Listening to the Dharma

To attain realization of the Dharma while listening to a sermon, one must have a settled mind. For it is only through concentrated attention with a settled mind that one can attain concentration (samadhi). And only concentration can still the mind for insight.

If the mind wanders while listening to the Dharma -- whether over domestic, economic, or other affairs -- samadhi will not be attained. If anxiety sets in, it is all the worse. If distraction and anxiety crop up, the essence of the Dharma will slip by. As samadhi is lacking, there will be no insight. And if one cannot attain insight for vipassana, how can one attain realization of the Dharma?

Concentrated attention while listening to a sermon is, therefore, an important factor. The listener must listen carefully, with full mental involvement, and the words of the Dharma must be adhered to in practice. If one attends to a sermon in this way, one's mind will be calm and absorbed in what is being said. One will be free from interference and thus attain purity of mind.
— Facebook: Discourse on the Hemavata Sutta

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