Insight Meditation 10

CAUTION: These investigations involve intentionally triggering unpleasant feeling tone, in this way meditation can become very real. Be cautious and only do this with guidance from a skilled teacher and/or with appropriate training in softening, samadhi and insight.

This investigation develops the ability to separate unpleasant feeling tone (vedana) from sensation and to observe its function as a sorting mechanism of the mind (to signal danger). This requires earlier training in sensitivity to body sensations, skill in softening and enough samadhi and insight as to not to get entangled with the experience.

Unpleasant feeling tone can be observed by bringing to mind an unhappy memory or thought. As you do this notice that a feeling of unpleasantness appears in your body as a reflection of the contact between attention and the thought or memory.

Separating out a feeling tone from what is being experienced is like separating the texture of a banana as you eat it, from its overall flavour/taste. Bodily sensations are the texture, feeling tone (vedana) is the flavour of that experience.

CAUTION: These investigations involve intentionally triggering unpleasant feeling tone.

Step 1: Prepare your attention for insight.

• Prepare your attention for insight as per the instructions in Preparing Your Attention for Insight and ground awareness within your body and the experience of your hands touching.

Step 2: Bring to mind an unpleasant memory.

• Bring to mind an unpleasant memory to mind (weak one at first), holding it gently within your mind. Observe any change within the experience of your body in regard to sensations and feeling tone. Soften into the effort to resist this feeling.

Step 3: Encourage the memory to grow.

• Once relaxed, encourage the thought/memory and observe the relationship between the feeling tone, your attention, and the magnification of that unpleasant feeling.

Step 4: Gently soften any effort to resist.

• Apply GOSS and gently soften/relax into the effort to resist its unpleasantness and observe whether the unpleasant feeling tone grows or fades.

Step 5: Bring to mind an unpleasant thought.

• Bring to mind an unpleasant thought/anticipation of the future, holding it gently within your mind. Observe any change within the experience of your body in regard to sensations and feeling tone. Soften into it.

Step 6: Encourage the thought to grow.

• Once relaxed, encourage the thought and observe the relationship between the feeling tone, your attention, and the magnification of that unpleasant feeling.

Step 7: Gently soften any effort to resist.

• Gently soften/relax into the effort to resist its unpleasantness and observe whether the unpleasant feeling tone grows or fades.

Step 8: Reground awareness into your body.

• Reground awareness within your body and soften into it. Observe what it feels like to be present, within your body – here, now. Observe the experience of just sitting here, the simplicity of it. Notice what happens to the unpleasant feeling tone now that your attention has moved from the thought/memory and feeling tone, to the sensations within your body.

Investigation:

Summary: (as in previous investigation).

• Take interest in how the experience of your body changes as a direct reflection of turning your attention towards an unpleasant memory.

• Notice how the unpleasant feeling is not produced by the world around you but rather is a carried sorting mechanism attached to the memory, that is released with the contact of attention.

• Notice any wanting or longing that arises in your mind to avoid this feeling, as well as the feeling of 'disturbance/unease' when you dwell on this unpleasant memory. 

• Observe the effect that softening your resistance to the unpleasantness of the memory has on the experience of your body and mind.

• Observe how as you soften a pleasant feeling arises in your mind, then fills your body, taking its place.

You are ready to progress to Insight 11: Specific Conditionality when:

• You understand unpleasant feeling as an observable, impersonal experience that is simply produced by the mind to signal 'danger'.