What is the inner sound?
What is referred to in this guide as the “the inner sound” is also known by other names such as the Śūraṅgama sound, the sound of silence, surat shabd, anāhata, nāda and the self-arising sound of the empty mind.
The inner sound is a phenomenon that not everyone seems to perceive. For those that do experience it, the inner sound is often described as a continuous high pitched, crystalline or silvery ringing that is present in the background of the experience of hearing. For many people that perceive the inner sound, it initially seems to fall within the range of 2700-19000hz. This “sound” has no perceivable external source.
Note that due to the inability of some to hear this inner sound, and the varying capacities that lead to whether it is perceived, this method may not be a suitable choice for cultivation for some beings. Please keep this in mind if you find that this practice method does not seem to be compatible with your makeup.
Finding the inner sound
If you are interested in practicing with the inner sound the first step is to find a way to directly experience it. Here are some of the more reliable approaches that can be used for finding the sound.
- Go somewhere quiet and listen intently to silence.
- Plug the ears and listen for it.
- Listen for it in a very dark room or outside when it is dark.
- Submerge the head under water and see if it appears during that time.
- Listen for the inner sound right as you awaken from sleeping.
- Build some samādhi using another method (such as mantra or breath meditation) and the inner sound will often appear.
If you find that you experience the inner sound, you are welcome to download and experiment with a tone generator app and compare it to the tones produced to find out about what frequency the inner sound tends to be for you.
Growing familiar with the inner sound
Once the inner sound has been succesfully found, begin setting up regular practice periods where you gently attempt to re-find it and then listen to it continuously. Whenever you notice that the mind has wandered from noticing it, simply return to the sound again and again. This will not only help build increasing sensitivity to it, it will also lead to the inner sound becoming more easily accessible as a meditation method as well. With diligent practice eventually the inner sound may be found even in the midst of noisy and busy experiences and environments.
Working with the inner sound as meditation
To begin practicing with the inner sound, tune in to it just as described before and begin gently noticing it continuously. Let this practice become like an anchor, maintaining awareness of it regardless of any thoughts, impulses, sensations and other sensory data that show up within the experience. Even when the mind drifts, it will tend to not be able to completely wander due to the presence of the sound within the experience. This will call the mind back to clarity again and again.
With careful and sustained observation of the inner sound, it will become increasingly clear that it appears to be composed of more than one tone or type of sound. Study this in detail and see what different facets of the sound open up. Listen closely and learn to attune awareness to whichever aspect of the sound seems more subtle or harder to follow. Staying aware of this subtle aspect of the inner sound will not only help build greater sensitivity to it, it will also lead to less discursive-thought with a sense of calm (samatha) and will generate greater interest and clarity (vipassana). The sound can be a potent tool because it does not encourage conceptualizing, labels or thoughts about it. Prolonged experiencing of it leads directly into non-conceptual experiencing.
Each time you practice, spend the practice period finding and then maintaining continuous awareness of the inner sound, returning to it again and again if the mind wanders. Eventually you will notice that no matter how much or how far the mind tries to wander during practice, the sound remains present and does not allow the wandering to go past a certain point.
You may find that experiencing the inner sound has an energizing quality to it. Some have found practicing with the sound to be a quite effective method when dullness and sleepiness show up. However, if the experience becomes too energized or overstimulating, combining inner sound practice with soothing aspects of breath meditation or increasingly gentle and less effortful observation can be skillful approaches to finding balance in the practice.
Advanced practice with the inner sound
To move into more advanced practice, after locating the sound, begin noticing it using only the effortless awareness of it that occurs naturally. Without using any special attention or concentration, simply notice it in the most non-effortful and ordinary manner possible. While the sound rings continuously, begin also noticing the experience of the perceived “knower” or the “hearing” of the sound in any way that it shows up. This may feel like the sound is being experienced at the ears, in the head, or any other way the “hearer” seems to be present in the experience. Do not be concerned about experiencing it in a certain way, simply remain aware of the inner sound and how the experiencing of it seems to feel moment to moment.
Allow the continuous stream of the inner sound to continually illuminate this experience of the “hearer” and notice any perceived disturbance, discomfort or effort that becomes apparent as part of the experience. Through simple and diligent observation this disturbance tied to the “hearer” will be sensitized to and understood more and more deeply as if through osmosis. Wisdom will build naturally and will begin to relax and release portions of the disturbance. This will in turn begin to alter the way the “hearer” and the inner sound are perceived and experienced.
No matter how the experience of the “hearer” of the inner sound changes, simply remain aware of both the inner sound and the experiencer of it. Notice how the inner sound is not felt to be made by you, does not require effortful attention to be noticed, and how what feels like the “hearer” shifts and changes.
With diligent practice the experience of both the inner sound and the “hearer” may go through many permutations. These will occur as part of a natural unfolding if the instructions given above are followed. Some of changes in how the inner sound may be experienced are listed below.
- A feeling of finding the inner sound to be pleasant (or perhaps unpleasant).
- Hearing the inner sound at or in the ear.
- Experiencing the inner sound as part of what feels like the experience of hearing.
- Noticing that the inner sound seems to be mental, as opposed to physical.
- Experiencing the inner sound as happening to that which knows.
- Inner sound as activity within emptiness.
- Inner sound as emptiness.
- Etc.
Remain resolute and keep practicing formally and all throughout daily life. This type of practice with the inner sound will eventually lead to the erosion of mistaken ideas of how experience and experiencing take place. This leads to seeing and growing familiar with the true nature of mind.
Repeated exposure coupled with learning Dharma from a skilled teacher will lead to liberating changes and increased freedom from vexation. For this reason it is vital to not only practice regularly, but also to become familiar with the Dharma concepts that bring deeper meaning and context to the practice.
If you find that inner sound practice takes hold for you and you wish to learn more, feel free to contact me to discuss working with it.
May this reference guide serve as a support and benefit for all beings across the Dharma realm. May all be liberated, released and quenched.
Namo Shakyamuni Buddha
Namo Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva