Sound can play an important role in our practice. Sound, as a device of the way, is used in many texts. “Kyogen realized the Way when he heard the sound of a tile hitting bamboo.” It was this concept alluded to by one of our readers’, Cedric that started my recent investigation with sound. What’s also interesting with sound, is the non-sound, and non-identification that comes, both with and without the sound.
Walking down a busy street, something startles at your ears. Perhaps it’s the unfamiliar setting at play? Regardless, your hearing sense is heightened and you begin practising with sound. And then something happens, you listen to the sounds. They no longer remain isolated and distinct. The once separate sounds seem to merge, and join each other, becoming this big beautiful dance. Sometimes the sounds are coming and going, from here and from there. Then with nothing changing, and with no effort, you stop listening and begin hearing. You access the common ground from upon which sound arises.
You see the beauty of the sound, not as sound, but as form, not as form, as expression, not as expression, as life.
This is the true nature, this is our original face, this is the sound of one hand clapping. This is what Dogen speaks of when he speaks before and after the bell. We can live in this place, right here, right now. Hear with your ears, try pay attention to what you notice before you label it. Try paying more attention to that place and investigate what happens before you associate with sound. By doing this your abilities will grow, and through this practice, you will awaken.
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You know your latest posts have an almost poetic tone to them nowadays. It’s very beautiful, and reflects your growth. Especially after that retreat you did!
Thanks for the kind words mate, I’ve been learning from and with you.
Gassho,
Wade
As with our past in the musical path we took in younger years, I find that I am very much in the moment when I listen to the tracks that we both know as “classics”.
Although I’m unsure as to whether we’re on the same page with sound, I would at least take a guess and say that when you listen to those classic tracks, you can have that same emptiness of mind that we strive to achieve in practice.
And this would be where the use of sound leads us to, yes? Rather than being distracted by the sound, it just becomes part of the environment, part of us, part of the moment.
Sound can be an important door to awakening. Ajahn Sumedho has long taught the meditation technique ‘The Sound of Silence’, which is also the title of his latest book, a collection of transcribed talks on Buddhism including references to this technique.
The sound of silence itself isn’t complete silence as one might first assume, but is the sound that usually only becomes noticeable in very quiet environments. It’s a kind of high-pitched continuous hum, and if focused on can help focus the mind beautifully, bringing both peace and insight.
Bankei (1622-1693) said:
“The voices of the crows and sparrows, the rustling of the wind – you hear them without making any mistake about them, and that’s what’s called hearing with the Unborn. In this way, things are perfectly managed with the Unborn.”
“When you abide in the Unborn, you’re abiding at the source of all things. What the buddhas of the past realized was the Unborn Buddha Mind; and what the buddhas in the future will realize is the Unborn Buddha Mind too.”
Sound can be an important doorway to awakening, leading us to the realization of the *unborn.
*ajata in Pali, & fusho in Japanese.
Gary at Forest Wisdom
http://forestwisdom.blogspot.com
Sounds like a good way to approach practice in our day to day lives.
@Gary, thanks for posting your comments and the views of Ajahn Sumedho, very interesting points about the sound of silence, and a very beautiful quote too.
@Greg, very nice pun
We are creatures who are forever learning and, as a consequence, modulating both ourselves and the world. And as a developing species, I have come to all this in a remarkable short period of time. Grrrrr…......Is there any chance..I could order another mind?! lol
Although I don’t doubt that there could be more to this “high pitched continuous hum”, it may very well be tinnitus.
@Marcus, you’re correct, in listening to music with open ears. Not anticipating the sounds, but letting go, and having it wash over you. It’s a bit like intensely hearing the track the first time. You hear the layers and harmonics you never heard before, yet not knowing what comes next, not searching, just really openly listening and enjoying. Every note perfect as it is, with the space around the note and the relations dancing…I used to listen like this in our ‘hey day’ sometimes in the back corners of Altitude in the Dendy. No one understood
@Terry, Interesting view of things. I see society driving us to learn new things, to replace things, always updating, things are built with an early expiration date according to many sources. Layer upon Layer we add. Buddhist thought, is the other way. We essentially unlearn, and come back to who we are. By meditating, there’s nothing to gain, we come back to ourselves. We experience reality. Wish to order another mind? Sure
Sit down on your cushion, do nothing, follow your breath, let go of your thoughts, coming back to breath, you will find yourself your original, unstained, pure mind. Good as new 
@Marcus, That’s very engineer/clinical of you
As they say “sound is the basis of form and shape. In the beginning was the word, and the word was god. We are told this is how the world began..If we put that into the modern idiom and say, from the great voids of space came sound and matter took shape” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ViMy_aIm5Q
Om/Aum is the Hindu/Buddhist view of sound being the underlying ‘thing’. From my understanding of quantum physics, particles operate on certain frequencies, vibrating….Sound
May all beings be happy.
Peace,
Wade
Just the way I think sometimes
I don’t doubt that there may indeed be an underlying sound, but tinnitus is not an uncommon problem (and especially when it comes to certain nights at the Dendy).
The question really is has the sound always been there and you’ve just never heard/listened to it before, or has it only started up recently?
Meditating really brings out the beauty in everyday (maybe sometimes annoying) sounds and noises. I listen to the construction tractor beeping during my meditation and just though how nice it is that this sound is helping to make my life easier.
The idea that ‘The Sound of Silence’ may be tinnitus has been suggested previously. The interesting thing is that even if it is a form of tinnitus it can still be used very effectively as a meditation subject. Sometimes it can be much louder than at other times, and there may be a number of reasons for this. It could be an increase in the ringing/buzzing itself, or it may be due to an increase in concentration.
Some have found the sound of silence annoying after a while, wishing that they could turn it off somehow. But even responses like this are opportunities for reflection and a growth of wisdom. The question from a contemplative point of view isn’t how long the sound has been present, nor even how long it will be present in the future. Rather, as the focus of meditation, the sound can be understood in this moment, along with all the mental responses that might arise to it, including questions like, “What is it?”
With metta,
Gary at Forest Wisdom.
http://forestwisdom.blogspot.com
In this moment, somewhere, far in the background, as in a painting, there is the knowing that I am sitting here, the birds chirping and the trains rumbling rapping along the tracks, but the experience before thinking, behind any thoughts or images, so do secrete themselves, is one of pure sound, just hearing, hearing,hearing…...And in the hearing, the knowing of sound, beyond words like, chirping, beyond concepts like ‘me’ and ‘hearing.’ The knowing rests in the hearing. For now. they are one.
During my travels in India I studied a practice of the inner sound current. It is a sound you do not hear with your physical ears. It is laterally an inner sound.
Aaron
@Marcus, what is the sound of the sound before you hear it? Where does that lead you to…
@James, that’s a lovely way to see the world. It’s true that it’s all in how we interpret things, to work out if they are pleasant or unpleasant. The underlying reality has neither quality, to see things like this and to accept any/every sound is so peaceful.
@Gary, I like your view that it maybe tinnitus, but still seeing that as a tool of meditation. It’s so true, and literal in it’s ‘working’ that it made me laugh due to it’s simplicity. Gassho. Are you going to be covering the Five roots of power any time soon? My first thought when covering mindfulness as a root was to check out your blog for your thoughts and comments on this teaching (it’s from the Theravadan school).
@Terry, You got it :). That’s a very lovely poem, thanks for sharing that with us.
@Aaron, That’s very interesting, I’d like to hear more about this if you have time, please write more.
May all beings have peace,
Gassho,
Wade