Is the sound annoying you?

[mat black]

[Ian]

Ha ! Yes.

 

The style of meditation I practice frequently makes people very noisy. On our summer reteat this year we had one chap who sounded like he was channelling an extroverted Japanese prison officer. Constantly.

 

People would actually crack under the strain and scream at him to shut up in mid-session. And it certainly wasn't easy.

 

It was just about possible, though, to realise that the aspect of me which got distracted was not the aspect of me I was supposed to be "with" during the process. And therefore the noise was actually a continuous assistance, in that it pointed out EVERY time I wasn't home.

 

It's infuriating, to realise how poor one's application is. But very useful.

[Seth Ananda]

I love noise. Many of my best meditations are on trains, near televisions, in crowds or with construction workers next door. When the world is whirling it becomes easy for me to become still.

 

Seth

 

P.S. Many of the Tantric meditations include the worlds sounds.

[Spectrum]

adjust for doppler effect

tune up intune down out

zero out for reset

yule b surprised 4 being

annoyed more often

be now 4 the time being

Edited November 12, 2008 by Spectrum

[Seth Ananda]

adjust for doppler effect

tune up intune down out

zero out for reset

yule b surprised 4 being

annoyed more often

be now 4 the time being

Meditation Rap, Cool. Da Yogi's in da House!

[Birch]

Well, if the sound bothers you, stop making it

 

No, seriously, I have a cat that 'knows' exactly when to annoy me by meowling for stuff. Every day, several times a day.

Facing the meowling cat, I've learned a huge amount about acceptance. You can also count in there the fact that everywhere I've lived for the past 13 years (and I've moved a lot!) has been close to a construction site or renovations of some kind.

 

And even more seriously, isn't the whole point of some meditation to not escape but to experience things as they are?? Had I been the annoyed monk, it's likely I would have gone down to the party at least for a while;-)

 

Cheers,

 

Kate

[mat black]

The thing i liked about the article was that it was a reminder to not become attatched to quite settings nor to resist environmental noise, IOW words the world. As it was pointed out that some of the greatest 'noise' is actually generated by us from anger and resistance on our part.

 

isn't the whole point of some meditation to not escape but to experience things as they are??

I s'pose it's about balance:

- allocating times to mediatate when it is quite, This is helpful in returning the hearing to investigate inwards http://www.thetaobums.com/index.php?showto...;hl=contemplate

 

- acknowledging tremendous opportunities that 'common' environments can serve on our cultivation. ie learning not to deny the reality of external circumstances, but at the same time not allow ourselves to be moved by them either.

[Birch]

Hey Mat (haven`t exchanged ideas with you for a while, it's most welcome!)

 

You've hit the nail on the head! I suppose I was being a bit too flippant when I commented. Sorry! Thanks for the heads up on how the example could be understood as the world. I had just taken it to be all the same thing and in error assumed that people reading this would go 'oh yes, I can see that when she wrote about the cat and the construction sites'.

 

OT: One of the earliest things I learned was 'Never assume' - I've been doing way too much of that recently;-)

 

Cheers,

 

Kate

[mouse]

Going deeper into the layers of reality, sound is just a vibration.

 

It is the mind that attaches meaning to them.

 

If someone says something of a course nature, by the time it hits the ear, the mind interprets it as abusive, the heart rouses in anger the vibration had already ceased to exist. Why then is the heart still clinging onto the memory of a sound and repeating it over and over again as if it exists?

 

This understanding as shared by Ajahn Sumedho (a western student of Ajahn Chah) has been a great practice method for my own development. Thought I'd share it as it is relevant to the topic discussed.

 

Enjoy your practice,

mouse

[Wayfarer64]

I thought this thread was going to be about Sarah Palin's voice!

 

But I too meditate a lot on trains/buses/ walking in woods- I am usually on the move when I am trying to quiet my mind and bring myself back to my center -where I wayfare as spirit...

 

 

But when I am trying to work at the library -where I can use the computers -it is distracting to be bombarded with chatter and mayhem as id aften the case-

 

staying calm & mellow isn't always a dish of bliss...

[Aetherous]

I think it's good to meditate in the most quiet place you can, even though meditation isn't dependent on quietude. But even if you're in deep meditation, you can be startled by someone touching you or hearing a sudden noise. It's not good for your nervous system to be shocked like that, I don't think.

 

But on the other hand, getting pissed that it's noisy around you is the opposite of good meditation.

[mat black]

Hey Mat (haven`t exchanged ideas with you for a while, it's most welcome!)

I suppose I was being a bit too flippant when I commented. Sorry! Kate

No need to apologise Kate, my respnses are only cautious guesses. As i see it, there's no right or wrong in these discussions, just co-operation and sharing

 

Going deeper into the layers of reality, sound is just a vibration.

 

It is the mind that attaches meaning to them.

 

If someone says something of a course nature, by the time it hits the ear, the mind interprets it as abusive, the heart rouses in anger the vibration had already ceased to exist. Why then is the heart still clinging onto the memory of a sound and repeating it over and over again as if it exists?

 

This understanding as shared by Ajahn Sumedho (a western student of Ajahn Chah) has been a great practice method for my own development. Thought I'd share it as it is relevant to the topic discussed.

 

Enjoy your practice,

mouse

 

Thank you Mouse, wonderfully put.

Edited November 14, 2008 by mat black

[mouse]

 

Thank you Mouse, wonderfully put.

 

mat black,

 

No problem. Glad you enjoyed it.

 

I find the Terevadan teachings resounding best with me as they do not require blind faith and can all be proven and found within the heart.

 

Enjoy your practice.

 

mouse

[hagar]

Shunryu Suzuki on sound

 

 

The bluejay is the sound of your practice.

 

h