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How To Make Peace With Noise

One of the common complaints we surface about our poor ability to meditate is that we get distracted by our surrounding noise. Meditation is supposed to be done in silence, is it not? Since most of us live in close proximity with our neighbors or even our loved ones, whatever noises that others make can well distract us; even whilst we are trying our level best to be in touch with our breath.

Now, here is a story for you to ponder over on how you can make peace with each noisy moment….

Make Peace With Time Meditation
(From My Personal Art Journal: Make Peace With Each Moment)

The Story Of Making Peace With Each Noisy Moment

The party was going on. It was already 2 am. The sound of merry making from the Thai villagers was impossible to ignore. A young monk sitting in his kuti (hut) was not feeling happy.

He was unable to meditate.

Nor get to sleep.

His waking time was usually at 3 am. How was he possibly going to survive on one hour’s sleep if at all, he wondered.

The young monk decided to have a chat with his peers. His peers were equally vexed by the same issue. Would it be possible to ask the villagers to end their partying earlier? They debated for a while and agreed that no villager was going to listen to their request. After all, they were a group of foreigners, who had each separately come from afar to learn from a great Thai meditation teacher. Their Caucasian features would have given them away.

So the group of monks – including the young monk – decided that they would ask their teacher. They concluded that only their great teacher could command enough respect by the local villagers. The villagers would probably accede to his request.

So the young monk approached his teacher. He asked, “Ajahn Chah, I have been disturbed by the noise that the villagers are making in the night. I cannot sleep.”

He continued somewhat hopefully, “Can I get your help in telling them to stop their partying sometime around midnight?”

Ajahn Chah turned to the young monk.

He replied, “It is not that the noise is disturbing you.”

He then went on, “You are disturbing the noise.”

Create Wealth With Meditation

The above is a true story. The young monk is Ajahn Brahm. He related this story when he gave a public talk on How to Create and Manage Wealth at an event organized by the Buddhist Fellowship yesterday on May 26. The story took place some 20 or 30 years ago in a small Thai village far away from the city.

Ajahn Brahmavamso Mahathera (known to most as Ajahn Brahm) was born Peter Betts in London, United Kingdom on 7 August 1951. He is currently the Abbot of Bodhinyana Monastery, in Serpentine, Western Australia and the Spiritual Patron of the Buddhist Fellowship in Singapore.

One of the tips Ajahn Brahm shared about Creating Wealth the Buddhist Way is to meditate. With meditation, one is able to reach into one’s inner resources for inspired ideas to creating abundance.

Hold on a minute? Does this mean that Buddhists are also allowed to become wealthy? Well, it appears so from Ajahn’s explanation. And mind you, Ajahn Brahm knows the sutras from inside out.

I am happy to find that our views are very much in congruence. There is nothing technically “wrong” with making money. “Suffering” only comes when we lose our sense of balance and becomes attached to our material possessions or the lack of them!!

Do You Meditate?

What challenges do you face while meditating? What insights can you gather from the story? How can you deal with the surrounding noise in your environment even whilst you intend to dive deep into meditation?

Distracted not by noise but by a nearby lizard that has you squirming in your meditation cushion? Read my other story on Make Peace With Time.


Happy Vesak Day

May 28 is Vesak Day. Vesak is the major Buddhist festival of the year as it celebrates the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha in one day. This celebration is called Vesak being the name of the month in the Indian calendar.

I would like to take the opportunity to express my thanks to all my Meditation teachers for their guiding light. I have learned from a few disciplines such as Goenka to Vipassana and to the more contemporary Jeddah Mali. By being a student of experiential learning, I have gained much in awareness.

May all beings – including my readers – be well and happy. And not forgetting, Abundance Always!!

Have a magnificent Vesak weekend ahead!

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Did you enjoy this post? Please share it with your friends. Thank you!

Evelyn

Rob - May 27, 2010

That’s it. I’m going to put a link to your website on my blog. You’ve got the most interesting things to say. Thank you!

Evelyn Reply:

Your comment just cracked me up…LOL!! Thank you for your link!

With love,
Evelyn

Mary Madeline Day - May 27, 2010

Blessings Evelyn,

What a great post! I remember when I had a hard time meditating because a dog would not quit barking, over a decade ago. Then I read something by Wayne Dyer and how he was disturbed by a lawn mover while meditating. That made me realize it is not about the noise, it is how we react/respond to it. So like Wayne Dyer, I taught myself to use the noise to sooth me and be more relaxed.

