Abundance week – 43

Dear abundance seekers and fellow bloggers,

Isn’t it true to that to get to know the beauty and
majesty of a tree
You have to be quiet and rest in the shade of the
tree?
Don’t you have to stand under the tree?

To understand anyone, you need to stand under
them for a little while
What does that mean?

It means you have to listen to them and be quiet
and take in who they are
As if from under, as if from inside out.

This state of listening is the precursor or the
prerequisite to loving relatedness. The more you
understand the state of listening – of being able to
have the sounds of rain wash through you, of
receiving the sound and tone of another’s voice – the
more you know about nurturing a loving relationship.

Pure listening is a letting go of control. It’s not
easy and takes training. And yet it’s only when we
can let go of that controlling that we open up to the
real purity of loving. We can’t see or understand
someone in the moments that we are trying to control
what they are saying or trying to impress them with
what we are saying. There’s no space for that person
to just unfold and be who they are. Listening and
unconditionally receiving what another expresses, is
an expression of love.

The bottom line is when we are listened to, we
feel connected. When we’re not listened to, we feel
separate. So whether it’s the communicating between
different tribes or religions, ethnicities, racial groups
or different generations, we need to listen. The more
we understand, the less we fear; the less we fear, the
more we trust and the more we trust, the more love
can flow.

Mindful practice :
How to Really Listen

1. Check inside: “How am I feeling just now? Is there anything getting in the way of being present for the other person?” If something is in the way, decide if it needs to be addressed first or can wait till later.
2. Feeling your own sense of presence, extend it to the other person with the intention to listen fully and openly, with interest, empathy, and mindfulness.
3. Silently note your own reactions as they arise—thoughts, feelings, judgments, memories. Then return your full attention to the speaker.
4. Reflect back what you are hearing, using the speaker’s own words when possible, paraphrasing or summarizing the main point. Help the other person feel heard.
5. Use friendly, open-ended questions to clarify your understanding and probe for more. Affirm before you differ. Acknowledge the other person’s point of view—acknowledging is not agreeing!—before introducing your own ideas, feelings, or requests.

Listening to someone from your heart is allowing that person space in you. To understand this, we must first understand what we listen. Actually all we listen is/are word/s. And what is a word? It is sound , it is a vibration, right! Its energy that pulsating and causing those sounds.

Now what are you and me? are we not pure and conscious energy too? So the point I am trying to make is, we need to connect with the words to feel its energy at the soul level. Your heart connects you with your soul hence making it imperative to listen from your heart which is the gateway to your soul.

Sometimes it’s better to be kind than to be right. We do not need an intelligent mind that speaks, but a patient heart that listens. You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.

Gautama Buddha

Hope this enables you to listen from your heart.

Happiness and sunshine

Niddhi

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