“A person must attain a kind of divine absence of mind in order to experience inner tranquillity and not be distracted by outside noises while praying. One can actually reach such a state of divine absentmindedness that he no longer hears any noise, or hears it only when he wants to, or probably, when his mind is ready to come back from Heaven. “

(Elder St. Paisios on Shutting out the World’s Noise)