How can you best prepare yourself to receive Gurumayi’s Message during Sweet Surprise? In The Power of Listening to Learn—The Power of Learning to Listen, Swami Ishwarananda explores this question by providing means to refine the ways you listen and learn.
You may revisit these instructions as many times as you wish. What Swami ji teaches would also be helpful preparation for any family members or friends who are participating in Sweet Surprise for the first time.
Before beginning the audio recording of Swami ji’s talk, be sure that you
- select a time that allows you to participate without interruption (the audio recording is 22 minutes in length)
- create a comfortable space, free from distraction
- have at hand any items you require to support you in sitting comfortably, such as a meditation cushion
To begin, click the launch button. You will be prompted to select a language—English, French, Hindi, or Spanish—in which to participate. You may pause the talk at any time.
By launching this webcast, you agree to the Terms and Conditions.
This talk was such a great reminder for me. I am aware that in life I rarely listen fully to anyone as I always have a response ready before the person has even finished their sentence! I often interrupt, although I have been working for a long time on not doing this. I usually blame this bad habit on the fact that my mind moves so quickly that I often think I know what the person speaking to me will say next.
I intend now to listen to Gurumayi’s Message with my full attention and without all my mental editing, mental commentary, or guessing games. I now know that I have not truly listened to many of Gurumayi’s teachings in the past, and have not been aware of how they build on one another.
This year I will have a deeper understanding of the listening process, thanks to this wonderful talk from Swami Ishwarananda.
Delaware, United States
Just before
Sweet Surprise this year, I listened to this audio webcast. I felt I was transported to the state of a true seeker waiting to hear Gurumayi. The recommendation to listen to Gurumayi's Message as if it were my own personal message helped me tremendously in absorbing Gurumayi’s teachings with full devotion. I loved hearing that many of my friends in the local Siddha Yoga meditation center had the same experience.
Bangalore, India
This talk gave me significant preparation for receiving Gurumayi’s Message. After listening to it two different times this week, I was inspired to return to a CD of a previous Message talk to practice
shravana. And it felt like I was all ears, with ears like Ganesh! Although the Message talk was one that was very familiar to me, to my amazement each word and sentence had its own brilliantly new life and throbbed with meaning for my life right now.
I am so grateful for this experience that is a direct result of Swami ji's thoughtful guidance and our Guru's grace. I enthusiastically look forward to working on making
shravana a daily practice
.
Tennessee, United States
While I was listening to this talk, I noticed a big shift of awareness. First I felt much calmer and then I noticed my heart expanding. My mind was crystal-clear, the way I feel during a very good meditation. I realized that listening to the teachings can connect me profoundly with the Self.
São Paulo, Brazil
This was such a great reminder on how to listen, without mixing in my opinions and commentary. Usually, when I "listen" to people talk, it takes me much effort to not respond immediately or guess in my head what that person will say next.
After hearing Swami ji’s talk, it will be my intention during
Sweet Surprise to listen intently and receptively. In this way, I will be able to receive the Message more clearly so that I can integrate it more deeply into my being.
Pennsylvania, United States
This audio webcast about listening reminds me that it is important not only to focus during the event itself. By preparing beforehand to really listen, I can really receive what I need to receive. And by contemplating afterwards, I can remember what I need to remember.
The most precious things in my life have come from listening to Gurumayi. Listening, listening and listening again, has taught me so many things. I am grateful for these precious words to listen to that help me prepare for
Sweet Surprise.
Ramonville Saint Agne, France
After listening to Swami Ishwarananda's talk, "The Power of Listening to Learn—The Power of Learning to Listen," I started to pay more attention to how I hear and what I hear, including my thoughts.
I realized that, in order to practice
shravana fully, I need to be connected to, and immersed in, a state of deep silence within. From this state of deep silence, I can hear fully the teachings that will guide me to the Self. My heart can hear and understand the teachings.
Today, during my daily meditation, when I was repeating Gurumayi's name, I was able to create that silence and experience
shravana.
Niteroi, Brazil
What a beautiful, potent talk! It occurred to me, after listening to this powerful teaching on listening, that this is a very important subject for Siddha Yogis during this overstimulating age of technology and information. Certainly, for me personally, it is one of the most important things for me to remember.
Thank you for bringing our attention to important aspects of daily life that many of us miss. I now realize that my whistling exchange with the desert songbirds outside my home each morning is actually engaging in the practice of listening. In order to answer their melodies, I must first listen with great focus. Thank you for helping me to identify and acknowledge the value of one of my favorite daily meditations on nature.
Nevada, USA
I am feeling so full after listening to this wisdom-filled talk. What an amazing and practical way to prepare myself for
Sweet Surprise, in which I will receive the central teaching around which my
sadhana will revolve throughout the year.
It is so true that the more we value the Guru’s words, the more we experience the
shakti in them. This talk teaches me to allow the precious words of Shri Guru to settle into the most perfect space within me, so that I can extract their elixir and implement them in my daily life.
Swami ji’s talk not only teaches me to prepare myself for Gurumayi’s Message, but also gives me ways to make myself a better human being with happier relationships.
Thane West, India
What a great event this was indeed! As I listened to Swami ji’s talk, I was not merely hearing words; I was experiencing the presence of our beloved Gurumayi ji and Baba ji within myself. I felt deep inner peace and my mind became totally still.
I express my heartfelt gratitude for this powerful and wonderful experience. My belief that the Guru is all-pervasive has been strengthened. I bow to the Siddha Yoga Masters.
Yamuna Nagar, India