To listen with judgment, comparing what we hear with what we already know or have read, is a form of distraction. But if we can listen without comparison, with effortless attention, then that very listening is an act of meditation which brings about a deep transformation. Try observing yourself sometimes to see if you ever really listen to anything, to what your friends say, to what your wife or husband says, to what your boss says, and you will find that your mind is not there at all. You pretend to listen, but you are only half listening; either you are frightened, or bored, or you just don’t want to listen, so there is no direct communication. Listening in itself brings about an extraordinary miracle. The very act of listening produces an immense understanding without any effort on your part; and since you are here and I am talking, I would suggest, if I may, that you listen to find out what it is I am trying to convey.

From Collected Works, Vol. 10

#krishnamurti
#meditation
#phylosophy
#life
#day25

Merry Christmas! Last little bottle in the advent calendar is Douglas Laing's Old Particular Scallywag's Finest 75th Anniversary Edition 15 year old (cask 18193) finished in sherry, at 48.4% ABV.

Malt, cocoa, and candied fruit on the nose; raisiny and plummy on the palate with orange peel and ginger, with the ginger lingering into a long finish. Again, an appropriately Christmas-y dram.

1/2

#photography #drinks #whisky #whiskyadvent2025 #day25

Kept the concept super simple for #Day25 of #Gobtober with a prompt of #champion

I may have imagined Rocky at the top of the Philadelphia Art Museum as I worked this dude out…