Noting intentions

Nikolai Bobrov, modified 1 Year ago at 7/18/22 5:47 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 7/18/22 5:47 PM

Noting intentions

Posts: 6 Join Date: 4/1/22 Recent Posts
When doing noting, what is meant by noting the intention to do something? Mahasi Sayadaw emphasizes this a lot in his Manual of Insight. I have no idea what I'm supposed to be feeling when I'm "intending to do something." Sometimes the intention is very clear with major actions ex. sitting down or standing up but I can't feel anything with smaller actions such as moving fingers. Also whenever I do feel an intention, it's unclear what I'm intending to do. In fact, I've noticed that sometimes I note the intention to do one thing and then do another. This makes me feel like intentions don't even exist and that there is no way to know what I am going to do. So what do you all think, how should noting intentions be done and how do they feel? And is it even useful to do so? (I hope what I'm asking makes sense)
thumbnail
Jim Smith, modified 1 Year ago at 7/19/22 8:02 AM
Created 1 Year ago at 7/19/22 8:00 AM

RE: Noting intentions

Posts: 1633 Join Date: 1/17/15 Recent Posts
It sounds like you are doing it right. You're confused because you are not observing what you expected to observe. But that's the point of observing, to find out the difference between your beliefs and reality.  Reality is what it is, not the nice orderly illusion the mind tries to fit it to. That's the point. Just keep observing noticing what you perceive. 
thumbnail
Chris M, modified 1 Year ago at 7/19/22 8:54 AM
Created 1 Year ago at 7/19/22 8:54 AM

RE: Noting intentions

Posts: 5104 Join Date: 1/26/13 Recent Posts
What Jim said emoticon
Adi Vader, modified 1 Year ago at 7/19/22 9:10 AM
Created 1 Year ago at 7/19/22 9:10 AM

RE: Noting intentions

Posts: 268 Join Date: 6/29/20 Recent Posts
Regarding the 'how to'
Please read exercise 5 of noting intentions in this post:
https://www.reddit.com/r/streamentry/comments/ooq1p7/vipassana_the_progress_of_insight_part_2_insight/

and before that the section of 'softening into'.
​​​​​​​Hope this helps.