Date: 04/05/2025 04/06/2025
Location: Star Ocean Meditation Center
Teacher: Sara
Sitting Meditation
The Relationship Between Sound Phenomena and Awareness
In practice, sound is often regarded as a disturbance—external noise, sudden sounds, or subtle internal vibrations seem to pull attention away. Yet the Dharma does not treat sound as an obstacle. Sound is merely a phenomenon; whether it disturbs the mind depends on the stability of awareness. When sound is observed as arising and passing, it becomes a doorway for cultivating clarity and concentration.
1. Seeing Sound Clearly: A Conditioned Phenomenon
1.Sound does not intrude intentionally
It arises from conditions and does not seek to disturb.
2.Sound has no fixed substance
It appears and disappears without permanence.
3.Disturbance arises from reaction
Judgment and resistance, not sound itself, create agitation.
2. How Awareness Relates to Sound
1.Awareness turns sound into an object
Observed sound loses its controlling power.
2.Without awareness, sound pulls the mind
Unnoticed sound triggers associations and emotion.
3.Stable awareness places sound in the background
It becomes part of the field, not the center.
3. Skillful Attitude Toward Sound
1.No rejection, no pursuit
Neither forcing silence nor following sound.
2.Hearing as it is
Attending to tone and intensity without meaning.
3.Observing the reaction chain
Seeing the movement from hearing to judgment.
4.Resting in awareness itself
Sound moves; awareness remains.
4. Sound as Support for Concentration
1.Training stability amid change
Holding awareness within fluctuation strengthens concentration.
2.Releasing attachment to quiet
Freedom from dependence on conditions.
3.Expanding the field of awareness
Including multiple phenomena without loss of clarity.
4.Cultivating equanimity
Equal awareness of pleasant and unpleasant sounds.
5. Wisdom Revealed Through Sound
1.Direct experience of impermanence
Sound vividly demonstrates arising and passing.
2.Non-self is evident
Sound appears without control.
3.Awareness surpasses control
Insight comes from seeing, not managing experience.
Conclusion
Sound is not an enemy but a mirror of awareness. When awareness is steady, sound remains a phenomenon; when it is unstable, sound becomes disturbance. True stillness lies in unmoving awareness, not in a silent world.
