Hearing the Sounds of the World

Hearing the sounds is what the name of the deity of compassion means: Guanshiyin. It’s literal. She hears the sounds of the world. We hear the sounds without resistance. And that hearing is itself compassion.

An old Zen poem goes,

You see with your ears and hear with your eyes.

Our whole being is involved. And our minds are at peace.

We don’t need to turn away from the world and we don’t have to find a place to stand. Our listening and our presence operate below the level at which we usually manage things. So that is the hearing aspect of this koan. Just let hearing have you. This koan can be carried everywhere with you.

So much of meditation starts out as a way to manage or quiet the world, but the world goes its own way anyway. What we can do is bless what is happening. We do that by hearing without any agenda, and all is at peace.

That’s also the thing to do when we are in difficulties. We accompany each other. Freedom through hearing.

See you Sunday.

—John Tarrant