Mindful Contemplation

Explore the Diversity of Contemplative Practice

Learning to Listen Contemplatively

Growing our Capacity to Listen

What are you listening with?

  • Most of us listen with our ears, our logical mind, and our preconceived ideas for how things are.
  • What would it be to listen with all of your senses, with our heart, with your spirit, with all of our being?
  • How do you listen to presence? Presence of another, our own presence, presence of God?

What are you listening for?

  • Most of us listening for confirmation of what we already know.
  • What would it be to listen for what we have not yet experienced?
  • Wouldn’t that change us, wouldn’t that transform us?

Listen with what posture, what intent?

  • Most of us listen to understand.
  • What would it be like to listen towards being present with? This requires openness, surrender to the experience of the other, and a willingness to be transformed.
  • Listen to what is present, what is here, with your whole being, with a heart of openness and surrender and care for what you encounter. 

 

In essence, listening is being present to the presence of the other.