'Noting' and 'labelling' are techniques from Mahasi Sayadaw, concerned with strengthening both the meditator's mindfulness and application of attention. The process of noting and labelling is followed in this sequence: notice (note) > label > label. When using this technique on your meditation object, it will look like this: 1. Notice the experience of your meditation object. 2. Use the first label to clarify your perception of it. 3. Use the second label to rub awareness on and experience it. When you are distracted from your meditation object, it will look like this: 1. Noticing that you are distracted. 2. Use the first label to clarify your perception of that distraction. 3. Use the second label to rub awareness on and experience it. ".....In the double label, is the first label in fact the aforementioned “noting”, and the second label the softening into?...." Noting is separate from labelling. Noting is 'taking note of' or 'noticing what you are experiencing now'. Noting or noticing is passive and requires the presence of mindfulness. The first label is used for recognition/perception. When the meditator uses the first label, they actively apply the focus of their awareness (attention) to that experience. When meditators use the second label, they intentionally rub their awareness on the object of attention to experience it. You mentioned softening, which is specifically a MIDL technique, so I will talk of noting and labelling in MIDL, not Mahasi. Labelling is used in the early stages of MIDL to aid a meditators mindfulness and application of attention. Labels in MIDL are seen as training wheels on a bicycle that are removed once a meditator learns to balance on their own. If you are using noting and labelling in MIDL the sequence will look like this: 1. Noticing that you are distracted. 2. Use the first label to clarify your perception of that distraction. 3. Use the second label to rub awareness on and experience it (softening into). 4. Soften/relax and let it go, while enjoying the pleasure of letting go.

@@midlinsightmeditation - I find that noting happens very quickly, it’s the very moment they one becomes aware that the mind has shifted. After that I can immediately return to the object. On the other hand, when using labels it necessarily engages with the distraction and so prolongs it. So it’s like there is a choice after noting - to go back to the object or to continue for a few moments with labelling the distraction. So isn’t labelling more suitable for vipassana investigation whereas in samatha meditation there is no need to prolong the process?

@@danielsanji Yes, you are right. Single labelling is helpful for disengaging the mind if it is caught up in a 'sticky' distraction. Double labelling is used for vipassana investigation for insight into the nature of distraction itself. In MIDL, if our mind becomes entangled again and again in a particular experience, then double labelling can be helpful to create space around that experience and to develop insight into the conditions that support it's arising. The Mahasi method, from which labelling has come, is a pure vipassana insight practice where investigation into the nature of any distraction from the meditation object is given priority to develop insight into anicca (impermanence).

When being aware of our body, we can notice a feeling of a border of our body that separates us from the room around us. For example, if you sit on a chair, there is a feeling of the point where your body ends and the chair begins. This is known as a mind-created perceptional border. If you hold one hand in the other now, there is an idea of the two hands being separate. But if you are closely aware of your hands holding each other, it is difficult to tell where one hand ends and the other begins. We can observe perception by looking at this border or meeting places between our body and the world around us. With kindness, Stephen

Thank you, Anna, I appreciate your kind words.

I find half an hour is comfortable. In MIDL, we have a hindrance called habitually forgetting, experienced in the early parts of mindfulness of breathing and daily life. This happens when mindfulness weakens, and we lose awareness of what we are doing now. When our mind habitually forgets, it slips into a mind stream of habit, such as thinking about the future, fantasising about the past, etc. This can be seen clearly when we are driving a car and forget that we are driving it for a while. Fortunately, this forgetting (as you say, clicking out)is a normal part of the mind, and it takes over the functions of our body while we zone out. If you forget you are standing during meditation, your mind will automatically take over the standing balance as long as your body is already balanced with gravity. If you fall asleep, however, that might be a different matter, so it is best to do shorter periods combined with walking meditation if you are sleepy. With kindness, Stephen

@@midlinsightmeditation thanks for that superb answer.

