Source: DougMark Productions

In the Perfect Penetration Through Hearing practice, you simply listen without attachment to sound, to silence, or to the contrast between the two; there’s no attachment at all. If you are able to listen in this way, you will eventually reach a point when listening still occurs, but it no longer has an object. In other words, there is still awareness, but that which you are aware of is empty. The Shurangama Sutra says, “when both awareness and the objects of awareness become empty, then emptiness and awareness merge and reach a state of absolute perfection.” 

Source: The Way of the Heart: Teachings of Dharma Master Hsin Tao

PS: Learning to hear silence in the midst of noise is – wow. This practice also teaches one to be breath. One follows their breath, but goes beyond, ceases thinking and becomes breath itself – empties into awareness of breathing. “There is no longer any difference between “being” and “nothingness.” And now you are nothing 🙂

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    Emptiness, the void, darkness, nothingness, uncertainty, abyss, existential dread, feeling numb or like “something is missing” are all symptoms of what I call the emptiness practice (also known as “the dark night of the soul”). It is a tough practice. This Emptiness Survival Kit is based on my learnings in the last couple of years and is a summary of key quotes, tips and practices that helped me and I hope help you to get through it. I plan to post daily for a sum total of 42 posts. See you on the other side.