Listening

Listening has nothing to do with the ears or the mind.
It is a matter of being present, being relaxed, being soft, being interested, being willing, being inviting, being lively.
I think John once used the words dwelling & lingering.
The feeling is as though you want each moment to last forever because it has so much detail and texture and beauty that it would take an eternity to do it justice.
Each moment is a deep pool that you fall into.
You practice listening in pushing-hands.
Feel the other: their presence, their warmth, their humanity, their suffering, where they're coming from and where they're going.
A sure sign of not listening is when the pushing-hands tends to speed up and gather momentum. This is a sign that you're 'getting off' on the energy of the interaction but have no real interest or compassion for the person in front of you.
Listening is not about riding the energy (any fool can do that) but about connecting, which involves letting your tentacles (your sensuality) explore and delve the moment - opening into the moment.
Everything touches. Listening is the investigation of this.
A listening person will have a soft light touch that insinuates and dwells with you. A feminine touch.
They forget themselves to be completely with the other.
They become the other, if only for a moment.
Yet with true listening each moment echoes through time and through your life, informing and enriching all other moments.
Life then is not "moving from one sensation to the next" but a heart directed richness with so much detail, texture and beauty that it would take an eternity to do it justice.
In fact it is an eternity.