Mind caught up in sound
I have difficulty with noisy environments, especially if someone is attempting to talk to me. In a noisy restaurant, bar or party, it is extremely difficult for me to carry on a conversation; I find it nearly impossible to “filter” any one person’s voice from the background chatter, and my mind gets caught up in an auditory kaleidoscope of voices and words. I noticed some time ago that, occasionally, if I can quiet my mind I can improve my ability to make sense of what I hear. It can be very difficult, but sometimes, I can do it.
The Venerable Ajahn Chah⁺ teaches us:
When the ear hears, observe the mind. Does it get caught up and make a story out of the sound? Is it disturbed? You can know this, stay with it, be aware. At times you may want to escape from the sounds, but that is not the way out. You must escape through awareness.
-Ajahn Chah, “Still Forest Pool”
⁺Venerable Ajahn Chah, a Buddhist monk, teacher and master of the Thai “Forest” tradition, trained both easterners and westerners in the Dhamma (Dharma).
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