Date: 11/01/2025 11/02/2025
Location: Star Ocean Meditation Center
Teacher: Sara
Sitting Meditation
Deepening Levels of Seated Meditation: From Sound to Silence
The deepening of meditation is not the pursuit of special states, but a natural refinement of body and mind as stability grows. “Sound” and “silence” refer not only to external noise, but to the diminishing of inner reactions, judgments, and self-referential activity. Practice is not about rejecting sound, but about no longer being carried away by it, allowing the mind to return to clarity.
1. Understanding “Sound”: The Starting Point
1.Sound remains, awareness is shallow
In early practice, external sounds, bodily sensations, and thoughts arise frequently, easily capturing the mind.
2.Reactions to sound create disturbance
The obstacle is not sound itself, but judgment, resistance, or attraction toward it.
3.Sound reveals mental habits
Irritation or attachment toward sound reflects unresolved inner tension.
4.Allowance of sound is essential
Forcing silence intensifies conflict and agitation.
2. From Sound to Less Sound: Weakening of Reaction
1.Sound is heard without following
With steadier awareness, sound is noticed without triggering mental chains.
2.Judgment gradually fades
Labels of good or bad dissolve; sound is simply sound.
3.Inner commentary quiets
Associations and self-talk linked to sound diminish.
4.Attention naturally turns inward
The mind settles into breath or open awareness, less affected by externals.
3. Approaching Silence: Emergence of Inner Stillness
1.Silence does not mean deafness
The ears function, but the mind no longer reacts.
2.Awareness becomes spacious and stable
Attention rests openly rather than fixating on an object.
3.Sense of self temporarily softens
The feeling of “I am listening” fades into pure awareness.
4.Stillness appears naturally
When conditions mature, silence reveals itself without effort.
4. Clarity and Insight Within Silence
1.Stillness is not dullness
True silence is accompanied by vivid clarity.
2.Awareness remains continuous
Even without prominent objects, clarity persists.
3.Calm supports insight
In stillness, body and mind are seen more clearly.
4.No attachment to silent states
Craving silence reintroduces movement.
5. Returning to Daily Life
1.The return of sound is not regression
Everyday noise reflects changing conditions.
2.Freedom from being led by sound
The issue is not sound’s presence, but its influence.
3.Practice of stillness within movement
Maintain non-clinging awareness in all activities.
4.Meditation integrates with life
When the mind is not moved by conditions, practice naturally deepens.
Conclusion
Moving from sound to silence is the natural refinement of attention from coarse to subtle. True silence is not separation from the world, but freedom from being disturbed by it.
