What do you think about this question taken from the Zen tradition : ” if a tree falls in the middle of a forest and there’s no one near by : does it make any sound?”
and if there is no one?
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if there ll be noone in the forest and a tree fells down then that sound can’t be a sound as for giving a meaning to sound someone should b there to hear it . huma arshad
I use the expression in work upon occasion,”if you future work/career ambitions are not shared with those who can have an influence on helping to prepare the road, do they exist?”. I like to think sound is one sign of existence, and a request for action or guidance.
no one will hear it..but there will be someone who see it…
it will make a sound only no one will notice nor hear it for it were never given any attention.
Every sound, every move ever made on this planet created nature being what it is today. The whole world has felt consequences of Chernobyl, is not it? Although many have not seen or heard anything. The same applies to wood’s sound, there are just far less consequences.
If we say that the sound does not exist, it means we deny the existence of everything on this world that we can not see or hear or explain. It is very egocentric way of thinking.
yes, it does make a sound….like me..eventhough i’m not really sure that this comment will be heard or not,,say, will be read or not, this comment makes its own sound for me and help me define my self…
Well it depends on our perception – whether sound is something external or internal – if it is created through our senses, then no. if the sound exists as an essence in itself, then yes,
”if a tree falls in the middle of a forest and there’s no one near by : does it make any sound?”
yes. it will make a sound. it’s just that no one was able to hear that it fell because no one is around.
it is also similar if i leave my pencil on the table, let’s say the wind blew it so it fell, but i didnt hear the sound it made when it fell because i wasn’t around.
this reminds me that we should be susceptible to the attitudes, feelings, or circumstances of others.sometimes we hang out with our friends but how much do we know about them? what if they are totally broken inside, that they dont want to give any hint of what they are feeling; they just need to be surrounded by happy people so they could feel better too. since nobody dared to ask with their finest senses, then no one will ever know even the loudest cry that one does inside.
there is sound everywhere, even in silence there is sound..sometimes we just dont hear it. it would be like sleeping through the night but, if you awoke during that sleep you would be in a different time of your life.. :)
there is sound everywhere, even in silence there is sound..sometimes we just dont hear it. :)
It will make a sound, a huge noise with a lots of pain. No one is there to hear him, no one is there to assure him that everything will be fine. May be he will want to cry till his lips feels salty. He will ask him why this time came into his life, but the question will only echo back to him, but he will think as sound never dies someone somewhere will get to know about his pain. Only a Hope to get back again.
It will not make noice… it will fall down silently as there is no one to hear its pain… in the middle of the forest it surrenders himself to be relived from the pain it has been taken silently and lonely… for the peace within…
it’s will make a sound,but if no one is there who going to here it???
yea it makes sound n whole universe resonates it n rejoices as every fibre in it knows that every fall lead to rise n vice versa. so they enjoys every moment thru all senses.lv u all
Yes.
This Zen question also telling me that; two is better than one.
Huey
For the Universe it does make the same sound like that of the born of a child,the death of a king,i mean has exactly the same importance,no matter there is “nobody”near.The words are not my own invention,I heard them in”The WHite Elephant”,and was related to the Question what is the sound made by one single hand moved in the air.Chalenging Question,I wait for more.LOve
we can feel the sounds even without trying
& the key is by hearing it by ur ears then feel it by ur soul
This is the correlation between FACT and PERCEPTION. The fact is that the tree fell and made a noise;but noise could only exist if it was perceived.
No, because the sound just became a sound when it can be heard it…otherwise is just a type of energy flowing in the air…
Hello Everyone,
I loved this, thank you Paulo!
Thinking about faith. This Zen question reminds me to also see without the eyes and listen without the ears.
A day is cloudy. Does the sun shine when no one sees?
Who has seen the wind?
Thank you Paulo! Love to All, Jane : ) xo
if we focus we can hear every thing even the silence
it’s still make sound..i dont care we can hear it or not.. but im sure and absolutely sure Alloh hear it
This silent tree makes a good sound.
What a beautiful question this is. It certainly makes a sound, anything that vibrates, makes a sound. Whether someone is present to hear it or not is a different factor all together. That is my humble opinion.
It’s also like asking yourself the same question: “Who cares about the dancers in the dark?”
true. Same thing, but some one cares…right?
so the tree does make a sound.
Love it.
we accept it or not,we justify it or not,we witness it or not………..exsistence cant be denied ……the coming future will tell its history n there will always be an account of it!!
Hi everyone, maybe we can try to view it from this perspective: ‘Things can exist, because I exist. Without me to perceive them, then they do not exist’. We may say that this can’t be true, there will still be sound produced regardless if I am there or not. But if you didn’t exist then the knowledge that there was a sound produced would not be known for there is no one to know it. We may say still that ‘Of course there will still be sound produced even when there’s no one to hear it’, but we can only make this claim for we exist now, for we are here knowing that there is such a thing as sound. Maybe this is the miracle of existence. To know that everything that happens around you is within you.
It will make a sound that will echo in the universe and will be heard in time and with time,it will be heard by the ear that was destinated to hear that sound.Boomerang.
i was wondering about this question for a long time and mostly my answer was “no there would not be any sound”. but now i read candieb’s answer to this question and i think it is the most beautiful answer you can imaginge :) i will keep it in mind, thank you for that!
