in to the experience of hearing and sound.
So let's begin. Take your seat.
Gong
Establish your intention, your motivation.
Think of someone or some thing you would like to listen to more. Think of someone who would appreciate you listening to them. If you like, this practice session can be dedicated to them. Or it can be dedicated to listening to yourself more. Whatever inspires you at this moment.
deep belly breaths to come more into the feeling body.
I recommend closing your eyes for this one.
Tune your attention to the sounds in your environment. There might be constant ones, like the humming of a refrigerator. There might be intermittent ones, like a car driving by or a dog barking. Whatever you hear, notice it and then let it be.
We usually jump to label things we experience as good or bad. In this meditation, just let the sounds be themselves. Experience them as they are.
Notice how they emerge out of nothing, exist in your awareness and then fade away in the distance.
Thoughts will arise. Other sensations will arise. That's all fine. Just keep listening to your world.
We are bathed in sound. Our life is constantly touched by sound. Just listen to it as it is.
Tune your listening to your self. What do you hear? Your heart beat? The blood flowing in your veins? Is there something that you want to say to your self? Something that you don't usually have time to hear?
Listen to the silence. Are there gaps in the sounds you can hear? What does no sound sound like?
Now just drop the technique. Drop the attention on sound and hearing. Let's just be together for a little bit.