Seeing the meaning

It is highly important to understand the actual meaning of everything we listen as Dhamma.  As beings who are trained to grab the meaning in the surface level, we often miss the moral of the story.  Because we normally try to understand the meaning through the data which we received through the 5 senses.  When we hear a bundle of words, we normally grab the meaning of the words, not the hidden meaning of those words.

For an example… let’s use an idiom here…

“Understanding of the Pure Buddhist teachings occurs only once in a blue moon”

There are two levels of understanding the meaning here…

When you listen to this in surface level, you just grab the literal meaning of the words only.  Like, one can even understand these words are something about the moon or full moon day… some can even think of it as to understand the Buddhist teachings, moon must be in blue color, or it is not possible to understand the Buddhist teachings, if the moon is not blue… etc. etc.…

Think of the possibilities of creating stories when you listen to the words. Worst thing is that each story will give you the confirmation of that you have fully understood the meaning of those words, when actually you are far from understanding the meaning.

And then the second way of understanding the meaning. 

When you hear this, you just know that this means about something extremely rare in occurrence.  This means that understanding of pure Buddhist teachings doesn’t happen very often.  It’s rare.  Likewise, you understand the meaning beyond the words. 

Our listening is conditioned and if we are not aware of it, we will end up by understanding something else by believing we understood the correct meaning. 

So, my dear friends… don’t take this as an easy task… but, your listening improves with the eagerness to liberate and find the ultimate truth.

Listening to a bundle of words and understand the meaning from surface level doesn’t mean one understood the meaning.   Our agitated mind always in action to distract us in so many possible ways.  So, to listen beyond words, the skill has to be developed, and your eagerness should develop.  So, check within… are you a true listener?  Can you satisfy with the listening level of yours?

Have a blessed time and explore within!