Hi Ruslan, there are a few things that you can check. 1. You are trying too hard; these breaths need to be relaxed, not forced. 2. You are fully inflating your belly before bringing the breath up into your chest. When breathing up into your chest, it is important not to inflate your belly. 3. Slumping: If you slump, the lower part of your rib cage will turn inwards, making it difficult for your lungs to inflate. Extending the lower part of your rib cage slightly outward will change this. 4. You are moving your abdominal muscles and not engaging your diaphragm. You may be trying to breathe into your belly. Doing this will not work. The diaphragm needs to be drawn down not pushed down. If all of this just leads to you becoming tight and not experiencing relaxation, then I recommend that you stop breathing to relax and instead lay still (on a mat on the floor) and do nothing. To make this easier, start by setting a timer for five minutes on the first day and gradually increase the time as you feel comfortable. Lying still doing nothing naturally leads to our body and mind naturally relaxing by themself.

Hi Mark, this is different from the meditation practices you refer to. The Mahasi method is a Theravada Buddhist practice designed to increase the meditator's perception of impermanence and develop a momentum of letting go within their mind, leading to Nibannic insight (Sotapanna to Arahant). This is done by separating meditative experience into the primary object (breath in the belly) and secondary object (anything that distracts attention from the breath). Secondary objects are given priority over the breath in Mahasi, this develops a very particular type of samadhi called khanika samadhi (momentary unification). While sensations within the natural breathing in the abdomen are experienced in the abdomen, their sole purpose is to perceive anicca (impermanence). The experience of the natural, uncontrolled breath in the abdomen creates a reference point from which to observe habitual wandering of attention from the breathing. These wanderings/distractions are given importance and clarified by the meditator to increase the perception of anicca and, as the practice matures, anatta (not-self). As Kanika samadhi develops, all experience and experiencing breaks up into momentary experiences arising and ceasing; this momentum leads to disenchantment and the mind completely letting go. With kindness, Stephen

@@midlinsightmeditation Thank you for your detailed explanation sir. Now I found the goal to be same though methods are different, goal of forgetting oneself or denying the ego, realising "not-self", no thoughts nor desire arising, detached from the senses or pleasure and pain, to enter that state of Samadhi where one can finally restore his awareness back to seeing the Taoist Original Nature or primordial awareness which is also the Clear Light or Luminous Mind in Tibetan Buddhism. By the way I'm a Christian since birth but since I found out that Buddha nature is Christ nature, I want to crucify my ego or deny it with its passion and desires in order for the light of Christ shine in me as written in our bible. Up to now I only found the specific methods in Buddhism, Hinduism and Taoism. I am willing to learn the methods in order to experience. Haven't found teachers in the Christian tradition. Is your method related to Vimuttimagga or Visuddhimagga perhaps?

@@markdeguzman6556 Hi Mark, It is wonderful that you have found your path and that it is clear for you. I wish only the best in its unfolding. Mahasi and MIDL are founded in the original discourses (suttas) handed down from the Buddha as chants now available in Theravadan as texts. The main text that both of these methods refer to is the Mahasatipatthana Sutta: talk on the Greater Discourse on the Applications of Mindfulness www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.22.0.than.html. Mahasi has some references to the Visuddhimagga as this text is revered in Myanmar, MIDL only refers to the original texts from the Buddha for guidance. With kindness, Stephen

@@midlinsightmeditation Amen! Oh I should say Sādhu! I just have started to walk in this spiritual endeavor new to me, and I believe all paths lead to the same goal or the same truth. But I need to discern which is the one that will suit me the most. Thank you very much for the info about the specific sutta. I really appreciate your guidance. Will definitely look into it.

@@midlinsightmeditation I just checked the link and have read a bit. I found the Mahasatipatthana very interesting! It is quite scientific in its approach to spirituality, connecting human physiology with psychology by discussing the five senses, and the mind. I guess I need to put this into practice to understand the Jhana states. I think it's a scientific method to overcome carnal desires. Again much thanks!

