sound current - some perceive tinnitus
scott
i'd like to share some findings with y'all. about 3 weeks leading up
to the day when i became aware of my own awareness (the somewhat end
to a lifetime spiritual quest) i began noticing a light humming or
whistling like a flute for which i could not find a source. i wrote
the sound off - thinking it was some low tone that just happened to
find its way to my house from someplace else. then later, while in a
very quiet hotel room, i heard the same whistle - and became rather
frightened that i was beginning to imagine things. trying to find an
external source for the sound only lead to my notice of other tones
and whistles - sometimes i could separate up to three tones/whistles
at a time while lying quietly in bed, and the highest pitched sound
seemed to becoming constant and louder. it was scary! after some
research on the subject, i diagnosed myself with tinnitus - it was the
only thing that seemed to fit - but it didn't sit well with me because
i could not find within me a reasonable cause for such an 'illness' -
and i had other notions about the nature of the sounds.
my feeling about these sounds, in particular - the highest pitched and
constant buzz, was that it's the constant sound that life makes, and
awareness of it is not a symptom of illness, but a positive condition
of awareness. i felt this could either be a blessing or a curse, but
i couldn't put it together.
my ideas seemed to be holistic in nature, so i began searching in the
zen newsgroups for information on tinnitus and other postings in
reference to internal sounds. below, i've pasted what i copied from
this group, and a couple groups. i could find no reference to shabda
in the tinnitus newsgroups.
my question for this group, do you imagine there are perhaps many
thousands of people who believe they are suffering from incurable
tinnitus, when in fact, they are noticing the sound current?
thank you.
scott
from alt.dreams.lucid
Dusk wrote:
"...what I try to do [before going to sleep] is listen to the sound
'nothingness' a high pitch tone that is always there. It helps me rid
my mind of anything, songs, thoughts or images. I concentrate on it
very hard, and then bring it back to a monotonous hum after which it
dissappears, leaving total silence. It's not about maintaining that
silence, but dissolving in it into a dreamstate."
Amishman35 replied:
"You have tinnitus? I do too! It sounds like air filling a tire."
Douglas D. Anderson replied lastly:
"It is not tinnitus, but an 'inner' sound called in Shabda meditation
'the Sound Current'. It seems at times in life easier to hear, but
if you can focus on it perfectly, it becomes louder and louder into a
huge rushing roar, and it is at this time very easy to project out of
the body, 'the Sound Current' seeming to sweep the spirit out like a
huge wind. I used to practice Kundalini yoga years ago, and astral
projection, many times, but have drifted away from that not having
found any practical purpose for it, in a very materialistic world
where such practices actually interfere with working and making a
living. Pity we can't all be martyrs. 'The Sound Current' can actually
be quite alarming and frightening, even after much practice, and
waking meditation to practice concentartion and focus is necessary in
order to enter it without panicing, which will cause you to lose it
and fall back into normal conciousness. It can make you go crazy,
obsessed with it, which can hurt your daily survival, so spiritual
discipline is a necessary precursor..."
from alt.meditation.shabda:
Bart wote:
"20 years ago, I was initiated into light and sound meditation. About
a week before the initiation, I began hearing a high pitched sound in
my right ear. I was given the impression by this path, and subsequent
light and sound paths I've followed, that I was hearing a
manifestation of the sound current. One path described the sound
current as a "high pitched whistle", or "an electrical sound". Both
descriptions fit what I hear in my right ear. Recently, I had a
hearing test, and the audiologist pointed out that the noise I was
hearing was the result of a condition called tinnitus, an abnormality
in the nervous/hearing system that produces the illusion of sound in
the brain. Am I hearing the sound current or do I have a disease? If
it is the sound current, can a Sant Mat master make it stop? I do not
want to hear this sound anymore. It makes it difficult to get to
sleep and stay asleep, and causes nervous agitation during the day."
no replies made (back in 1997)
from alt.meditation.quanyin :
PaulD wrote:
"Someone can tell what is this sound that we can meditate on. Is it
this hisssing noise hight pitch sound that we have sometime the
impression hearing in our head, Thanks."
anon. replied:
"The audible sound current, according to the teachings of Shabda
Yoga/Sant Mat, takes the form of "the roar of the sea", "the tinkling
of bells", "sound of the flute", "rushing wind", "running water", etc.
