One of my favorite parts about the listening side of Recording and Listening is when old recordings —from a number of years ago —come back around. It is fun to hear what that person was looking at, humbling to see how much those same things still cycle around (humility seems an important ingredient in a solid practice!), and a great mirror for just how Practice has deepened since then.

The part that is most awe-inspiring is how often it feels that the Being listening now receives a depth of wisdom from the person who made the recording long ago, that even the person speaking the words did not consciously see.

The person making the recording was seeing something and talking about that.  Then the person listening hears those words years later, and because she is at an even deeper level of practice now than she was then, she sees the truth of those words in a more profound way.  And, thus, the person who made the recording in the past becomes the teacher for the person listening today.

Perhaps it is an experience of the Zen saying, “We are already enlightened; we just don’t know it.”  The person making the recording was elaborating great wisdom and the person today can receive it. What a team!

Do you have a favorite R/L insight, idea, or practice tool? We’d love to hear it! Send us your favorite quick tip (75 words or less) or submit your idea for a blog post.