December Deep Listening Event
Saturday, December 9th, noon to 2pm Pacific Time
This event offers an opportunity to experience several things most of us never experience in our daily lives.
1. The practice of Deep Listening
2. Deep Sharing
3. Deep Silence
Deep Listening
Few of us know how to listen deeply and be fully present. I am very grateful to Thich Nhat Hanh for teaching me this practice. In deep listening, we do not just listen with our ears. We listen with our entire being. We listen to more than just words. We listen to what is being said and also what is not being said. We listen to energy. We listen to silence. And we listen to the authentic being that is behind the role of the personal self.
When we listen in this way, we understand on a very deep level. We experience our oneness with whomever is speaking and with everyone else. This is the source of True Love and Understanding. The speaker and you are realized as one.
Deep Sharing
Deep sharing is an opportunity to express your authentic self and be heard on the deepest level. It is a rare opportunity in our world to be held in such attention, awareness, presence, and love. You don’t need to come with a question, a statement, or any desire to share. And you don’t have to share. It’s up to you. Your heart will let you know in the moment. It’s natural to be nervous when sharing something so deeply intimate. The safety and support of the environment allows things to arise that may never have arisen before. For your safety, this event will not be recorded.
I encourage you to share what your heart wants to share despite any nervousness. But it’s entirely up to you to do so. I was always terrified of sharing at first. But I did anyway. This practice taught me, as nothing else ever could, that it was okay to express my deepest and most authentic self, and that doing so always had the most powerful impact on those I shared it with.
As songwriters say, “The most deeply personal is the most universal.” When you share from your heart, it resonates with everyone. It is tangible proof that we are not as separate as we sometimes feel. I hope you take advantage of this.
Silence
The format we will use allows a lot of silence in between each sharing. Deep listening is a meditation practice. The way we listen to the person speaking is the same way we listen to silence, fully present with our entire being. I have a large temple bell which helps with this experience.
Questions
Dharma Talks and Satsang are often in the format of the community asking questions of the teacher. There is an opportunity for this here and I encourage it. You can ask a question about enlightenment, your spiritual practice, meditation, God, nonduality, suffering, or anything you feel a strong need to know. As in the deep sharing, I encourage you to ask a question that arises in your heart, a question that means a great deal to you.
You will notice when listening to questions that these are the exact same questions you have. Again, there is far less separation than you imagine.
You may notice as I listen to your question that I may often close my eyes. This is part of deep listening, as we listen with more than our physical senses. The answer will arise from the same deep silence that we all share, whether we are aware of this or not.
This is not conversation. When you are sharing, no one will respond to your statement. We call that cross talk, and it does not help the environment of deep listening. If you ask a question of me, I will answer. If you make a statement or share your experience, but do not ask a question of me, like everyone else, I will hold the space and presence for you in deep listening.
This is not something we are used to experiencing in our daily lives. It is an environment, format, and practice that allows a far deeper experience of authenticity and our True Nature.
I hope you will join me.
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Watch the video here: December Deep Listening Event Video
Here is the link to the event. Please wait until December 9th to use it. Event Zoom Link
I will also share this link in an email, so please sign up for the N-lightenment News email list.
