INTRO
TO INSIGHT MEDITATION: Session 5
Mindfulness
of Thoughts & the Hindrances
I. Beginning
Meditation – Mindfulness of Mind-States (10 min.)
II. Discussion
(10-15 minutes)
A.Questions
from previous session and from week’s practice
III. Review
agenda for this class
A.Working
with thoughts
B.Working
with Hindrances
C.Doing
sitting meditation for a longer period of time
IV. Working
with Thoughts
A.As
you have learned, as we start to practice settling down the mind we begin
to see how much of the time we are absorbed in our thoughts and how hard
it can be to stay in the present moment.
B.We
often have an experience that is called “monkey mind” in which our thoughts
jump from thing to thing.
C.As
concentration develops, the mind begins to settle down and we see more
clearly thoughts arising and passing away.
D.Right
View: Thoughts are not an enemy.
1.The
capacity to think and plan and discriminate evolved to help us survive
as a species.
2.Individually,
we use these tools to survive each day.
E.Identification:
The problem arises when we identify with our thoughts, when we see them
as ourselves, as who we are rather than as tools and factors that come
and go.
1.In Dharmateaching
we speak frequently about the powerful impact of identifying with phenomena.Identification
imprisons us in the content of our conditioning. One of the easiest ways
to understand this imprisonment is to observe the difference between being
lost in thought and being mindful of it.
When we lose ourselves in thought, identification is strong. Thought sweeps up our mind and carries it away, and in a very short time we can be carried far indeed. We hop a train of association, not knowing that we hopped on, and certainly not knowing the destination. Somewhere down the line we may wake up and realize that we have been thinking, that we have been taken for a ride. And when we step down from the train, it may be in a very different mental environment from where we jumped aboard. When we do not know that we are thinking, our thoughts carry us into so many different worlds.
—
Joseph Goldstein,
Insight Meditation, the Practice of Freedom, Shambhala,
1993, p. 59-60.
F.So,
what are thoughts?
1.Images
2.Words
3.Imagined
sounds
4.Not
sensations
a.Hearing
a bell is a sensation
b.Hearing
a bell and then thinking “That’s too loud!” is a sensation followed by
a thought
G.Mindfulness
and Thinking
1.One
of the important things to remember in this practice is that it is only
possible to be aware of one thought at a time.
2.Therefore,
each time you become mindful of a thought you replace the thought with
the awareness that the thought had been present.
a.This
strengthens the power of mindfulness and loosens the identification with
thought.
H.A
Note on Noting
1.Sometimes
it is very difficult to be mindful of thoughts because the concentration
isn’t very strong.
2.At
these times it is sometimes helpful to “note” or label what is happening,
such as “thinking … thinking … thinking” until the thought subsides.
3.It
is helpful because it gives the mind a little extra something to do and
can help to develop concentration so that the attention can settle more
firmly on the object of awareness, ie the thought.
4.I
regard noting as a skillful means.
a.In
the short run it can be helpful.
b.However,
it is another kind of thinking and in the long run can become a habit that
interferes with the ability to actually be present for what is occurring.
(i) The
process would normally be a moment ofthought
followed by moment of mindfulness, and hopefully followed by another moment
of mindfulness.
(ii) With
noting the process becomes a moment of thought followed by a moment of
mindfulness followed by a moment of thought (the noting) hopefully followed
by a moment of mindfulness.
V. Discussion
(10-15 minutes)
VI. Meditation:
Mindfulness of Thinking (15 minutes)
VII. Discussion
(5-10 minutes)
A.What
was this meditation like for you?
B.Any
questions or comments?
VIII. Working
with the Hindrances
A.You
have now received all of the basic instructions for working with the four
aspects of our experience: sensation, feeling, mind-states and thoughts.
B.There
are, however, certain kinds of thoughts that pose a particular difficulty
in practice, the Hindrances.
1.The
Hindrances interfere with the development of concentration and mindfulness.
2.The
real reason that they are a problem, I think, is that they are types of
thoughts that we are most likely to identify with, types of thoughts that
we are most likely to get stuck in.
3.So,
an important part of the practice is learning to work with the Hindrances.
C.Working
with the Hindrances draws upon the skills that you have already learned.
It only requires two other things: knowledge of what the hindrances are
and the effort to work with them.