Hi U Vajiradhammo, I am sorry to hear what you are experiencing; it is tough times for your country. From your name, are you a monk ordained in a Burmese tradition? ".....Is possible in daily life to weak burdens of deep depression, fear and anxiety without jhāna?...." Yes, from my experience it is. It is the very process of developing the conditions for jhana based on an insight path of relaxing, letting go of control, that removes the conditions for anxiety & depression rather than jhana itself. "...How to destroy past unhappy life experiences in life and misfortunes in meditation?..." Past experiences and memories do not need to be destroyed or removed, this approach is the wrong path and will only make them stronger. It is through finding safety in your body experience, aligning your awareness with and surrendering to the present, finding enjoyment in the comfort and ease of letting go, that your mind will find safety and the suffering with gradually recede. What you can do: You do not need to develop concentration at this time, instead you need to develop skill in relaxing, letting go. Relaxing, letting go aligns with the sial (morality) part of the Noble Eightfold Path and develops harmony. I have a section on my website that describes a breathing technique that worked for me and many others. midlmeditation.com/meditation-for-anxiety I recommend for now following the instructions in Step 1 daily for 3-4 weeks. This meditation skill is practiced laying down and is used for changing stress breathing patterns. I encourage you to be curious about what it means to practice these exercises gently and with little effort or strain. When the breathing is right it will feel good and have a calming effect. You are also welcome to join my weekly meditation classes online if you would like to come in contact with a community of Buddhist insight meditators whose focus is on developing skill in relaxing / letting go that leads to both jhana and freedom from dukkha. midlmeditation.com/meditation-classes

@@midlinsightmeditation hello dear Stephen. Glad very much to see your answer. No. I'm layman. I use small word "u" - meaning -upasaka.

Thank you. But is it possible that just work with breathing and belly breathe can weak fear and depression within?! I thought it would be work with thoughts - feelings - mental and physical state.

@@u_Vajiradhammo "...But is it possible that just work with breathing and belly breathe can weak fear and depression within?..." Yes, it is very possible. The mind conditions the body, and the body conditions the mind. It is insight into this intimate relationship between kaya, vedana and citta that frees. Learning how to soften/relax into the experience of our body is the first and easiest doorway when working with anxiety and fear. "...I thought it would be work with thoughts - feelings - mental and physical state..." It is important not to see this as work. There is nothing wrong with your mind or body, they are simply trying to protect you. Your task is not to fix them but rather to find a place of safety within the experience of your body. Learning to understand your body and minds autonomous nature (anatta) is important here. The unpleasant feeling (vedana) is present in your body simply because your mind is signaling danger. This feeling (vedana) though unpleasant cannot hurt you in any way, it is simply a feeling. Thinking and contents of thoughts are not worth our time as insight meditators. The mind is a problem solver, that is why it thinks, when there is no problem to solve it stops thinking. Increased thinking and defensive thoughts are simply a protection mechanism of the mind. When your mind feels safe thinking will settle down by itself. Initial safety is found by developing what the Buddha referred to as kaya-gata sati (mindfulness immersed within the body). When our mind is in an anxious state so is our body. Our body always reflects the state of our mind. When our body responds to fear within our mind it enters an anxious state, preparing for danger. When the mind then sees our body in this anxious state, especially its unpleasantness, and it reacts to it by becoming hypervigilant, looking for that danger in everything. Thinking is simply part of this defensive process. The first doorway is to find relaxation within our body. Since slow diaphragmatic breathing interrupts the stress response it creates a gap of relaxation and a feeling of calm. Our mind viewing our body in a deeply relaxed state, takes in this into itself and turns off its defenses, creating a gap in the anxious cycle. It is in this gap that we move onto the next stage of deconditioning habitual patterns of the heart and mind by training our mind in samatha based on softening and letting go in all aspects of life. This is a skillful doorway to breaking up anxiety into the four Satipatthanas: kaya, vedana, citta and dhammas in a way that integrates samatha calm and vipassana insight.

@@midlinsightmeditation thank you Mr. Stephen. Am I right understand that your method as mahasi sayadaw vipassana? Firstly awareness of belly (movement?!, after letting go everything, relaxing) then developing appana samadhī, jhānas? Earlier I practiced paauk method, development concentration on immovable area near nose until success level for the next level, vipassana.

Thank you Liliana, it is really nice to hear from you too.

Your welcome. This is Dhamma talk number 11 from live online classes in 2024. I will record and upload more talks on MIDL throughout the year.

