#15 The 10 Sounds Method
Bathe deeply in the continuous sound of a river flowing or by closing the ears, hear the unstruck sound of God. One will then realize God .Verse 38, Vigyan Bhairava Tantra
How to do this Technique
- The sound of a river flowing is a natural sound.
- It is also a continuous sound. In this practice, one has to immerse oneself completely in this sound. All other sounds are to be blocked out.
- It is best to practice this meditation with eyes closed. One has to sit near a river and close one’s eyes. Because the sound of a stream flowing is natural, it is soothing.
- It is unlike some of the sounds we hear in a city, that are disturbing. As the sound is soothing and continuous, it makes the mind more tranquil. It is easy to absorb one’s mind there. Become immersed completely in this sound. Become totally absorbed in this sound. Then the mind will become more calm and peaceful. All thoughts will end and one will realize God. or by closing the ears, hear the unstruck sound of God.
- Normally a sound is made by striking two objects together. An unstruck sound is one that occurs spontaneously. It is not caused by one object striking another. An example of an unstruck sound is the sound of one’s breath. This sound is a natural sound that continues throughout one’s life.
The 10 Sounds
The practice of listening to one’s breath is an extremely important one, and is given at the end of this text. There are certain cosmic sounds that the ancient yogis heard while they were deep in meditation. These cosmic sounds are also unstruck sounds. Some of these cosmic sounds are given below. The greatest unstruck sound of God is the sound of silence. It is often said that God is found in silence. By focussing the mind on silence, the mind becomes silent. By focussing the mind on stillness, the mind becomes still. In this practice, we close the ears to block out all external noise, and concentrate on the silence within. By being aware of the silence, the mind automatically becomes silent. When we are in a noisy environment, where car horns are blowing, or people are shouting, the mind becomes disturbed. We become tense, or easily agitated. On the other hand, when we are in a serene, peaceful environment, the mind becomes peaceful. If you are looking at the sea, or some beautiful mountains, the mind automatically relaxes. That is why people love looking at the sea. A calm, peaceful sea immediately relaxes a person. The mind slows down. Fewer thoughts arise. That is what this meditation does. By being aware of the silence, the mind becomes more peaceful, and it becomes more silent. When we close the ears and concentrate on the silence, we sometimes hear certain cosmic sounds. These cosmic sounds are also unstruck sounds. If you hear any such sound, focus on it. Once it goes away, concentrate again on the silence. Yoga says, there are ten internal sounds one may hear. The sounds indicate that one is progressing towards God. However, it is not necessary to hear these sounds in order to realize God. Being aware of the silence is sufficient. The ten sounds are:
a) Sound of a bee humming.
b) The sound of the word “Chini”.
c) The sound of bells ringing.
d) The sound of a conch shell.
e) The sound of a vina or stringed instrument.
f) The sound of cymbals.
g) The sound of a flute.
h) The sound of a drum echoing.
i) The sound of two drums.
j) Finally, the sound of thunder.