Now with two boys, that can get very noisy (we live out in the country – city noise is not a problem), I am only feeling joy inside and it takes me deeper within.

Thank you Evelyn for all the wonderful insights with each post.

Love,

Rev. Mary Madeline Day

Evelyn Reply:

Hello Rev Day,

It’s great that you can make peace with all that noise. I think I will find it hard to meditate with a dog barking or have noisy children in the background myself.

Oh yes the message is about how we respond to each moment. Are we in resistance or are we embracing it? Be it noise, or anything else distracting, they are our “teachers”.

Abundance always,
Evelyn

Lisa (mommymystic) - May 28, 2010

Evelyn, I love this story and thanks for the reminder about Vesak day. This idea about noise and meditation is so useful I think. Whether it’s the noise outside or inside, I think meditation is just about ‘not touching it’ – not rejecting or attaching to it. That is one way to think of it anyway. The silence is already there, right with the noise. Have a good one- XOXO Lisa

Evelyn Reply:

Hi Lisa,

Hmmm…I resonated with your comment that “the silence is already there, right with the noise”. How very true!

Have a great Vesak!

XOXO,
Evelyn

Chris Edgar - May 28, 2010

Hi Evelyn — this reminds me of what a meditation teacher once said to me, which is that “meditation is practice for the rest of your life.” That is, the attitude of allowing our experiences (including those of outside noise) to simply pass away without resistance, as we often do in meditation, is an attitude that can be brought into the rest of our lives — including busy, noisy places.

Evelyn Reply:

Hello Chris,

Your teacher is so wise. Now that you’ve brought it up, I remember having the same advice too. I was told to incorporate mindfulness and equanimity into my daily life.

May you be well and happy always!

Have a great Vesak weekend,
Evelyn

Phil - Less Ordinary Living - May 28, 2010

Evelyn –

I love the story about the monks – makes me chuckle. I often meditate outside in London, so it is pretty noisy. At first it was distracting, but I realized that meditation is really about being present in the moment, so that is part and parcel of the deal. I still remember reading about how Zen monks will sneak up on students and whack them if they are not present and aware during meditations. Great post!

Phil

Evelyn Reply:

Hi Phil, are you from London? Oh yes! I just checked with going over to your site.

Do you know or have you visited Amaravati Buddhist Monastery off London? It is a monastery with teachings based on Theravadan Thai Forest Tradition from the lineage of Laung Poh Chah (the “Ajahn Chah” with whom I have mentioned in this post). I visited Amaravati 3-4 years ago. It is a very beautiful and serene place.

I went ouch when I read about how the Zen monks would whack their students. Scary!

Have a great Vesak weekend,
Evelyn

Arlene Tangapa - May 28, 2010

Dear Evelyn,

I love your articles. They’re so informative.You’re brilliant. Keep up the good work!

I am a busy person but I set aside quiet times alone because I can relax in it and feel good about myself and life every time I do it.

May I know who gave you my email ad.Tnx.

Evelyn Reply:

Hello Arlene,

It’s lovely to receive a feedback from you. It’s also great that you are one of the few who will make it a point to set aside time from your busy schedule to have quiet sittings. Keep it up!

I am not quite sure I understand you. I don’t have your email address other than when you register a comment.

Warm regards,
Evelyn

Vincent Nguyen - May 28, 2010

Great Story Evelyn,

With so much work noise and social noise and “other” noises. I agree that meditation is an amazing way to detach ourselves from the noise and be at peace with ourselves no matter where we are.

I find it so soothing and calming by taking at least 10 minutes every morning to relax and meditate before my day begins.

Do you have any tips/resources on different ways to meditate and if some are better applied with certain conditions than others?

Thank you

Evelyn Reply:

Hello Vincent,

Good for you in waking up early to meditate before your day begins.

I consider myself a beginner with meditation, so I would not exactly be the best person to offer a lot of tips. My personal preference is Vipassana because I prefer not to rely on any tools other than my breath for meditation. The only value-add that I often suggest is to do some emotional clearing work first if one has difficulty in quieting the mind. A less cluttered mind paves the way for easier meditation.

Hope the above helps!

