Learning to Listen
Listening can open a doorway to a new dimension of living
Dear Reader,
This week’s newsletter has something special for you - a deeply thought-provoking note on ‘Listening’ by Suromita Roy.
Sound, Music & Listening has been her tool in the path of enquiry.
Inspired by the radical changes in her own living, Suromita intends to share her learning on the way and hold a space for anyone who wants to dig deep into life. Enquiring through dialogues, through holistic experimental sessions she bridges the gap between the world of ideas and true creative living.
Walking along the path of Jiddu Krishnamurti's teachings she shares her everyday learning with a similar gusto as a bird would sing sitting on the branch of a tree.
After two decades in the media industry, she moved to Dharmshala, responding to the call from the Unknown. In Mumbai, she was working in the film and audiobook industry.
“Truth is something which lies beyond the word” ~ J Krishnamurti
In Yogic practices, the sound of AUM to a piece of music, to the bird chirping, there has been a common thread one has found at moments of quiet reflection.
In researching, there has been a great deal of synchronicity between what Science and Ancient Sacred Texts, not only Hindu but all over the world, say about the Universe and its origin. Everyone seems to be indicating the Universe is made of Energy, vibration, frequency and therefore, Sound. Tesla and Einstein have also indicated something in that direction.
Many masters from different fields such as Hazrat Inayat Khan, Samuel Aun Weor, Itzhak Bentov, Ted Andrews, R. Murray Schafer have done a great amount of work on the subject of Sound energy, the science behind and also the mysticism, which points at frequencies and vibration to understand cosmic harmony.
On a very rational level, listening is our primary warning sense.
Our body is 70% water and sound travels well in water, making us very good conductors of sound. It’s not surprising that sound has a powerful effect on the human brain. It is the first sensory perception to appear and the last one to go for human beings.
On the outer level, noise pollution is now a world problem. Some environmentalists say the world soundscape has reached its state of chaos so much so that we are heading towards universal deafness. The noises from the factories, vehicles, media, machineries, cities buzzing with all these are totally unaware of the effect it has on the brain.
But all these boil down to one factor, Man not listening properly.
The ability to listen is the most innate nature of the being, but the inner noises of the mind overtakes it.
The act of sensing and feeling of our environment, which is natural cognitive awareness, is hacked by ‘recognition’, which is the thinking mind.
So, at that very moment, the being gets disconnected from life, which is in the here and now and goes into the world of abstraction created by thoughts and memories.
All thinking is based on ideas which arise from past knowledge, stored in memory, which is conditioned from experiences from childhood and growing up years. So, the mind is constantly operating out of that knowledge which has an expectation of a certain pre-conceived outcome.
This repetitive neurological conditioned pattern of the brain hacks all our immediate experiences constantly and so quickly that actual perception doesn’t take place.
But all these boil down to one factor, Man not listening properly. The ability to listen is the most innate nature of the being, but the inner noises of the mind overtakes it. The act of sensing and feeling of our environment, which is natural cognitive awareness, is hacked by ‘recognition’, which is the thinking mind.
So, at that very moment the being gets disconnected from life, which is in the here and now and goes into the world of abstraction created by thoughts and memories.
All thinking is based on ideas which arise from past knowledge, stored in memory, which is conditioned from experiences from childhood and growing up years. So the mind is constantly operating out of that knowledge which has an expectation of a certain pre-conceived outcome. This repetitive neurological conditioned pattern of the brain hacks all our immediate experiences constantly and so quickly that actual perception doesn’t take place.
SOUND is the DIRECT tool to be in contact with life, here and now.
In “Listening” or just letting the Sound fall into the ears, there is NO role of “Me” or my mind. In fact, to NOT listen we have to put the fingers in our ears to shut Sound. BUT even when Sound is falling in my ears, Listening is obstructed by Thinking where there is a role of “Me.”
This way of listening while thinking has led to tremendous chaos like War, Violence in the Outer to Anxiety, Depression, in the inner world.
Do we even have that sensitivity to LISTEN to it?
In right Listening, which is an innate ability of the being, there is a possibility of life which is devoid of inner chaos and therefore, has the ability to rightfully respond to the world around us. The Intellect can work at its best capacity, solving the functional need of daily life, without the unnecessary interference of the Psyche.
And there can be absolute new ways, the brain can take newer neurological pathways breaking this Old, Mechanical, Repetitive, Conditioned, Neurological Pattern, that has hijacked mankind for thousands of years.
