Question : You said that we should not think while listening to you, which means we should stress less. It means, we are only hearing, we are not listening. Without listening, how will I understand your thoughts, your feelings? I am hearing you because I am sitting here. I am also hearing the sound of the air conditioner, but I am not paying attention to it. For listening, I have to pay attention. But the thinking process also goes on simultaneously..
Speaker : Attention and thinking can never go together.
(Pointing at the microphone) This is hearing. You are not hearing. Hearing is a mechanical process. Isn’t this microphone gathering every single word that I am saying? It is gathering it and feeding into that camera (the camera is connected to the microphone) .
This is called hearing. It is a totally mechanical process. A particular wave falls on your ear drum, and you hear. That is what is called as ‘hearing’.
‘Listening’ has an altogether different quality. You cannot think and then listen. If you are thinking while I am speaking, can you listen? Try it out. Start thinking. Now, I will keep speaking, yet you will not be able to make any sense of what I am saying.
Listener 1 : What if a doubt comes to my mind?
Speaker : That happens. This is a definite proof of the inability to listen. When I am listening, I could not be thinking. Because the mind can either be captive in thought, or be open to listening.
Listener 2 : Sir, but we are not a robot.
Speaker : (Pointing at the brain) This is a robot. You are not yet understanding the difference between ‘attention’ and ‘thinking’.
Thinking always is about something else. Listening is about what ‘is’.
What I am saying ‘is’. Thinking will always be about something else. Sitting over here you can think about mountains and rivers, about your girlfriend, about what will happen in the evening and a thousand other things. Thinking is never about the present moment.
In a particular moment, either you can see and listen, or you can be lost in thoughts.
Are you getting it? You can think about so many things, but the more you think the more you will be unable to understand. The reason is that the thought comes from the past. You can only think about that which you already know. Try this. Can you think about something of which you have no knowledge, no experience? You cannot even think about something totally new. You can only think as far as your past is. What I am saying is new. It is ‘this moment’.
Have you already experienced this moment in the past? This moment is new. Thought is always old, always coming from the past. Whereas this moment, and the next and the next is always fresh. The old will not allow you to see the new.
Listener 3 : For example, when I watch an advertisement on television, if I listen to it with all my attention, I may go directly to the store and buy it without any hesitation.
Speaker : When you listen completely, then you see the truth of it. We do get fooled by advertisements, commercials because we do not look attentively at them. You are casual when you are looking at the television. If you pay full attention to what is going on, you will penetrate and see the reality of it.
How do you look at the television? Do you say, “This commercial is going on, let me give everything to it.” No. When the commercials are going on, you become all the more casual. And that is the reason why a commercial makes a fool of you. That’s why all these stupid things become our master, because we do not pay attention to them. When we will pay attention to them, we will know their reality.
Reality is when attention is. When you pay attention to it, when you look carefully at it, then you know its reality.
Listener 2 : While I am saying something, you would be thinking that what will I say next.
Speaker : Do you really think so? You really think that just as I said, “You really think so?,” I had thought that I would say, “You really think so?”? Thought requires some time. You really think that I am thinking and speaking? I am moving my hand this way (waiving his hand) , do you really think that I am planning and moving my hand?
Listener 4 : When I am talking, I am thinking about what am I going to say.
Speaker : Did you think out this statement?
Listener 4 : Yes.
Speaker : Yes. Did you think, “Yes”? When you moved your hand this way, did you plan to move your hand this way?
Listener 4 : That’s what I was trying to say. That…
Speaker : That. Did you plan to say that two times?
Listener 4 : No, Sir.
Speaker : Did you plan to say, “No Sir”? It’s just happening, without thought.
Listener 3 : Unless one thinks, one can’t really communicate.
Speaker : When you think you can communicate only like a machine. A computer has everything well planned-out. A software is there. The software already knows.
Real communication happens only in spontaneity.
Do you understand spontaneity? What is spontaneous ? Right now. I just look at your face and I say something. Sometimes I don’t even need to say something. Just looking is sufficient. Doesn’t it happen? If you are really with someone, then just looking at the face is sufficient. No thought is needed. You just understand. Just understand.
Excerpted from a ‘Shabd-Yog’ session. Edited for clarity.