D.The
Five Hindrance: Desire, Aversion, Sloth and Torpor, Restlessness and Worry
and Doubt
E.Desire
1.Also
known as clinging, grasping, holding on and “the wanting mind”
2.If
the mind is distracted from the ever-changing flow of present experience
by something pleasant, desire is present
F.Working
with Desire
1.Recognize
that desire is present
2.Noticing
feeling tone (pleasant, unpleasant or neutral) can be helpful
3.Attitude:
Non-judgmental awareness, acceptance and curiosity
4.Holding
it in mindfulness until it subsides. Allowing oneself to experience what
desire is really like and learning how the fire of desire drives us.
5.Moderation
in Daily Life
a.If
feed desire a lot during our daily lives, it will be stronger when we sit
on the cushion.
b.If
“guard the sense doors” (explain), we strengthen mindfulness and weaken
the hold that desire has.
c.The
goal is not to banish the beautiful or pleasant from one’s life, but rather
to be aware of desire arising from contact with these aspects of life.
G.Aversion
1.Anger,
irritation, rage, fear, avoidance and ill-will.
2.If
one is resisting, avoiding or rejecting an experience, aversion is present.
H.Working
with Aversion
1.Recognize
that it is present
2.Noticing
the feeling tone can be helpful in recognizing it.
3.Hold
it with mindfulness until it subsides.
4.If
there is not enough mindfulness to hold the aversion, another way of working
with it is through the loving-kindness meditation, but doing this requires
letting go of one’s sense of having been victimized.
5.To
work with aversion doesn’t require that one be passive in the face of injustice
and cruelty, it is simply important to be aware that aversion is present
and then see what is the most appropriate response
to the unpleasant situation.
I.Sloth
and Torpor
1.Sleepiness,
Dullness, Lethargy, drowsiness and “sinking mind”
2.A
mental state, not a state of physical fatigue.
3.If
one is well-rested but finds oneself falling asleep, that is sloth and
torpor.
J.Working
with Sloth and Torpor
1.The
most important step is the first one, to recognize that sleepiness, etc
is present.
a.If
one doesn’t catch this state as it first arises, it is usually so powerful
that it will overpower mindfulness and one will fall asleep.
2.Curiosity
about this state (is it pleasant or unpleasant or neutral? How long does
it last? How strong is this state?) can provide extra energy to the mindfulness
3.If
one can hold the sloth and torpor in awareness, after it subsides return
to the breath .
4.Opening
eyes.
5.Standing
while meditating.
6.Holding
a lungful of breath for 3-4 breaths to increase energy.
K.Restlessness
and Worry
1.Quickly
changing thoughts (monkey mind), anxiety, worry and excessive energy in
the body (twitches, itches, difficulty sitting still)
2.Whether
expressed mentally or physically, there is an unsettled feeling.
L.Working
with Restlessness and Worry
1.Recognizing
the presence of the unsettled feeling.
2.Holding
it in mindfulness until it subsides and then returning to the breath.
3.Sometimes
just opening to the fear, restlessness or worry a little at a time is all
that is possible. Do what you can do, pushing the edge when you are able
to. Be kind to yourself.
4.If
following the breath seems to be contributing to the restlessness, if it
seems to narrow a focus, try using sounds as one’s primary object of awareness.
It provides a more spacious field for awareness.
M.Doubt
1.Lack
of confidence in oneself, the teacher or the teachings.
2.A
mental quality of wavering, of being unable to find a clear direction.
N.Working
with Doubt
1.Recognizing
that doubt is present is the first step. Noticing the wavering quality
can help.
2.Meet
the doubt with kindness and acceptance while holding it in awareness until
it subsides.
3.Being
able to hold the doubting thought in awareness from the time it arises
until the time it subsides can be very helpful.
a.Remember,
only one thought can be held in awareness at a time.
b.Holding
the doubt in awareness, loosens it’s power and loosens one’s identification
with the doubt.
4.If
the doubt continues, speak to a teacher whom you trust.
IX. Discussion
(10-15 min.)
X. Meditation:
Mindfulness of all foundations and hindrances (30 minutes) – Silent meditation
allowing students to apply the tools they’ve learned.
XI. Discussion
(5-10 min.)
XII. Closing
Quote
A.There
is always something to hope for. Instead of being attentive to what is
now, we hope for something better to come, maybe tomorrow. Then, when tomorrow
arrives, we do the same again. If we were to change this pattern of thinking
and attend to what is, we would find something to satisfy us. But if we
look for some future thing that is more perfect, more wonderful, more satisfying
than what exists right now, we won’t find it. We are looking for something
that is not there.
Ayya
Khemma, Be an Island, Wisdom Publications, 1999,p.
123
A.Meditation
Instructions: Mindfulness of
Thinking