The Archer

The champion arrived at the competition to prove once and for all that he was the greatest archer in the land. All the other competitors were intimidated by his presence and the audience assumed he would be the clear winner.

Surprisingly, each time the champion took the field, his arrows were inaccurate and his technique clumsy. His performance was no better than a beginning archer.

Perplexed by his performance, an audience member asked the Zen Master what he thought was wrong with the champion.

"His need to win drains him of power" said the Zen Master.

listening

Try to remove yourself from mind-based listening for a few minutes each day. Start to notice when when you are analyzing sounds, but not listening to them. Listening is not analyzing, it is being with a sound fully without the distraction of the mind.

One of the problems we have when hearing a guitarist is that we analyze the performance mentally - the tone, speed, phrasing, technique, etc. There is a lot for the mind to chew on. This has it's place and is important, but even more important is the art of listening without the mind being active.

Walk in the place you live and listen without any judgements. Hear every sound clearly, but without analysis. Be full of the sounds you hear - as if they are coming from inside of you. The world is rich in sound color. Now listen to the spaces between each sound. Listen to how empty the spaces are. Notice how the space feels. Now listen to both sound and silence. If the mind interferes, listen to that as well, and then go back.