February 6, 2025
Listen Without Judgement
Although
listening is a skill we’re taught early on in life, it’s not as simple
as it sounds. Listening openly, without letting ourselves get in the
way, takes patience, practice, and vulnerability. It requires wisdom and
the ability to let go and disengage from thought patterns and biases.
And it’s the duty of all aspiring bodhisattvas, says meditation teacher
Willa Blythe Baker. Listening is a skill that Buddhists should
continually cultivate, she says, and it can be a meditation practice in
and of itself. During times of heightened division, it’s a practice we
could all benefit from.
The first step to deep listening is to learn to listen to ourselves,
says Thich Nhat Hanh. As meditation teacher Cuong Lu, a student of
Hanh’s, says, “There is wisdom in you: the wisdom of nondiscrimination.”
Listen to yourself—your body, your feelings, and your thoughts—without
judgment, and you’ll be able to do the same for others.
This week’s Three Teachings offers perspectives on and practices for developing the important skill of listening.
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