Mahasi Meditator - Discussion
I have been meditating with an on-line teacher for 7 weeks now - I have logged 117 hours so far. I meet with my teacher on-line and by voice only once a week for a few minutes. I'm doing the concentrating on the rising and falling of the abdomen, noting that and trying to note any thoughts/feelings that pop up. Walking and sitting.
I'm finding this journey very daunting at this stage (I'm noting that). At first, I seemed to improve with each meditation session - I started to pick up thoughts reasonably quickly after the first 30 hours or so, but now I seem to not be progressing, often not picking up thoughts until a pace or several paces later during walking meditation. I'm hoping to find encouragement and help here.
If anyone can point me to say, someone's journal of their experience with this type of meditation, I would be most grateful. Or any posts that might help me. I know I'm just a beginner, but when I read posts here and read Daniel's book - saying how he can note up to 15 times a second, I just think wow and
.
I'm finding this journey very daunting at this stage (I'm noting that). At first, I seemed to improve with each meditation session - I started to pick up thoughts reasonably quickly after the first 30 hours or so, but now I seem to not be progressing, often not picking up thoughts until a pace or several paces later during walking meditation. I'm hoping to find encouragement and help here.
If anyone can point me to say, someone's journal of their experience with this type of meditation, I would be most grateful. Or any posts that might help me. I know I'm just a beginner, but when I read posts here and read Daniel's book - saying how he can note up to 15 times a second, I just think wow and
.
Welcome to the Dharma Overground
What makes you a Mahasi Meditator?
What criteria did you use to select a teacher?
Do you have a clear goal?
Does the teacher have a track record of students who have gotten to your selected goal in whatever time frame?
What is your actual moment to moment experience as you practice?
What were the exact instructions from your teacher?
What do you mean by noting? Do you mean you are noticing things or verbally noting. (two very different things) If you're verbally noting what words are you using?
What is "picking up thoughts?"
Again, what is your moment to moment expereince like while walking?
What type of meditation? concentration or walking or noting or breathing or the present moment experience or picking up thoughts?
Don't compare yourself....When you are in the same altered state that is conducive to fast noting, you too will go quickly.
Speed of noticing is not necessarily a indicator of good practice. Noticing very very carefully and fully what is happening in the moment is the most important thing, making a verbal note after just is a hack to keep you on track when you need such things. Depth vs speed....they both play a part but selecting one over the other is imbalanced and will hinder progress.
Good luck,
~D
What makes you a Mahasi Meditator?
Glenys Hobern:
I have been meditating with an on-line teacher for 7 weeks now - I have logged 117 hours so far. I meet with my teacher on-line and by voice only once a week for a few minutes.
Do you have a clear goal?
Does the teacher have a track record of students who have gotten to your selected goal in whatever time frame?
Glenys Hobern:
I'm doing the concentrating on the rising and falling of the abdomen, noting that and trying to note any thoughts/feelings that pop up. Walking and sitting.
What were the exact instructions from your teacher?
What do you mean by noting? Do you mean you are noticing things or verbally noting. (two very different things) If you're verbally noting what words are you using?
Glenys Hobern:
I'm finding this journey very daunting at this stage (I'm noting that). At first, I seemed to improve with each meditation session - I started to pick up thoughts reasonably quickly after the first 30 hours or so, but now I seem to not be progressing, often not picking up thoughts until a pace or several paces later during walking meditation. I'm hoping to find encouragement and help here.
Again, what is your moment to moment expereince like while walking?
Glenys Hobern:
If anyone can point me to say, someone's journal of their experience with this type of meditation, I would be most grateful.
Or any posts that might help me.
Or any posts that might help me.
Glenys Hobern:
I know I'm just a beginner, but when I read posts here and read Daniel's book - saying how he can note up to 15 times a second, I just think wow and .
. Speed of noticing is not necessarily a indicator of good practice. Noticing very very carefully and fully what is happening in the moment is the most important thing, making a verbal note after just is a hack to keep you on track when you need such things. Depth vs speed....they both play a part but selecting one over the other is imbalanced and will hinder progress.
Good luck,
~D
~~First of all, thankyou Dream Walker and Noah D for replying to me. It is much appreciated.
What makes me a Mahasi Meditator?
A few months ago I did a meditation course. I had trouble 'visualising' and the meditation felt 'wrong' to me, so I got on-line and started researching. I came across a Theravadin monk trained in the Mahasi method. He made sense to me and he is backed by a Theravadin organisation. His instructions appear to me to follow the instructions that I understood from my brief reading of Chapter 5 of the Manual of Insight. He does not talk about his achievements or those of his students – I understand that is traditional.
My moment to moment experiences? Well, when sitting, I feel my abdomen move and in my head I say 'rising' or 'falling'. After the falling, I mentally go to various points on my body and note 'touching, touching'. I try to note thoughts as fast as I can with 'thinking', 'thinking'. Any feelings I mentally note as whatever feelings they are – 'sadness', 'anger', 'itching', 'pain' etc. I do the same while walking – noting 'lifting, moving, placing'.I have had no other 'experiences' – I cannot (yet) relate to any insights or experiences and my mind still wanders. I can see intellectually that there is only body and mind but I have no profound 'experience' of that.
Dream Walker – this was very comforting to me:-
“Don't compare yourself....When you are in the same altered state that is conducive to fast noting, you too will go quickly.
Speed of noticing is not necessarily a indicator of good practice. Noticing very very carefully and fully what is happening in the moment is the most important thing, making a verbal note after just is a hack to keep you on track when you need such things. Depth vs speed....they both play a part but selecting one over the other is imbalanced and will hinder progress"
Thankyou
. I have a long way to go I think.
Noah D - I read the journals - thankyou!
PS - how do I get my real name to not appear here?. I put a 'screen name' in the profile, but I can't figure out how to get it to appear on posts instead of my real name.
What makes me a Mahasi Meditator?
A few months ago I did a meditation course. I had trouble 'visualising' and the meditation felt 'wrong' to me, so I got on-line and started researching. I came across a Theravadin monk trained in the Mahasi method. He made sense to me and he is backed by a Theravadin organisation. His instructions appear to me to follow the instructions that I understood from my brief reading of Chapter 5 of the Manual of Insight. He does not talk about his achievements or those of his students – I understand that is traditional.
My moment to moment experiences? Well, when sitting, I feel my abdomen move and in my head I say 'rising' or 'falling'. After the falling, I mentally go to various points on my body and note 'touching, touching'. I try to note thoughts as fast as I can with 'thinking', 'thinking'. Any feelings I mentally note as whatever feelings they are – 'sadness', 'anger', 'itching', 'pain' etc. I do the same while walking – noting 'lifting, moving, placing'.I have had no other 'experiences' – I cannot (yet) relate to any insights or experiences and my mind still wanders. I can see intellectually that there is only body and mind but I have no profound 'experience' of that.
Dream Walker – this was very comforting to me:-
“Don't compare yourself....When you are in the same altered state that is conducive to fast noting, you too will go quickly.
Speed of noticing is not necessarily a indicator of good practice. Noticing very very carefully and fully what is happening in the moment is the most important thing, making a verbal note after just is a hack to keep you on track when you need such things. Depth vs speed....they both play a part but selecting one over the other is imbalanced and will hinder progress"
Thankyou
. I have a long way to go I think.Noah D - I read the journals - thankyou!
PS - how do I get my real name to not appear here?. I put a 'screen name' in the profile, but I can't figure out how to get it to appear on posts instead of my real name.