Every time Krishnamurti would start his sessions, he would put a great emphasis on the Art of the listening.
That quality of listening, where the mind is not busy, making any effort to understand or interpret or analyse or compare.
In just listening to the sound of what is being said, the intellect will exactly retain what is important for it and the psyche will not be there to capture unnecessary things.
And any action born out of that listening will be an original unique ‘action’ and not any ‘reaction’ to the environment. That is the beauty of such listening.
When a bird sings, when a river sings its song, when the wind blows, when a piece of music plays, there is no specific goal to reach or any predetermined end to achieve.
Then when did we human beings separate ourselves from our very nature of just being and started creating milestones for us.
Man has forgotten the ability to BE, just sense, feel and Be. Which is the doorway to a bigger dimension of life. Instead he has become a prison of his own intellect, which was given just for a little better functionality of life, and mainly to see the limit of itself.
Remembering what Rumi had said -
‘One of the Marvels of the world is the sight of a soul sitting in prison with the key in its hand’.
He has the Key to FREEDOM. The Key to set himself FREE. From his own PRISON. The Prison of the PSYCHE. The Prison of Repetitive Mechanical THINKING. The Prison of a thousand years of CONDITIONING. The Prison of IGNORANCE.
And ‘Listening’ is the most effective tool to be in the here and now and could be opening a doorway to a completely different dimension of living.
In the - Listening Room Sessions every Sunday at 4 PM, we listen to each other, to ourselves, listen to various sounds, experience its scientific implications in our brain, we explore some listening exercises and have dialogues.
There is no Master or Guru or Mentor here.
We all walk hand in hand, co-creating a common field of enquiry exploring sound and silence, the most significant tool of meditation.
Based at the foothills of the Dhauladhar Mountains, in Dharamshala, we have a small study centre where we invite serious seekers to come and spend moments of quiet reflections.
Residing in the beautiful surroundings amidst the paddy field, overlooking the mountains, this silence is intoxicating.
The sounds of birds chirping, bees, crickets and many other beings unknown, the little rivulet singing on its way to joy, enables a state of unlearning, decluttering and Listening to what’s within.
We also come together in offline retreats and online zoom meets to understand the different dimensions of Listening, which plays a big role in communication with the world outside and within.
All are heartily welcome.
This write-up is a By-Invite-Only Bespoke Post by Suromita Roy for Svara’s Newsletter.
few reading treats
As many homes warm up to musical ‘Silent Night’ and ‘Jingle Bells’, let’s reflect on the holiday season with grace and gratitude.
Next, in this heartwarming post,
takes us through the first appearance of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Till I read this post, I didn’t know that this was a fictional concept - for some strange reason, I reckoned it was a biblical one. So yes, it was insightful to read how ‘Rudolph’ makes his first appearance in 1939.According to Jolene’s post, which reads as follows “when Montgomery Ward department store asked one of its copywriters, 34-year-old Robert L. May, to create a Christmas story the store could give away to shoppers as a promotional gimmick.” To read more, head over and embark on a virtual time travel journey on ‘Time Travel Kitchen’ - a newsletter where food, culture and history blend in.
Next, let’s discover where the myth of Santa came from and the winter solstice traditions around the world, through
‘s newsletter ‘Seven Senses’
This year, I happened to dine out at Kwality, an iconic Delhi restaurant, which dates back to the pre-Independence era and most of its original clients were not Indians.
Of course, this changed during the post-Independence era. Today, it is one of the iconic Delhi restaurants you are told to visit. The culinary experience I enjoyed at this restaurant is testament to the fact that the food is utterly delectable.
Later, I stumbled on this blog post on ‘Kwality’ . I loved reading this blogpost as it offers an authentic view on why this decades-old Delhi restaurant holds its place high.
If you enjoy culinary and cultural explorations, do give this a thorough read.
last quote
“For it is in giving that we receive.” – Francis of Assisi
last thing
Enjoy Christmas and New Year with your loved ones - it’s the moments that you create together that matters, not the gifts by themselves. It’s always the thought that counts.
If there’s something that touches you deeply - a book, a quote, a painting or a real life milestone or an incident that taught you something profound, write to me about it at swapnazanand@gmail.com and you know what, I will send it out with a happy prayer in my newsletter, especially for you! But yeah, no anonymous stories - send only real ones.