"...However, isn't the object that triggered it still some sort of cause?..." Your relationship towards the object causes the feeling of pleasantness or unpleasantness. "...I don't get pleasant feeling of eating a chocolate from eating a piece of wood...." Yes, that's right, but is possible that you could. Some people find it pleasant to chew on a toothpick or a stalk of grass. Our mind produces feelings of pleasantness and unpleasantness based on our past relationship to this experience or something similar. Nothing in this world in itself is pleasant or unpleasant, it simply is as it is. Our mind produces feelings of pleasantness and unpleasantness as a sorting mechanism of safe or dangerous. This is a natural survival mechanism. When we experience things in our life through habit and reactivity, this sorting mechanism can get messed up and our mind can make something that is dangerous feel pleasant, and something that is safe feel unpleasant. As long as out mind finds pleasantness attractive and is adverse towards unpleasantness then habitual behaviour is able to reenforce itself -we have no choice. "...How can I simply just forget that feeling was caused by chocolate?..." It is not a matter of forgetting the chocolate, it is a matter of learning to see that the feeling of pleasantness while related to the chocolate, is not produced by the chocolate, it is produced by your mind. Your mind is not attracted to the chocolate, it is attracted the very feeling that it is producing itself. And it is also adverse towards the unpleasantness of whatever is you are experiencing now (also produced by your mind) which drives the need for a pleasant experience to escape from it. There is a simple formula on my website for changing addictive patterns: midlmeditation.com/goss-how-to-let-go

You can read about the 16 Meditative Hindrances on my website: midlmeditation.com/meditative-hindrances There are two ways to begin the Meditation Course: 1) You can begin with the Beginners Course: 7 Weeks of Calm: midlmeditation.com/meditation-for-beginners 2) The main MIDL Insight Meditation Course begins with Meditation Skill 01: Body Relaxation: midlmeditation.com/meditation-skill-01 The Menu for the complete MIDL Insight Meditation Course can be found here: midlmeditation.com/main-meditation-menu

@@midlinsightmeditationthanku

"....Where things get confusing for me, which applies to both TMI and MIDL, is trying to experience and understand the difference between a broad focus of attention vs. general peripheral awareness....." Hi Ryan, let's try a metaphor. You're standing on the side of a mountain looking out over a vast canyon. This lookout is a popular place for tourists so there are other people standing around you. 1. Broad focus of attention: As you look over the canyon you can see its steep sides, trees, a river down below and birds flying round within it in one broad, open view. 2. Broad peripheral awareness: While viewing the whole canyon you are aware in the background of your body leaning on the railing, the touch of air on your skin, and the talking of other people around you. 3. Narrow focus of attention: You recognise the bird as an eagle and interested in it, focus your attention in on just the eagle. As you do this the rest of the view of the canyon fades into the background, peripheral sight. 4. Fading peripheral awareness: As you focus in on the bird with interest, your awareness of the pressure of the railing, the air on your skin and the sound of other tourists fades away. 5. Returning peripheral awareness: Your friend taps you on your shoulder and the bird goes out of focus and you become very aware of everyone around you again as both attention and peripheral awareness return to you standing on the lookout next to your friend. "....This is difficult for me to discern, although I'm not even sure if doing so would be of use for anything. Just something I've observed....." If your focus is on only developing samatha based calm > tranquility > access concentration > jhana then it would be of very little use. If your focus is on developing samatha as a foundation for vipassana insight, then the ability to be able open and ground both peripheral awareness and attention within your body is essential for developing insight into the anatta (autonomous nature) of your body, mind & heart during daily seated meditation and importantly within daily life. "....MIDL grounding vs. TMI metacognitive introspective awareness. It seems that TMI wants you to keep a background awareness of just mind states and happenings, while MIDL advises to keep awareness of the entire body. A small difference but worth mentioning....." MIDL is a samatha-vipassana practice designed to develop insight into the anatta nature of the four satipatthana's in both daily seated meditation and daily life. It is at this point that TMI and MIDL are different in their approach and why grounding awareness (kaya-gata-sati: mindfulness immersed in the body) is so important. The MIDL meditator develops samatha based samadhi by learning to access the pleasure of letting go found within relaxing effort in their body, mind & breathing. This is done while paired with clear comprehension of that pleasure and breath sensation during mindfulness of breathing. Anything that hinders their ability to develop relaxation, calm & tranquility with clear comprehension based on a relaxing, letting go, is seen as an opportunity for vipassana insight into its autonomous, by-itself (anatta) nature. To see anatta is most easily accessed when two skills are developed: 1. The skill of grounding awareness and attention within our body. 2. The skill of letting go of control of attention to allow it to habitually wander, and training stable attention through accessing the pleasure reward found in letting go rather than through effort. Training and observance of attention in this way leads to disenchantment which is accelerated by finding pleasure in the momentum of letting go of control through softening, then smiling into its pleasure to arouse joy and reward the mind for letting go. To practice samatha-vipassana in this way requires developing a natural grounding/abiding of awareness within our body during seated meditation that effortlessly transfers into daily life allowing for observing the habitual nature body, feeling tone and mind throughout the day. This is why significant importance is given to mindfulness of body in MIDL.

