Listening to the Song – Part 2

Tara Brach

Tara, Dharma, Selfhelp, Talks, Spiritual, Buddhist, Insight, Audio, Tarabrach, Mindfulness, Rain, Psychology, Compassion, Vipassana, Health & Fitness, Mental Health, Meditation, Guided, Brach, Buddhism, Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 10.6K Ratings

🗓️ 31 July 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Listening is more than a communications skill, it is a capacity that awakens our awareness. And given our current times, this capacity is essential if we are to navigate the great divides that separate us from our inner life and others. As we learn to listen inwardly, we begin to understand and care for the fears and vulnerability that ask for our attention. And as we listen to others, that same intimacy emerges. In this two-part series we examine the blocks to listening and the practices that cultivate this essential domain of human potential. Our focus is both on the transformational power of listening in our personal lives, and also the necessity for deep listening if we are to bring healing to our wider society.

In this talk, Tara explores:

listening as a spiritual path that heals wounds and deepens connection with ourselves and others.
how to quiet the “dense forest” of thoughts to meet others with presence and care.
practical ways to stay present—using anchors, pauses, and self-coaching in conversations.
how compassionate listening helps others feel seen, restoring a sense of aliveness and belonging.
listening as a bridge for reconciliation, revealing our shared humanity and capacity for healing.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Greetings. We offer these podcasts freely and your support really makes a difference.
0:06.0	To make a donation, please. Thank you for being here.
0:31.6	This is the second part of a two-part talk on listening.
0:37.0	And I thought I'd begin with a question, which is,
0:41.6	when was the last time that you felt truly listened to? And not just being heard, but
0:49.9	fully received. Like your words, your tone, your very being was met with presence and care.
1:00.2	And as we reflect, we can sense it's pretty rare, yeah?
1:06.3	And yet, when it happens, something shifts.
1:11.3	We soften, we feel seen, we begin to trust.
1:17.4	Listening is one of the simplest human acts and one of the most powerful.
1:23.8	It has the capacity to dissolve walls and to heal wounds and really to open us to new possibilities
1:32.4	in our relationships and in our own hearts. And listening deeply, especially the moments that matter
1:40.1	the most, it's not easy. We get distracted, we get reactive, we get defended, we listen
1:46.6	to argue, we listen to fix, or we don't listen at all. You know, you've probably heard
1:53.5	the one-liners like my partner says I have two faults, not listening and something else.
2:04.1	And when we really look to the source of so much of our woundedness as humans, it's others
2:12.0	not paying attention, not attuning.
2:15.1	And so many have found that if our caregivers didn't listen to us,
2:21.0	we're not so good at listening to our own hearts, our to others, or to what's really
2:27.2	calling for attention in our world. So part two of our exploration today, it's about the inner work of listening, how to
2:38.0	coach and invite ourselves to stay present and curious and open and do that even when the waters are rough.
2:47.0	Because the truth is that learning to listen, it's not just a communication skill.
	...

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