The high-pitched sound has been reported by some meditators, but it is
very similar to tinnitus, a phantom sound produced by the auditory
nervous system once the hearing system has been damaged or as the
result of intense, chronic stress. If you started hearing this sound
just before, during or after initiation into sound meditation, it
probably not tinnitus, although it is theoretically possible. I know
of two other people who started hearing the high-pitched sound around
the time of a spiritual initiation- that is unlikely to have been a
coincidence. The musical sounds I mentioned are definitely not
tinnitus. For example, I once heard a violin sound while practicing
sound meditation. It was a very strong sound, and was definitely
coming from within. It only lasted a few seconds, as if a violinist
had appeared in the room and played a single note right in my ear."
Mike Carris
and turn into a big bell sound.
"scott" <scottsc...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:f7ae2577.01120...@posting.google.com...
Michael Martin
I think that could be what's happening. Those who have more
concentrated minds, would hear it. I don't think science fully
understands concentration of the mind, nor the sound current, so they
tend to diagnose it, as something physical.
>
> thank you.
> scott
>
>
> from alt.dreams.lucid
>
> Dusk wrote:
> "...what I try to do [before going to sleep] is listen to the sound
> 'nothingness' a high pitch tone that is always there. It helps me rid
> my mind of anything, songs, thoughts or images. I concentrate on it
> very hard, and then bring it back to a monotonous hum after which it
> dissappears, leaving total silence. It's not about maintaining that
> silence, but dissolving in it into a dreamstate."
Concentration sometimes, comes and goes, and so does the sound.
Simran (repetition) while listening to the sound will increase the
concentration. Without simran, we are likely to lose the sound, after
a while, but even this depends on the individual and the state of his
mind.
>
> Amishman35 replied:
> "You have tinnitus? I do too! It sounds like air filling a tire."
>
> Douglas D. Anderson replied lastly:
> "It is not tinnitus, but an 'inner' sound called in Shabda meditation
> 'the Sound Current'. It seems at times in life easier to hear, but
> if you can focus on it perfectly, it becomes louder and louder into a
> huge rushing roar, and it is at this time very easy to project out of
> the body, 'the Sound Current' seeming to sweep the spirit out like a
> huge wind. I used to practice Kundalini yoga years ago, and astral
> projection, many times, but have drifted away from that not having
> found any practical purpose for it, in a very materialistic world
> where such practices actually interfere with working and making a
> living. Pity we can't all be martyrs. 'The Sound Current' can actually
> be quite alarming and frightening, even after much practice, and
> waking meditation to practice concentartion and focus is necessary in
> order to enter it without panicing, which will cause you to lose it
> and fall back into normal conciousness. It can make you go crazy,
> obsessed with it, which can hurt your daily survival, so spiritual
> discipline is a necessary precursor..."
I think there is undue emphasis on "alarming," and "going crazy,"
here. It is different, but we get used to leaving the body. Going
crazy is more likely to result from lack of sound current, then having
it. Sound current gives us a sense of peace and contentment. The
higher we follow it, the more peace we feel. Of course, we should be
following a True Master, who will meet us in the Astral Plane, and
take us home. Without a True Master, we would be subject to Kal's
(Satan's) agents, or even Kal, himself. We would likely be led
astray, sooner or later, without a Master.