Excellent context, thank you so much!

"....Anyway, after a while a sensation arrises in the body. Might be say a tightness in the gut or the shoulders. Not a pleasant sensation, ok, so what, you don’t have to get all huffy about this unpleasant sensation...." Yes, this is correct, unpleasant feeling cannot hurt us in any way because it is merely a danger signal produced by our mind. A smoke alarm signaling a fire. The alarm itself isn't the problem though we may not like it, the feeling of unpleasantness isn't a problem, even though we may not like it. "...just do the cool trick of softening under the eyes and relaxing the frontal lobes and you get a bit of a higher perspective of the sensation..." Yes, notice the effort within your body and mind to resist, to like/not want the unpleasant feeling. And gently soften/relax first mental than physical effort. Relaxing the effort that supports resistance, letting it go. As you soften/relax this effort awareness will naturally return to your body again and ground within it. Ground > observe > soften > smile > ground > etc. "...and then the unpleasantness seems to dissolve..." The unpleasantness may or may not dissolve, remember it is simply a danger signal of your mind. It is not the unpleasant feeling that causes suffering, it is our resistance towards it. Soften/relax the effort to resist and even if the unpleasantness stays, the suffering dissolves. Suffering is the gap in expectation between what we are experiencing now, and what we think we should experience now. Softening closes this suffering expectation gap. "...into a much nicer sensation associated with acknowledging the initial sensation and just relaxing into it and acknowledging it as just another thing happening in the body and for some reason that feels real nice..." The pleasure of letting go is the pleasure of going on a holiday, of putting down a heavy burden, of not having to do something anymore. Whenever we soften the effort to feel attracted, averse or indifferent towards what we are experiencing, the pleasure of letting go is available. The smile in GOSS refers to smiling into and enjoying the pleasure of letting go whenever it is available to reward our mind for letting go. Our mind soon learns that clinging to things is never satisfying and that releasing them, letting them go is always freeing and pleasurable. In this way a momentum of letting go develops in all aspects of our life. How to develop this momentum of letting go through calm & insight is what is being trained in the free online midl insight meditation course. midlmeditation.com/main-meditation-menu

Hi Stephen. I am extremely grateful for your reply as it validates my interpretation of the experience. Thank you for all your hard work. And the wheel turns…

I am pleased it popped up on your feed as well, it is really nice to hear from you and thank you for your kind words.

Helo Mostafa, It is really nice to hear from you. Your kind words mean a lot to me, I appreciate them as a gift. Please take care of yourself and keep in touch, with metta, Stephen

Hello. How long you spent in this practice? I'm struggling with anxiety depression.

@@u_Vajiradhammo i think it is 5 years or maybe more. You should accept the unpleasant feeling and dont react based on this feeling.

@@mitrabuddhi did you practice all stages of midl course? So, haven't you back to grief or despair? Can I ask you more for about your experience? Where to ask?

Hi Ravit, MIDL has matured over the last few years with an integration of samatha and the old talks are now out of date. brand-new "...As someone just starting on the path should one follow these as they come out?..." I recommend following the steps laid out in the online midl insight meditation course: midlmeditation.com/main-meditation-menu In the course there are different ways of learning provided such as text, guided meditation and videos (a new series of visual aids/pictures coming soon). Use whatever suits your mode of learning to develop an understanding of the structure of the current meditation you are on. It is also helpful to join in on one of the weekly streamed classes. Next week I will be looking at the GOSS formula and how to soften, relax, let go and Meditation 03: Mindful Presence the following week, talking about how to use your softening/relaxing skills learnt in Meditation 01 & 02 for insight and letting go. midlmeditation.com/meditation-classes

Thank you for your kind words Rulovi.

