To truly be able to listen we must cease all other activities of the mind. We must open ourselves up to the speaker; whether that be another person, a piece of art, or the universe itself (i.e. common experience).
To “open ourselves up” means to the offer no resistance to the ideas and impressions that are being offered to you by the speaker. That is, to not consciously attach meaning or significance to the impressions being conveyed. We should allow our unconscious mind to manage all the necessary associations for us.
We must not seek the reasons or motives behind the words we wish to hear. Doing so will contaminate their meaning with our own dellusions. Instead, we should keep a clear mind. We must accept everything that is being said as though it were we ourselves speaking.
After having thus listened, we may reflect on what we have heard at our leisure. In this way understanding is given its voice.
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