Just to hear the sound indicates more concentration of mind than the
average person possesses, but if we want to go higher, we will need a
"boost." That boost comes from practicing Sat Guru Bhakti. Love for
him will induce concentration of the mind. Without something
positive, such as the Master, to inculcate the longing in us, then all
the negativity of this world would be pulling us away from the sound,
and it would be difficult to go higher. Even if we did go higher,
without a Master, we would run into problems as I just discussed in
the last paragraph.
>
> from alt.meditation.shabda:
>
> Bart wote:
> "20 years ago, I was initiated into light and sound meditation. About
> a week before the initiation, I began hearing a high pitched sound in
> my right ear. I was given the impression by this path, and subsequent
> light and sound paths I've followed, that I was hearing a
> manifestation of the sound current. One path described the sound
> current as a "high pitched whistle", or "an electrical sound". Both
> descriptions fit what I hear in my right ear. Recently, I had a
> hearing test, and the audiologist pointed out that the noise I was
> hearing was the result of a condition called tinnitus, an abnormality
> in the nervous/hearing system that produces the illusion of sound in
> the brain. Am I hearing the sound current or do I have a disease?
I would say probably hearing the sound current.
> If
> it is the sound current, can a Sant Mat master make it stop?
Not really. It is your own mind which is concentrated. Your mind
would need to be more scattered to make it stop.
> I do not
> want to hear this sound anymore. It makes it difficult to get to
> sleep and stay asleep, and causes nervous agitation during the day."
>
> no replies made (back in 1997)
If his mind is still concentrating, then that is the truth of the
matter. It is subconsciously, his own mind, which wants to withdraw
from the world, IMO.
>
> from alt.meditation.quanyin :
>
> PaulD wrote:
> "Someone can tell what is this sound that we can meditate on. Is it
> this hisssing noise hight pitch sound that we have sometime the
> impression hearing in our head, Thanks."
It is that sound, but simran is necessary to bring about more
concentration. Simran that has been given to us by a True Master.
With more concentration, the sound becomes clearer, louder, and more
pulling.
>
> anon. replied:
> "The audible sound current, according to the teachings of Shabda
> Yoga/Sant Mat, takes the form of "the roar of the sea", "the tinkling
> of bells", "sound of the flute", "rushing wind", "running water", etc.
> The high-pitched sound has been reported by some meditators, but it is
> very similar to tinnitus, a phantom sound produced by the auditory
> nervous system once the hearing system has been damaged or as the
> result of intense, chronic stress. If you started hearing this sound
> just before, during or after initiation into sound meditation, it
> probably not tinnitus, although it is theoretically possible. I know
> of two other people who started hearing the high-pitched sound around
> the time of a spiritual initiation- that is unlikely to have been a
> coincidence. The musical sounds I mentioned are definitely not
> tinnitus. For example, I once heard a violin sound while practicing
> sound meditation. It was a very strong sound, and was definitely
> coming from within. It only lasted a few seconds, as if a violinist
> had appeared in the room and played a single note right in my ear."
The sound is not physical. It is hearing a loud, powerful, sound from
a distance. That's all. It will clear up into the Big Bell, Thunder,
Guitar, Flute, and MILLIONS of Bagpipes, if we follow Master upwards,
stage by stage. At the highest level, there is no sound. It is a
perfect peace and contentment there, as everything is unmanifested.
The sound is really God in a manifested form. Mystics tell us that he
is mixed with mind and maya, at these lower levels. It is also, the
real form of the True Master. At higher levels we get the pure Shabd,
and finally the source of it, Anami Desh, that Nameless Region.
Michael
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/michaelmartinwesternsatguru
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/radhasoamisatsangbeas
Mungo
scottsc...@hotmail.com (scott) wrote:
> my question for this group, do you imagine there are perhaps many
> thousands of people who believe they are suffering from incurable
> tinnitus, when in fact, they are noticing the sound current?
That question is examined in an excellent book:
The Ringing Sound: An Introduction to the Sound Current
by Eric Gustafson
http://www.consciouslivingpress.com