Hi Ani, MIDL develops on a foundation of letting go through developing insight into the autonomous, anatta nature of our mind and body. With this understanding when it is time to sleep, as our body and brain need to rest and repair, when relax all effort in our body and mind, and fall asleep with clear comprehension. When we wake up, mindful presence returns due to our training, and mindfulness of our body reestablishes to begin our day.

Map: 1. Body sitting > 2. in & out-breaths > 3. whole of each breath > 4. sensations in each breath > 5. one point of breath sensation > 6. sustained attention > " Is it necessary to perceive the whole breath as one thing to observe the experience of breathing (when we skip from just knowing whether it is in or out to sensations) or can we still have the conceptual perception of in and out?" We still clearly perceive that the breath is coming in and out in stages 2-4 (see map above). The perception of in & out-breaths only ceases in stage 5 when we become so present with the experience of breathing at the tip of our nose, that time, and the idea of in & out-breaths, cease. "Asking this because I didn’t fully understand the point about perceiving the middle..." It is easy to understand sitting here now that you can know that our breathing is either coming in or going out. If you pay attention to this in & out-breathing you may start to notice that each breath has length: this means that each in-breath happens over a period of time, and each out-breath happens over a period of time. It is being aware of each in & out-breath over a period of time from when it starts to when it ends that is known as the length or whole of each breath. The middle of the breath simply refers to experienced middle point between when the breath starts and when it ends. If you therefore pay continuous attention to a in or out-breath you will begin to notice that it has a beginning, middle and end. "TMI doesn’t mention this perceiving breathing as one unit (which would require the dropping of the concept of in breath and out breath) in novice stages as a requisite for observing the sensations of breath." As mentioned above, the perception of in-out-breaths continues up to one point of breath sensations (see map above). The process of moving from: (2) in & out-breaths to (5) one point of breath sensation is a gradual increasing of the application of our attention towards our meditation object. Just knowing if the breath is coming in takes one application of attention, knowing if the breath is coming out takes another. In total knowing an in and out-breath takes two applications of attention.

As we pay closer attention, we begin to notice that we can notice the moment a breath begins, that it has a middle, and an end. If we know these three stages of each breath, then each in and out-breath cycle contains six applications of attention. If we continue to pay even closer attention to the length of each in & out-breath the application of our attention significantly increases, lowering the gap for mind created distraction. In this way transitioning to experiencing the sensations within the length of each breath increases the application of our attention so that it is so continuous that there is no gap for distraction or even the perception of time. It is at this point that tranquility begins to arise and the idea: breathing in or breathing out falls away until all that is left is the experience of one point of breath sensation. "...perceiving breathing as one unit..." I think this is referring to perceiving in & out-breathing as one continuous breath that changes direction. It is important to understand that this is simply a technique that increases the application of attention and brings calm to the mind because of the continuity of the meditation object. To develop this, you simply pay no interest in the beginning or end of each breath but rather pay attention to each breath's length. This technique significantly increases the application of attention to the breath while providing access to the pleasure of breathing itself. If you find this helpful then use it, if not then it is not necessary to developing stable attention, it is simply a technique like counting, labelling, experiencing breath sensation. The important part is that you develop stability of attention not though effort but rather through accessing the pleasure of letting go.

@midlmindfulnessmeditation Thank you Stephen, now I understand th purpose behind this particular technique. And in the map you give above, the awareness of breath length or whole of the breath(stage 3) precedes the awareness of sensations(stage 4), so do you advise not paying attention to sensations till we develop continous knowing of each in and out breath & are aware of the length/whole of the breath, or should we or can we also pay attention to breath sensations during these stages(stages 2-3)?

@@ahmetumutergen9927 Simply be aware of your breathing however it presents itself to you. If you experience changing sensations within your breathing from the early stages, then pay attention to the flow of changing sensations. The important aspects are three things: 1. Develop intimate attention with the experience of your breath through relaxing/letting go with clear comprehension, rather than through effort. 2. Learn to tune into the pleasure of the relaxing/letting go and find pleasure within the experience of breathing. 3. As the focus of your attention becomes more intimate with breath sensation maintain some background peripheral awareness of your whole body.

i follow you instruction and for the first time since months i feeling a little calm in me and trust in my breath and me. Will do it 2 times a day and try to regard this breathing

How you doing now? I have chronically the feeling that I can’t breath from my stomach anymore. It’s all high and shortness of breath