Passive listening is a habit that can have detrimental effects on communication skills and relationships with others. The Twelve Nidanas of dependent origination can help explain how this habit arises, and what we can do to break free from it.

Ignorance is the first step of the Twelve Nidanas, representing a lack of understanding about the importance of active communication. Mental formations follow as a result of ignorance, leading to the formation of passive listening habits. Consciousness is then conditioned by these mental formations, making one more prone to passive listening.

Name and form refer to the physical and mental makeup of a person, which can make one more susceptible to passive listening. The six sense bases represent the physical senses and the mental faculty that interact with the world. In the case of passive listening, the person is using their physical sense of hearing, but not fully engaging with the message being conveyed.

Contact occurs when the speaker delivers a message, which the listener receives through their sense of hearing. However, due to passive listening habits, the listener may not be fully paying attention to the message. Feeling refers to the sensation that arises from a sense impression. In the case of passive listening, the listener may feel neutral towards the message, as they are not fully engaged with it.

Craving occurs when the listener experiences discomfort from passively listening and may either crave distraction or desire to end the conversation. Clinging happens when the listener clings to passive listening habits, making it challenging to break away from this habit.

Becoming occurs when the habit of passive listening becomes a defining aspect of ones personality, shaping communication habits and hindering interpersonal skills. Birth represents passive listening tendencies that begin at a young age and can lead to compounded difficulties with communication, resulting in future interpersonal or professional obstacles.

Old age and death represent continued passive listening, which if left unchecked, can reinforce an ongoing cycle of interpersonal challenges. Recognizing and breaking the habit of passive listening at each point of the Twelve Nidanas requires cultivating awareness, redirecting attention, developing strong concentration, and practicing non-attachment, among other things.