Namaste.
Evelyn

Vanessa Vinos - May 28, 2010

Hi Evelyn

Love the article!
For me it’s not so much the external noise that causes distraction when I try to meditate, I can usually cut them out quite easily. It’s my “internal chatter” that I just can’t seem to turn off (but I guess that’s another post altogether 😉 )

Evelyn Reply:

Hello Vanessa,

Great point too…LOL!!

Warm regards,
Evelyn

Hilary - May 28, 2010

Hi Evelyn .. I love that story of the monk .. and his agitation .. me too – I do say to myself .. really they can make the noise, I should be able to shut it out .. with a lot of pillows over my head sometimes.

But – you’re right our noise is our noise .. no-one elses and I look forward to being able to be at peace with the noise around, as I will have studied a little towards your way of thinking .. I’m loving this learning from friends around the blogosphere .. thanks Evelyn .. great to be here – have a lovely weekend .. Hilary

Evelyn Reply:

Hello Hilary,

I am happy to know that you are finding my posts informative. It’s nice that we are all learning from each other 🙂

Have a great weekend,
Evelyn

Jannie Funster - May 30, 2010

I think we can be very wealthy, as long as we are giving much away, and love and good energy are flowing freely.

Making peace with noise is something I had not really thought about. I could work on that — especially with the hubby’s snoring. And people munching carrots close to my ear. 🙂 No — seriously! I have a real problem with that. I need work on me!!

xo

Evelyn Reply:

Hello Jannie,

Your comment had me in chuckles. Oh yes, I need to do the same too – making peace with my husband’s snoring!

Have an awesome weekend!
xoxo,
Evelyn

Zengirl @ Heart and Mind - May 30, 2010

When I first read the title, was thinking something else but after reading the whole article, I can tell I have been there and sometimes I let noise bother me and other times I bother the noise 🙂 With 2 little kids, I am always looking for peace time.

Evelyn Reply:

Hello Zengirl,

I know what you mean about having “me” time, without all the noise. “Me” time is not easy to come by and therefore very precious 🙂

With love,
Evelyn

Jenny Ann Fraser - May 31, 2010

Great article!
I live in an apartment building that is small and fairly quiet, but when the neighbors are home I can here every word that they say. They like to entertain guests in the room beneath my meditation chair.
My next-door neighbor likes to play his drums almost every time I sit down… (I asked him how he knows and we had a good laugh!)
I found some advice in Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth that made all of this relatively easy to deal with. Make yourself transparent to noise. Let it flow through you.
Yes, it’s probably more difficult to meditate with noise around, but I also think it’s a great learning experience!

J.D. Meier - May 31, 2010

I guess the next time our neighbor’s dogs start the barking, I need to find a way not to disturb the noise 🙂

I find the most effective ways to deal with noise are:
1. change what you focus on (maybe even wiggle a toe)
2. make a different meaning (don’t take noise personal, it is what it is)
3. make your own white noise (that’s why I carry my iPod wherever I go)

farouk - June 2, 2010

well organized thoughts Eveyln, i live beside the see and groups of people here in alexandria go and meditate on the sand, its an amazing experience

S. Ali Myers - Soulful Body & Mind - June 2, 2010

Evelyn,

I love this post. The story you tied into this entry was pertinent and enjoyable. I would like to add, that I use headphones with meditative music when I meditate. It helps me get deeper within myself. Relaxation is a must when meditating. If you can use something to help you reach that state, by all means, use it!

Take care!
Ali

DaveUrsillo - June 9, 2010

Evelyn,

A wonderful story. Thank you for it and I really enjoy the way that you utilize storytelling to convey important messages.

I just recently wrote a piece about the “power of silence.” My contention was that each of us seeks out moments of silence, of peace, of quiet from the bustle and stream of constant background noise that usually consumes our lives. In these moments of quiet, for example when in nature, we expose ourselves to living more fully in the moment and feel a unique sensation. Very similar to how you mention the importance and power of meditation.

Warmly,
Dave

eura - June 12, 2010

Hi…..
Your story is wonderful. I like it.
Thank you for your story………

Tim D - June 13, 2010

i’ve found that my frustration often comes from trying to “block something out.” if i allow myself to be fully mindful of the noise (or whatever it is), then it doesn’t frustrate me anymore and i can regain my own sense of peace.

tim d
http://www.momentary.org
free mobile gratitude journal

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