236 Global Ethics for Leadership
means ‘the word’, or more particularly ‘the meaning of the word’.^191
Therefore dialogue refers to meaning flowing around and through us.
In order to have meaning flowing through us, we need to practice
‘deep listening’, i.e. listening with loving kindness, listening without any
prejudgement, prejudice, bias and stereotypes, above all listening with
empathy. Listening in this manner—and not only ‘hearing’—can be en-
couraged by the practice of any religion, whether it is Buddhism, Chris-
tianity or Islam. That is to say, listening is a basic element of learning
and understanding the teachings of one’s religion. Listening with re-
spect, readiness to learn and with an effort to understand is fundamental
to the practice of all religions. By doing this, ‘attentiveness’, a total con-
centration is necessary condition to accompany with ‘deep listening.’
18.2 Religious Teaching of Dialogue
How can religious teachings make ‘deep listening’ in dialogue effec-
tive? Usually, people who are interested in listening find it easier to un-
derstand each other’s stories. This leads them towards what is referred to
as the state of ‘I in me’. By listening to other people’s convictions with
loving kindness and without any prejudgement, we can start to eliminate
bias and misunderstanding. This can lead to what I refer to as the state of
‘I in it’. When we further listening with our hearts, we can enter into a
condition of empathy with others that brings us close to ‘I in you’. Such
listening from heart to heart will take us beyond the constraints of the
‘you and me’, towards a state of awareness I call ‘I in now’ that trans-
cends any difference. ‘Deep listening’ in dialogue parties at this point
will be mindful of the present moment and realise the common value of
humanity they all access. In other words, deep listening in a process of
dialogue will enable us to learn about the differentness of others, to in-
191
Bohm, D. (1996) On Dialogue (ed. by Lee Nichol) London: Routledge.