Power of Listening & Learning
Eight Qualities of people having intellect are The desire to listen, Listening, Grasping or taking in what was heard, Absorbing / internalizing what was taken in, To reason by inference and make appropriate deductions (of what has been internalized), To reason against what has been internalized, Intent of the knowledge that has been inferred and the essence / philosophy / spirit of the knowledge that has been inferred.. (Nitisaara Kamandaka 4.21)
Power of Listening & Learning
Upanishads are part of Vedanta. The term Upanishad derives from upa- (nearby), ni- (at the proper place) and sad (to sit) and it means ‘sitting near a teacher to receive the sacred teachings. Of the 108 Upanishads that have been preserved, 12 are considered the principal Upanishads.
Most Upanishads are a dialog between the teacher and the student, to imply that most of the learnings in our life happens through listening. Transfer of knowledge involves four phases as per Upanishads.
shravanam (listening):The first stage is just listening and understanding what the scriptures say.
mananam (reflection): The Vedas themselves invite us to question the teachings. We use logic to ensure that there are no inconsistencies. We continue to do this until all doubts are removed.
nidhidyasanam (meditation/internalization): Next stage is internalization and practice of the knowledge until it is second nature. You become one with the knowledge.
saakshaatkaaram is the final phase of learning where the ‘learning’ becomes a reality or is actualized in a real sense, and one is face to face with reality.
In verse 2.4.5 of Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Yajnavalka instructs his wife Maitreyi to follow these exact steps to realize Brahman. Learning about Brahman must go through these four phases.
आत्मा वा अरे द्रष्टव्यः श्रोतव्यो मन्तव्यो निदिध्यासितव्यो मैत्रेयि, आत्मनो वा अरे दर्शनेन श्रवणेन मत्या विज्ञानेनेदं सर्वं विदितम् Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.4.5
The Self, my dear Maitreyī, should be realised—should be heard of, reflected on and meditated upon. By the realisation of the Self, my dear, through hearing, reflection and meditation, all this is known.
Constraints of Listening
• Love for one’s own voice, i.e., Talking more than Listening.
• Not living in the present.
“When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.”― The Dalai Lama
‘Not living in the present’ is a major distraction for ‘listening’. Concentration is required to assimilate and absorb the ‘listening’.
Living in the Present
When you aren’t present, you become a victim of time. Your mind is pulled into the past or the future, or both, resulting in missing the present. When our lives become dictated by thoughts and emotions attached to past events or future outcomes, due focus and attention are not given for the present.
We live in the age of distraction. It is quite common to see people fiddling with their phones or fingering on their laptops during a meeting. Yet one of life’s sharpest paradoxes is that the brightest future hinges on your ability to pay attention to the present.
We don’t appreciate the present because our ‘monkey mind’ vaults from thought to thought like monkeys swinging from tree to tree. That is why Indian Vedic scriptures explain the correct process of ‘listening’ to ‘learning’.
Fourteen qualities of a king
We have seen in detail four diplomacy tactics and eight intelligences as told by Hanuman about Angad. What are the fourteen qualities required of a king? Valmiki does not list these qualities
बुद्ध्या हि अष्ट अंगया युक्तम् चतुर् बल समन्वितम् |
चतुर् दश गुणम् मेने हनुमान् वालिनः सुतम् || Valmiki Ramayan 4.54.2
Hanuman considered Vali's son Angad possessed eight kinds of intelligence, four essential tactics and fourteen qualities (required of a king):
It is believed that the fourteen qualities are:
1] knowledge of place and time, 2] sturdiness, 3] enduring troubles, 4] knowing all possible, 5] skilfulness, 6] self-defence, 7] maintaining confidentiality of strategies, 8] avoiding unwanted debates [or, not uttering lies, 9] courageousness, 10] recognising strengths and weaknesses of one's own and of others also, 11] faithfulness, 12] sheltering the seekers of shelter, 13] showing anger at appropriate times, 14] unwavering in opinions or actions.
POSITIVE NEWS PAGE
Reproduced from SUNDAY TIMES OF INDIA dated 10th Nov 2024
She did not allow her disability to hold her back
B Kavitha has been living with a locomotor disability since the age of 14 but she did not allow her disability to hold her back in her life. She uses a wheelchair and relies on her mother and elder sister to help her move around daily.
Her personal struggles motivated her to start the ‘Foundation for the Welfare of Persons with Disabilities’ at Chennai to help people with disabilities.
Her foundation organises camps to assist with government welfare schemes, pensions, healthcare and housing for people with disabilities. To support her foundation, Kavitha started a small business producing eco-friendly products.
Her work as a disability rights advocate has earned her the National Award for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities from the Union Ministry of social justice and empowerment. She will receive the award on 3rd December in New Delhi.
Kavitha is planning her next big initiative, a vocational training centre aimed at equipping people with disabilities with the skills needed to enter the workforce. “The goal is to give people the tools they need to be independent and employable” she said.
We wish her great success in her initiatives.
________________________________________ Conceived, compiled and posted as a weekly newsletter MONDAY MUSINGS in LinkedIn by Jaganathan T (www.authorjaganathan.com)