Listening to Dukkha: How Music Became My Meditation
What if your playlist wasn't just a soundtrack, but a dataset of your own nervous system?
In Listening to Dukkha, data engineer and strategist Abhay Singh offers a radical new approach to emotional intelligence and self-mastery. Moving beyond traditional memoirs, Singh treats his life's music library-from the vibrant chaos of Bollywood item songs to the raw screams of Linkin Park and the expansive riffs of Led Zeppelin-as "time-series data" revealing the hidden patterns of the mind.
This is not just a book about music; it is a manual on "debugging the self."
Singh argues that modern professionals and leaders are often hijacked by "pre-verbal emotion engines"-cultural scripts and conditioned responses (or saṅkhāras) that drive behavior below the level of conscious thought. By applying the rigor of systems engineering to the messy reality of human emotion, he demonstrates how to:
Reverse-engineer resilience: Using heavy rock and grunge not just for catharsis, but as a diagnostic tool for stress and burnout.
Analyze the "Multi-Modal Package" Decoding how visual and auditory media shape our perceptions of power, desire, and performance in the boardroom and beyond.
Collaborate with AI: Featuring a groundbreaking exploration of Generative AI as a "strange new bandmate" for reflection and creativity.
Transform Distraction into Insight: Turning the very things we consume for escape-music videos and pop culture-into "secular mandalas" for focus and clarity.
Ideal for the analytical mind seeking deeper purpose, Listening to Dukkha bridges the gap between the meditation cushion and the data lab. It is an essential read for anyone looking to lead with greater awareness, proving that the path to a high-performance mind often begins by simply pressing play.
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