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I used to do meditation chanting OM/AUM (with help of a YouTube audio) using headphones but not now, I follow different method now. But my question is:
How does a person know that the constant buzzing sound in the ear is due to the meditation or if it is Tinnitus?
PS: Neither me nor anyone in my family have any history of Tinnitus.
Is it possible that one can start hearing this buzzing sound due to incorrect meditation technique?
How does a person know that the constant buzzing sound in the ear is due to the meditation or if it is Tinnitus?
When disease or disorder is possible, is better to consult a doctor. When you go with yoga techniques, in some point you will need a qualified guru (how to find a good guru is another question by itself).
Is it possible that one can start hearing this buzzing sound due to incorrect meditation technique?
It is possible. Specially with the use of headphones. You should try without the audio, just by yourself, and see what happen. But you can keep doing as you do.
But, when practice go deeper, and some inner process start to happen, is possible to hear different sounds, in some order, like stages (some time ones, after some progress others, maybe months between the change, maybe days). That is described in Hamsa Upanishad, but I can share with you from Swami Sivananda from Rishikesh:
Anahata sounds (or the melody) are the mystic sounds heard by the Yogi at the beginning of his cycle of meditation.
later says
The sounds can also be heard after the uttering of the Ajapa Gayatri Mantra, "Hamsah Soham," a lakh of times.
lakh means 100.000 times
The sounds are heard through the right ear with or without closing the ears. The sounds are distinct when heard through closed ears. The ears can be closed by introducing the two thumbs into the ears through the process of Yoni Mudra. Sit in Padma or Siddha Asana, close the ears with right and left thumbs, and hear the sounds very attentively. Occasionally, you can hear the sounds through the left ear also. Practice to hear from the right ear only.
And the description of sounds
Nada that is heard is of 10 kinds. The first is Chini (like the sound of the word Chini); the second is Chini-Chini; the third is the sound of bell; the fourth is that of conch; the fifth is that of Tantri (lute); the sixth is that of Tala (cymbals); the seventh is that of flute; the eighth is that of Bheri (drum); the ninth is that of Mridanga (double drum) and the tenth is that of clouds, viz., thunder.
I made just some resume, you can read all here:
http://sivanandaonline.org/public_html/?cmd=displaysection§ion_id=1721
And you have another, from Nadabindu Upanishad:
- The Yogin being in the Siddhasana (posture) and practising the Vaishnavi-Mudra, should always hear the internal sound through the right ear.
- In the beginning of his practice, he hears many loud sounds. They gradually increase in pitch and are heard more and more subtly.
- At first, the sounds are like those proceeding from the ocean, clouds, kettle-drum and cataracts; in the middle (stage) those proceeding from Mardala (a musical instrument), bell and horn.
And keeps saying more. https://www.celextel.org/upanishads/rig_veda/nadabindu.html
But all these are advanced results, after very intense and proper practice.
By the way, Patañjali in his Yoga Sutras, explain in order to chant Pranava (Om mantra) you should keep your mind on what it denotes, which is Ishvara
PYS I.28 tajjapastadarthabhavanam The repetition of this (Om) and meditating on its meaning (is the way)
You can find it in chapter I, verse 28. I share with you the commentary of Swami Vivekananda you can download here
http://www.yogaincentro.it/uploads/file/PatanjaliYogaSutraSwamiVivekanandaSanEng.pdf
