Listening

Today I had the honor of listening to someone’s life story as part of his recovery process so through my listening I had an empathic, understanding, compassionate connection with him that lasted about four hours, exhilarating and exhausting. Such a connection requires that I put any concerns of self aside for a time and focus on the other person. I make similar connections by phone or in person several times a week. I have not been able to make strong connections through electronic means like e-mail or Facebook. "Listening is a far more difficult process than most people imagine; really to listen in the way that is meant by the masters is to let go utterly of ourselves, to let go of all the information, all of the concepts, all the ideas and all the prejudices that our heads are stuffed with." (Sogyal Rinpoche)