Thursday, April 27, 2006

The Power of the Voice

Down through the ages, the great spiritual teachers gave sermon after sermon to their followers. One could explain this as the wise illiterate conveying knowledge and wisdom through speech to their followers because they couldn't write it down. I believe though, that speech has a power all its own. We learn language by ear long before we learn to read or write, therefore, our auditory and verbal speech centers are probably one of the earliest and most developed areas of our brains. Also, reading a book adds layers of comprehension that differ from speech. You read the words, try to place them in proper context, tone and pacing due to punctuation, then synthesize everything into a whole concept or gestalt. What is almost an automatic unconscious act when listening becomes a conscious chore when reading. It is said that the Buddha and Jesus didn't wish their teachings written down, quite possibly because they didn't wish their pupils to be distracted. Also, you tend to pay more attention to a teacher when all you are doing is listening. This is just my personal experience, but I have found it easier and more insightful to listen to Eckhart Tolle rather than read his books. I have read The Power of Now twice and A New Earth once. While I have gleaned insight from reading each book, I've remembered more just listening to the audiobooks, perhaps, because it was easier. This is my own personal experience. (Caveat - I had cataract surgery last summer and I'm still getting used to the ocular implants. They make reading less easy for me than in the past because I have to move the book into my focal plane because I can no longer focus my eyes like a normal person. On the other hand, I can actually see out my left eye whereas before everything was a blur.) Decide which path to knowledge and wisdom is best for you. If you have a spiritual teacher and audio and reading materials exist of those teachings, experiment and see which format is best for you. I am guessing though, that because it is easier to listen and that people were largely illiterate, that this is why sermons or the equivalent have lasted so long in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Sometimes I think the Quakers were closer to the spirit of The New Testament. They sit in stillness until the spirit moves them to speak.
Comments:
"This is just my personal experience, but I have found it easier and more insightful to listen to Eckhart Tolle rather than read his books."

Wow, it's interesting you should say that. I, too, have both read and listened to The Power of Now and the audio version seems to have more "Oomph."

I'm discovering that the audio book is my new favorite way to "read." I've just finished 14 hours of lectures from Alan Watts called "Out of Your Mind" that has been beyond fantastic. It's something I never would've gotten through in books, but the marriage of the truth (message) with spirit (passion/humanity/??) that comes from hearing him speak has been marvelous.
 
Hi there,

My name is Satish, and I am currently working on a project to understand experiences of people before and after their cataract surgery. Will you be willing to share some of your experiences with me, please? I'd love to get about 15 minutes of your time to talk about the importance of eyesight, your cataract surgery procedures and life after the surgery.

If you will be kind enough to respond to satish.krishnamurthy@tbwachiat.com and let me know what's a good time to talk, that will be much appreciated. I can also be reached on 212.804.1275

Thanks so much for taking time to read this message. I am really looking forward to discussing this topic with you.
Best wishes,
Satish
 
And of course some people are auditory learners and some visual.

But you know, although I'm generally more in tune with the printed word, I got an awful lot out of making listening to spirituality/religion cassettes (including Tolle) part of my "breakfast routine" for a while. Relaxing. And since you only hear a little at a time, as opposed to sitting down for an hour with a book, I think it may help with assimilating the material.
 
Or you can install text-to-speech programs that can read any text or document for you in computer voices or natural speech. There are a number of freeware versions and you can install free voice modules in several languages. You can also convert small or large documents into mp3's for later listening. Just a suggestion.
 
Kathy, I'm going through it at present. It's recommended. ;-)
 
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