when doing insight meditation how do you perceive the characteristics of no self and disatisfactoryness? Perceiving impermanence seems straightforward to me, just observing the arising and passing of sensations. but how does one observe the other two characteristics?

This is how I do it. The quote is from my blog. I observe dukkha when I experience unpleasant emotions and cravings. I observe impermanence as dukkha arises and fades and as the sense of self changes from situation to situation. The changing sense of self is anatta (no permanent unchanging self). Details below, more at the link:
https://ncu9nc.blogspot.com/2023/05/observing-mind.html



Another aspect to anatta that you experience when observing the mind is that every time your mind wanders in meditation it shows you that you don't control your own mind. If you can't control it, if it is independent, how can it be you or yours? And if you can observe it, it isn't you either. Your thoughts emotions, impulses, sensory experiences arise from unconscious processes, they are not you or yours. Even if you feel like you are using your mind to solve a problem, where did the impulse to solve the problem come form? You might think you are just an observer but that sense of being an observer, the sense of self, is just like any other thought or feeling, it arises from unconscious process, it isn't you or yours. Buddha called consciousness a magicians trick.

thank u but i was looking more for a specific practice if u have one

Hello Magnus,
Just sit for longer (beyond your comfort zone -until you perceive some unease at sitting for long periods-), it's actually pretty straightforward! Anatta will develop naturally from the other two characteristics..
metta 
smiling stone

I don't understand what you are asking.

When I experience an unpleasant emotion or craving, that is unsatisfactoriness. With anatta, it's hard to observe something that isn't there, it's hard to observe that a permanent unchanging self isn't there, you have to observe everything that might be a permanent unchanging self (body, thougts, emotions, impulses, sensory experiences, sense of self, feeling of being an observer) and notice that it isn't permanent and unchanging and that you don't control it so it must be independent from you, and if you can observe it it must be outside yourself.

I watch the activity in my mind and observe the phenomena I described. I do this during sitting meditation (any kind of meditation, observing the breath, noting, walking meditation) and during daily life (washing the dishes, walking to the store, etc). Whatever technique I use to meditate, there is still activity of the mind going on. I don't try to stop my mind, I observe it, but the meditation technique will calm the mind and slow it down so I can see what is happening without getting carried away by thoughts emotions and impulses.

Please see this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/streamentry/comments/tucalw/vipashyana_geared_towards_the_quality_of_anatma/

And this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/streamentry/comments/ooq1p7/vipassana_the_progress_of_insight_part_2_insight/

no self - see if this sensation which you analyze is you or not
dukkha (unsatisfactoriness) - check if this sensation is satisfacotry or not
impremanence - check if given sensation really is gone or maybe it arose from the same source so to speak

The value of these practices is proportional to if you actually investigate these questions or just mechanically try to do least investigation possible to get some effects. If you do investigation and the answer you come up doesn't agree with 3C do not deny it or try to see it "the right way" - rather notice differences between one answer and the other. There is nothing inherently better in 3C vs anti-3C and both set of characteristics is ultimately true. The optimal way is to actually investigate and ask questions - if you will then you will know exactly in what way sensations are impermanent or permament, dukkha or sukkha or no-self or self.

Be hones with oneself related to sensations. Any aspects which seem eg. satisfactory vs unsatisfactory it is best to acknowledge and investigate deeper than just force oneself to see it as unsatisfactory. Same for self, if it feels it is you then note itand go deeper. If it feels it is not self then do the same and investigate deeper. etc.

okay thank you. I already do that, I just wondered if maybe there was something i was missing. you've been very helpful thank u