The Power of Listening and Being Heard

In 2021, I was sitting in the shrine room of a Tibetan Buddhist Monastery perched on a cliff overlooking the frozen ocean. The view out of the window of the infinite horizon was only comparable to what I had experienced out at sea. I was in a deep personal retreat with no noise, light, or mind pollution. At this particular moment, I sat in a circle with other monks; we bowed and listened silently as each member shared their thoughts. There was no talkback, no advice given, just one person sharing and everyone else listening.