I had been having trouble noting the impermanence of some things... I could note things that passed and changed quickly, like my breath and my pulse, but some things still seemed permanent, like the feeling of my body on the floor, for example. I was recently able to ask in person about this, though, and they said something like: "Observe the permanent-seeming sensation. wait for any tiny aspect of it to change - slightly lighter, slightly harder, different shape, color, etc., notice any small change. then maybe after doing that enough your sense of permanence of that sensation will also change."
Pretty sound advice! Already started doing it with some effect. I now realize I had questions about the other aspects which I did not have the presence of mind to ask...
No-self: I can see how any sensation, "I" don't have to "do" anything for it to arise and pass, e.g. pulse, head hurting, aches, etc. Even when I shift my position from pain, if i do it subconsciously or semi-consciously, i can note it as a kind of reaction. but i have trouble noticing the no-self of a sensation if I initiate an action... like before doing an action, I sometimes note "intention to X," but then 'I' still have to 'do' X. Any tips on seeing no-self in "self-initiated" actions?
Suffering: I can clearly see suffering of painful sensations - they hurt and "I" think it would be better if they weren't being felt. I can also see unsatisfactoriness of good things - there's the desire to get them, the actual non-satisfaction when they're gotten, or the fading satisfaction if it did satisfy (that's pretty related to impermanence eh?). But with neutral sensations, like my body on the floor, I'm at a loss. It's not really suffering or unsatisfactory.. it's kind of there. Trying to frame it as a "painful/unsatisfactory to attribute that sensation to a self" question, it isn't, really.. it's just kind of there. any tips here?
Thanks in advance. This really is a great site.. I just read the
Reformed slacker's guide and the part about noting mental suffering and other aspects of the I really got me in tune to that. I had a strange feeling of no-self where I was re-playing a conversation in my head as I always do, then I noted my mind doing that, then I had a feeling like "ah it's ok to do that, happens to everyone", then I noted that, then it's like hmm, that's a strange way to look at one's self.. as if what I had just thought was not part of my self (which I guess it wasn't since the self doesn't exist as a separate entity eh?).
I also realized kind of the "point" of noting meditation.. or meditation in general. it's to just notice what is actually there and become in tune with that. i think that added some enthusiasm to my practice.