Empathy

A good definition of empathy and what listening really means, by Confucius. 

"The hearing that is only in the ears is one thing. 

The hearing of the understanding is another. 

But the hearing of the spirit is not limited to 

any one faculty, to the ear, or to the mind. 

Hence it demands the emptiness of all the faculties. 

And when the faculties are empty, then the whole being listens. 

There is then a direct grasp of what is right there before 

you that can never be heard with the ear or understood with the mind."

~Confucius

Just adding a clarification after some feedback:

Faculty in this case refers to the senses and perceptions. Emptying the faculties means you remove your personal filters of what is really being said/conveyed, filters that are in place inside your mind because of your past experiences/prejudices, and which affect your perception. Without the filters in the way, you will be able to see and hear what is truly happening.