‘Listening’ or (Ting) within the Chinese arts refer to the more passive yet receptive state of our awareness that does not lead us into opening the floodgates of visual and tactile sensations ‘false positives’ within our practice.
We use our senses to interact with the world. Wherever we focus our awareness, we engage one of these senses. If we observe or look at our body, the mind creates visual feedback like colors or shapes. This visual stimulation can lead to a flood of random thoughts, which isn’t helpful.
When we feel what’s happening in our body, it can trigger reactions like a sensation of ants on our skin. These distractions can pull our focus away, like an itchy nose during meditation. However, if we listen, we engage our awareness passively. Just like you can’t listen well while talking, mental stillness is key. Thinking is simply speaking without verbalizing your thoughts, which interferes with listening. The quieter your mind, the better you can listen.
Initially, you’ll listen with your ears, focusing on actual sounds. But soon, you’ll move to listening with your mind, using the energetic aspect of listening without relying on your ears. A challenge here is avoiding contemplation. Without external stimuli, the mind tends to contemplate, leading to insights but not the deep listening we aim for. To move beyond this, relax and let your mind absorb into the practice, reaching the stage of listening with your Qi.
At this level, your awareness merges with your energy system’s flows and pulses. Your mind absorbs deeply into your body, stabilizing into its structure. The key is maintaining a balance: too much focus leads to mental action, while too much relaxation leads to daydreaming. We seek a firm but soft quality of mind.
