Summary notes - Guide of Oneness India explanation for this weeks webcast with Sri Bhagavan : Please note that the Guide has mentioned previously that his examples describe a Fully Awakened person. This is a higher level of Awakening which occurs after Transformation. The Awakened One Listens. The unawakened one hears. This teaching is very important especially since all learning happens when you listen. Let us understand what Bhagavan wants to convey to us. The teaching says, The Awakened One listens. The unawakened on hears. What is the difference between listening and hearing? Think about it and contemplate on this question first. Are they the same or are they different? Let us begin with some examples for the second part of the teaching. When we say hearing, you could be hearing sounds coming from the computer or from other sources. You could hear people talking. These sounds dont give meaning, they are just some sounds. That is what is called hearing. Then there is listening with commentary. You are listening but commentary is happening in the mind continuously. The mind is like a chatter box, like a monkey, continuously chatting nonstop. The mind is full of activity and goes into the past or into the future. When there is so much mind interference and noise going on inside, how can you possibly listen. Yes, you can hear. but you are listening with commentary. This commentary could be, What time is it? What should I do? You might be thinking about an incident which happened earlier. Your boss scolded you or your wife didnt hear what you said, or your husband didnt give you what you wanted. So many things are going on nonstop. There is so much thought noise when you are reading that you are not able to concentrate. If you are watching something there may be commentary happening, too. Commentary is disturbing when you are listening with commentary. Then there is a third level of listening , that is, true listening where everything you are listening to is just going in. There are no commentaries, there is no mind interference, there are no stories occurring in your mind. You are just listening completely to whatever is being said. There is no disturbance whatsoever. You see something and a thought comes into the mind, it could be a jealous, fearful or a frustrated thought. Commentary is happening. For an awakened person, whatever type of thought comes, he is not in the least disturbed. He is just watching. He is not getting involved with the thought. It is like when you are watching a movie. You dont jump into the movie to try to save the hero. You just watch whatever is going on. In the same way, you just watch whatever is going on in the mind. You are listening to the commentary. You are not listening with the commentary. You are becoming aware of the commentary. So there is no disturbance at all. You are just experiencing what is, whatever is there. At a deeper level, as you keep listening and listening to the commentary, or even listening to something physical such as sounds, or listening to somebody speaking, what will happen is if the intensity of that listening is high, then you will listen to your heart. If somebody asks you a question and you dont know the answer, you wont try to get the answer, youll just listen to the heart. Because, the heart is also speaking. Many times you are in a crisis and you dont know what to do, like when you are at a crossroad and dont know how to handle a situation. Lets say its a deep crisis where according to you all roads are closed and you become helpless. Its at that point and time that you should listen not to the external voice or words but to your heart. The heart also speaks. But, because of so much mind clutter and because of your desperateness, you try to solve the problem. You then become busy in your mind. It has no space. It is full, cluttered and confused. There are so many thoughts going in that you are unable to listen. This is because you are only able to listen to your thoughts and not to what is coming from deep inside. Most of your problems can be solved if you listen. If you can focus on what is being told and if you listen, you will get your answers. Many times the answers come very deeply, but you dont listen. You must know the art of listening. You must become strong in the art. As you grow spiritually and as your levels of consciousness grow, this listening becomes deeper and deeper, until you are awakened. Once you are awakened the listening is so natural and there is no commentary. That is true listening. That is how an awakened person continuously listens. Whereas the unawakened one hears. When he is hearing there is a lot of commentary happening. There are so many judgements, biases and prejudices. So many things are going on in the mind. You are truly not listening. Most of the time you are planning, going into your past or future, and are unable to listen. Listening is always in the present. It doesnt go into the future or the past. Focus and contemplate on this teaching. It is not rocket science. You dont have to remember complicated words. You dont have to do hard work trying to understand. It is very simple. Also, many times you dont listen to your boss, father, mother, husband, wife, children. You speak. You dont allow them to speak. Listening is a great art and if you also listen when somebody is telling you a problem, you will have the solution in your heart. Since you dont listen you dont have the solution in your heart. You try to give your own solutions which sometimes work and many times fail, because it is your solution and not the Divines. Naturally, your bond with the Divine also strengthens when you listen. It becomes powerful, because that short time when you are listening, you are in touch with truth, with God, with the Divine. Otherwise how do you know God exists? He is omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient. Contemplate on this. Contemplate on the teaching with your eyes closed. Related questions from participants: Question: When chattering happens, what do we do to listen to our hearts? Answer: The mind continuously chatters 24/7 because it is the nature of the mind. What you should do is just watch and listen to the chattering. When you are listening to the chattering, listening is happening and it gives you tremendous joy, instead of trying to fight and stop the chattering. Its like trying to straighten the dogs tail. It is not possible. You cant stop the chattering. You can just listen to the chattering. As you keep listening it gives you much joy. You will naturally start listening to your heart. It will happen. Question: My mind got diverted even while listening to you. Why? Answer: That is the nature of the mind. Why do you have two eyes and one nose? There are no answers to these questions. That is how the Divine designed it. So, the mind is also designed that way. That question will not take you anywhere. Rather, just enjoy the mind, whatever is happening. If it is getting diverted, then just experience whatever is happening. When the experiencing happens and listening deepens, you will naturally listen to your heart also. If you dont listen to the mind, it is very difficult to listen to the heart. After that, you will go deeper and deeper. You must do it on your own. There is no way of just convincing you about it. I have done it and seen it. You have to do it. If you are awakened, it happens naturally. Question: When somebody is speaking to me, what do I do to listen exactly and so that my mind stops thinking? Answer: Just listen to your mind. If you really listen to your mind you will laugh at it and not be disturbed. Because you are not listening, you are carried away by thoughts and commentaries. Then you get disturbed. First, face it. You are not listening to what the other is saying. You are prejudiced by your own opinions, your own dogmas, your own thinking patterns and your own belief systems. So, you are not actually listening. The moment you listen to what the other is saying, you will see his pain, his frustration and when that happens, your heart will flower. When your heart flowers, you will be able to see it in the right way. You will be able to see what you are supposed to see and you will also listen to your heart. You will respond to your heart and what you do or what you respond is going to be the right action. The problem will be solved. Listen to the other person. But, before listening, listen to the commentary or what is going on in your mind. ________________________________ Anuradha Chandrashekar, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. A family of ONENESS, in ONENESS, for ONENESS, by ONENESS FOR Additional INFORMATION not sent here, YOU MAY SEE onenessways.in/ lifeinoneness.blogspot
Posted on: Thu, 21 Nov 2013 08:14:46 +0000
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