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Yes
son, only when you are aware of your ignorance can you remain with
the attitude of a beginner. A beginner is always ignorant and he knows
he is ignorant. Therefore he listens intently. He is open and receptive.
Once you think that you know, then you do not listen anymore, you
only speak.
Your mind and intellect become full. You are not a beginner anymore,
you have turned into a knowledgeable person. But in reality, a knowledgeable
person is more ignorant than others, because he is completely closed.
He has lost his ability to be open and receptive. He may be knowledgeable,
but he does not really know.
To really know is to be different from being knowledgeable. You need
to be open inorder to know. You need to be an innocent beginner.
The beginner is able to bow down in humility, and because of this,
true knowledge flows into him. But a knowledgeable person is merely
full of information and tends to be egoistic. He therefore cannot
bow down and be humble. True knowledge cannot enter into him. There
is no room for it and so it spills out.
Amma has a story to tell you. A Mahatama (great soul, Self-realized
Sage) once lived in a deep forest. One day a very scholarly person
came to the forest to visit him. The scholar was in a great hurry
and said to the Mahatama "Revered Sir, can you tell me something
about meditation?"
The Mahatama smiled at him and said "Why are you in such a hurry?
Sit down, relax and have a cup of tea. Then we will discuss the matter,
there is time enough."
But the scholar was very restless and impatient. He said "Why
can't we do it right now? Tell me something about meditation!"
However, the Mahatama insisted that the scholar should sit down, relax
and have a cup of tea before he would talk to him. Finally the scholar
had to yield to the Mahatama and he sat down. But, as is the nature
of a scholar, he couldn't possible relax. He was constantly talking
within. The Mahatama took his own time. He made the tea and came back
to the scholar who was waiting for him impatiently.
The Mahatama handed a cup and saucer to the scholar and then he began
to pour the tea into the cup. The cup became full, it started to overflow,
but the Mahatama did not stop pouring. The scholar shouted "What
are you doing? The cup is full! Stop pouring!"
But the Mahatama kept on pouring. The tea overflowed into the saucer
and from the saucer it slowly began to drip onto the floor. The scholar
shouted at the top of his voice "Hey, are you blind? Can't you
see that the cup is full and that it cannot contain another drop?"
The Mahatama smiled and stopped pouring the tea and said "That
is right, the cup is full and it cannot contain another drop. So,
you know that when a cup is full it cannot contain another drop. How
then can you who are brimful with information listen to me when I
talk about meditation? It's impossible. So, first empty your mind
and then I will talk to you. However, meditation is an experience,
it cannot be explained verbally. Meditation happens only when you
get rid of your mind and your thoughts.
Mother continued "Knowledgeable people or intellectuals only
know how to talk. They cannot listen. Listening is possible only when
you are empty within. Only one who has the attitude "I am a beginner,
I am ignorant" can listen with faith and love. Others cannot
listen.
If you observe two scholars talking to each other, you will see that
neither of them is listening to what the other is saying. But you
will see also that one is keeping quiet while the other is talking
and vice versa. You may think that they are listening to each other,
but in fact they are not. They cannot listen. When one speaks, the
other one may not be speaking externally, but he is speaking within,
forming his own ideas and interpretations.
Each one is waiting for the other to stop so that he can start, and
there will be no connection between what they are saying to each other.
One will be talking about A, and the other will be talking about Z.
Neither of them is a good listener, they each know only how to speak.
HOW TO LISTEN
If you want to be a good disciple, you must become a good listener,
a listener endowed with faith and love. You must always have the attitude
of being a beginner so that you can listen properly. Such a beginner
will be completely open and innocent, like a child.
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Son,
Amma is not saying that you aren't listening. You are listening, but
only partially. You listen with your mind. You listening is divided,
not undivided.
If you for example look at the people who are watching a cricket match
or a football game, you will see that sometimes they forget themselves.
When their favorite player bowls or kicks the ball, they will also
make funny movements with their hands or legs, and sometimes you see
some off expressions on their faces. They are participating with their
bodies. But they do not forget themselves completely, they are still
there, engrossed in the play, but only partially.
When a great musician is performing, the listeners will participate,
shaking their heads and clapping their hands. But this is only partial
participation, only emotional participation. You whole being is not
involved.
When you listen to a song, you are present, whereas in actual participation,
you are completely absent. You forget yourself. Your whole being,
every cell of your body opens up and you receive wholly without missing
a single drop. As you drink in the object of your thoughts or meditation,
you become one with it. In that kind of participation you yourself
are totally absent. It is as if the player is absent - only the play
exists. The singer is absent - only the song exists. When Mira Bai
(famous saint) sang and danced, her whole being participated.
Your listening becomes complete only when your whole being participates.
Only then will true knowledge flow into you. When you learn to listen
to the Master with your whole being, then you yourself are absent.
You cannot be present, your mind or ego cannot remain present in that
kind of listening or participation. You identify with your Master,
which his infinite consciousness and you become everything.
When you participate wholly, you become everything, you identify with
the whole universe. A new world opens up before you, and you become
permanently established in that state.
From
more info on Ammachi, you can visit her official website at:
www.ammachi.org
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