‘This is the awareness ― listening ― relaxed attention.’ Then you will feel the connection. It is a natural state that sustains itself. It isn’t up to you to create it. It isn’t dependent on conditions to support it. It is here and now whatever is happening…
Listening is much less connected with organising or pushing things round in our minds, and in fact listening and the listened-to are much more linked than actor and acted-upon. Listening also tends to be more emotionally neutral.
The modern world seems driven to extinguish silence, as if it were a threat…
True peace is found only in the dharma. When we practise meditation and our hearts attain to the dharma of letting go, or non-attachment to all moods, feelings and emotions, when we do not incline towards or attach to any mood whatsoever, then we will escape the repetitious cycle of birth and death; then we will escape Samsara…
My teacher said that I should go to Eiheiji, you realize that it is nothing special — ‘This is all it is?’ Then you can relax and get down to practising. That’s the reality, isn’t it?
There are many ways of practising metta, loving kindness.
We can get very angry if we become attached to silence and stillness and sensory deprivation; it is so pleasant not to have things impinging on the senses once we get used to it. And if we attach to the silence out of ignorance, out of greed, then when it is disrupted we can feel very angry.
Whether we know it or not, this life is an abundant treasure house.
Centuries passed by. Incalculable was the crowd at the inn now and many were the discussions as to the interpretations of what had been written on the slab at the signpost. Some professed to know what the original exactly meant and others disagreed and consequently discord arose, parties were formed and actual progress ceased. Those who showed special brain skill and capability to interpret the symbols on the slabs at the post and those who were honoured and looked upon by others for numerous other reasons now became leaders of each party…
