Morgan Gunnarsson:
When there are other people around when I meditate I use earplugs and noise cancelling headphones in combination to minimize external sounds. How important are external sounds for the development of insight? Do you use earplugs or similar devices?
indispensable for getting into concentration/jhanas..especially more so with human sounds around..
no wonder the Buddha recommended isolated places like forests and empty dwellings...earplugs is
the best thing that ever happened to me when I started meditating
but should be totally avoided when aiming for insight practise..nothing like insight arising
due to sounds..