I think that when a tree falls down makes a sound, the fact that no one is around to hear it doesn’t change the fact, we cannot change the physical laws.
Nature, as trees has always been there long time before human race.
Besides we can’t hear all the sounds it is scientifically proven.
We can’t consider our selves or our race as the center of the world.
In the contrary i think we should start pay attention to more simple things and then we might be noticing the sounds that at the present we miss.
” if a tree falls in the middle of a forest and there’s no one near by : does it make any sound?”
This statement defies logic.
That's the same as asking this question:
“If I eat a Crispy Cream alone in my living room and there's no one near by : does the calories make any count?”
(wink)
no…there wouldnt be any sound..for you cry only to be heard , so that somebody who hears you would come & offer you thier love & warmth …when theres none to hear , there is no purpose to speak…
Can I share something I learnt from my faith? That is why there is God. For he always listen.
you can see it in a different way:
someone did something very honorable and nobody knows about it and all the people surronding him will never know about it… did this someone do this very honorable then? did he really do it? there is no acknowledgement whatsoever! there is no sound!
if there is no one to hear it – then there is no sound!
Si, hará el mismo ruido que si hubiera cientos de personas escuchando.
God doesn’t exist because we cannot see him?
A rose is not red because we cannot see it?
Well, a tree still does make a sound although no one is around to hear it!
what’s so complicate about it?
:)
There are two kinds of events: objective and intersubjective. If a tree falls and there is no one to hear it falling, then it causes simply vibrations in the air. If a person is there, then the objective becomes intersubjective. Then, and only then it’s a sound. The sound is an intersubjective event.
it will. all is interconnected in this universe.
Is the question a relevant one? The sound exists, in and of itself.
I was recently thinking about this very question as I was mushroom hunting in the woods. I revisited the same woods several times over a period of a few weeks. The last time I was there the terrain was barely recognizable from the past week. Much growth had occured, and the deer trails were barely visible. Then I noticed a fallen tree, it must have come down as a result of a recent storm and was freshly splintered near the base of the trunk. I was not there when it happened, thank God, but I am sure that the deer, bunnys and birds heard it. I do not understand how anyone can think that it would not make a sound. God is everywhere, He does not need a human presence to exist.
It depends on your mind.
If a flower is picked from where it is growing does it make a sound? If a stone or a shell is removed from where it was anchored does it make a sound? If a heart that is full of love and light has shadows cast upon it does it make a sound? The intention behind the action will determine the effects of the “sound” for all dont you think?
It definitely, creates or transforms a form of energy…
Of course. It does. I can even hear it.
It’s the same question like the following one: when God can’t help Himself/Herself creating a beautiful thing, like a precious flower in the middle of the jungle or anywhere else in the middle of wilderness, if no one sees it, does it mean that it doesn’t exist, that it makes no sense in this world?
Everything happens for a reason, for everything to evolve. Even if we see, hear or not, happenings take place and they have effects on short and long term! It depends on what we choose to believe in… :-)
Lots of affection and all the best in the world,
Carmen Larisa
P.S. Happy 20th anniversary of the beautiful and wise words in “The Alchemist!” May they live forever in the Light of the Spirit! :-) May we all identify with the eternal Spirit!
Qué es lo importante, oir o ser oidos? oir o querer oir? ruidos hay muchos, el arbol certainement fera du bruit quand il tombera…ahora bien, pueden estar miles de personas cerca y no haberlo apreciado ninguna…y viceversa, no haber nadie, y que alguien, lo haya sentido caer…
Of course. The fact the we don’t hear it it doesn’t mean there is no sound.. movement is sound .. everything that moves in a manner makes a sound…
” if a tree falls in the middle of a forest and there’s no one near by : does it make any sound?”
- No, it doesn’t. If I don’t hear it, it has no effect on me or my life, or anyone else’s (including animals in the forest) for that matter.
- It’s irrelevant, wouldn’t make a difference either way.
We all need an audience, its universe’s nature:)))
Well, I think of course will make sound,perhaps anyboday there isn’t near of the forest, in my opinion sound don’t depend on people, depend on the reality of the nature.
Great question! It is one those things that are designed specifically for emptying your mind of thoughts. Unfortunately this sort of thing no longer works on people. We have grown beyond it. Many have now become aware of the ‘beyond logic’ and of the fact that the universe is constantly listening. Humans are no longer considered the center of the world. So even if there is noBODY there, the trees, the earth and the spirits of the forest may still be listening. GOD is still listening. I believe it makes a sound.
That is the way I like to interpret it:
There are enough strong trees in a healthy forest. It does not matter (makes no sound) when one of them falls in the middle – the forest will have no damage. In the contrary there will be a free place and light for a new seed to grow, which will develop into a new big and strong tree.
Life is like the forest, the falling tree is a symbol for failure or things going wrong in your life. When nobody is hurt (nobody is near by) by it, it is not bad and not worthwhile to worry too much about it. Take it as a chance to let grow something new in the free place.
Dear Paulo,
I hope you will explain what this question originally meant! I am curious now!
If you Listen enough,, you will probably hear trees whisper, can you imagine what would happen if it really falls!!! a tornado, ONLY if we listen Enough.
No, the tree does not make a sound. This question is not about sound, but about what a tree really is, the essence of the tree. The essence of the tree is about stillness,consciousness, presence. So no, what the tree really is does not make a sound. Funny isn’t it?
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