Recently, I was in one of the huge bookstores in Bengaluru. The occasion was about launching an Osho book called “The Book of Secrets.” This book has a super collection of meditation techniques for everyday life. Now how does one launch a book of meditation? Simply by meditating, isn’t it? Well, that is what we did. We picked a technique which was suitable in the market place. “Bathe in the center of sound as in the continuous sound of a waterfall and hear the sound of sounds.” There were about 50 people gathered. I asked them to sit on the chairs and close their eyes and welcome the sounds coming to them. There was a buzz of shoppers, and the salesmen talking to them, whirr of the air conditioners, traffic noise outside. Together all these sounds became a waterfall or a “sound-fall” to coin a new term. Now they had to feel that they are bathing under this sound fall and get drenched.
Everybody did it. As the sound waves penetrated deeper they felt silence arising inside. Their silence was so potent, the shoppers and the sellers were affected by it. They stopped their activities and stood still watching us. The silence spread all over the store like a mist. This miracle happened just by accepting the sounds without any resistance. Unfortunately, we have developed a kind of antagonism towards sounds. This creates an inner wall and we do not appreciate the deeper qualities of this audible element. Try to enjoy it. The sound moves in circles. The sight is linear. The sound is circular. We can hear sound because at the centre of our being there is no sound, it is silent. A sound cannot hear another sound. Because you are soundless at your core, your centre, you can hear sounds. Whenever there are sounds, you are the center.
Osho says, “Wherever you are, if you are doing this technique, just close your eyes and feel the whole universe filled with sound. Feel as if every sound is moving toward you and you are the center. Even this feeling that you are the center will give you very deep peace. The whole universe becomes the circumference and you are the center, and everything is moving toward you, falling toward you. If you can find out where is the centre, where is the field in you to where every sound is coming, suddenly sounds will disappear and you will enter into soundlessness”. “If you can feel a centre where every sound is being heard, there is a sudden transference of consciousness. One moment you will be hearing the whole world filled with sounds, and another moment your awareness will suddenly turn in and you will hear the soundlessness, the centre of life.” Once you have heard that, then no sound can disturb you. The key is to not start thinking about the sounds, do not judge them. Just accept them as they come to you, move within towards your soundless centre.
