You can cultivate your listening

By Samantha Amit

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I have just returned - in one piece, from a Vipassana silent meditation retreat. Vipassana mediation encourages one to go deep within. This is done through silent sitting, with no movement and our eyes closed. Vipassana accommodates personal growth through intense listening. The listening may not be easy, thus my referral in the first sentence to returning in one piece, however it does happen.

When we listen then new worlds open to us. We are more aware and awake. When the retreat was finished one of the things I felt is that I talk way too much. There is a saying that G-d gave us one mouth and two ears for a reason. I have committed myself to taking this to heart. When in a group, taking the time to listen, instead of being occupied about what you want to say at your first opportunity is an art.

Vipassana is an Indian word which means to see things as they really are. It is as a result of the listening during the meditation practice that we are able to do so. When we listen we hear things. We can question them, inquire and gain insight. Insight is wisdom.

Listening can be used as a tool to be more conscious. When we are conscious and we listen we can choose to respond to circumstances in our life instead of reacting. Reacting is usually a conditioned unconscious response to a situation based on past experience. For example, let’s assume I have a Business Solution that is needed. Living consciously in the present allows us to see the challenge ahead, inquire whether to use a new approach, a previous approach or a combination. Listening is proactive; it promotes strategizing, innovation, concentration, clarity, creativity and decision-making.

The “Wise Sage” is a listener. You don’t have to go to a Vipassana silent retreat to cultivate listening. I have found that I connect to myself when I go for a walk surrounded by nature. It may be the beach for some, or a forest for another, or a trip to a quiet park for those that can’t so easily get out of the city. Go to a quiet place and practice first listening to yourself. Listen to the “Wise Sage” within you. Then take your listening a step further to your relationships both personal and professional.

I believe that everyone wants to listen. I know of the countless times I have been sorry that I have missed something my child has said as I was lost in my own thoughts. A commitment to listening is the first step. The next is to find your way and to simply listen more and more to yourself and others.