listening

[Guest guest]

Fwd from a friend.

 

from Fragnant Palm Leaves" Thich Nhat Hanh's Journals 1962-66

 

"Since then, whenever I talk with a friend, I listen with

all my attention to their words and the tone of their voice.

As a result, I hear their worries, dreams, and hopes. It is

not easy to listen so deeply that you understand everything

the other person is trying to tell you. But everyone of us can

cultivate the capacity of listening deeply. I am no longer indifferent

to phenomena that pass before my senses. A leaf, a child's voice--

these are the treasures of life. I look and listen deeply in order

to receive the messages these miracles convey.Separation

from loved ones, disappointments, impatience with

unpleasant things--all these are also constructive and

wonderful. Who we are is, in part, a result of our

unpleasant experiences. Deep looking allows us to see the

wondrous elements contained in the weaknesses of

of others and ourselves, and these flowers of insight will

never wilt. With insight, we see that the world of birth

and death and the world of nirvana are the same. One

night while practicing sitting meditation I felt the urge

to shout, "The work of all the Buddhas has been

completely fulfilled!