Do Nothing Turns Into Mindfulness

[Mert]

Hey guys, I've been practicing mindfulness meditation for 6 months and it has been so amazing. I've even had glimpses of the Truth here and there. But recently I wanted to try this do nothing meditation because I have this intuition that this is going to be more effective for realising the Truth. The problem is when I let go of control, my mind authomatically starts doing the mindfulness technique. It starts to use see, hear and feel labels so my do nothing meditation turns into a mindfulness meditation and it is frustrating considering that Leo said it's the easiest but it fucks me up. I mean sould I just let that be? and if I let that be, how it is do nothing and not a mindfulness meditation?

[Max_V]

@Mert Well, after such a long time of practising this technique it's hard to change it up.  It's become so routine for you.

With the do nothing technique you basicly don't do anything and don't want to change anything. So even if your mind goes into automatic see, hear and feel labeling, that is fine

 Good luck and remember, everything your mind produces is oke, you don't have to do anything with it. Just let it be and observe

[ajasatya]

@Mert stop trying to do this or that technique. when you notice yourself doing something, just comeback to your breath.

don't judge yourself. don't judge your experience. judging is also doing.

[Torkys]

The strength of the Do Nothing technique is that the monkey mind can express whatever it wants and "you" need to watch it, it does not matter where it goes. It can be used to create emotional mastery and to see the seperation between pain and suffering. 

If you are frustated when you are automatically jumping to the Mindfulness meditation, let it be. If you are being calm while your mind does the other technique, let it be like that. You will still do the technique either way and getting the "benefits" of it. 

[Vinsanity]

@ajasatya When you mean come back, do you mean like focusing on your breath? And wouldn't that be considered doing something as well? 

[Mert]

@Max_V @Torkys I get what you are saying guys I guess I was trying to "do" the do nothing meditation which can't be done. I have to let go of control complately. Infact now I have to do it more because this made me realized that I have such a neurotic mind even when it comes to the meditation. I have to learn how to surrender. I get it now, thanks guys.

[ajasatya]

10 hours ago, Vinsanity said:

@ajasatya When you mean come back, do you mean like focusing on your breath? And wouldn't that be considered doing something as well? 

you're already breathing right now. coming back to breath is just noticing the fact that you're breathing. you don't really do something that you weren't doing before. bringing your attention back to breathing is an spontaneous detachment from thoughts.

[RossE]

@Mert Shinzen Young's (the inventor of Do Nothing) instructions for the technique are as follows:

Let whatever happens happen. Whenever you have an intention to control your attention, drop the intention.

And that's the instructions finished. In your case, you have an intention to stop mindfulness meditation taking place within your Do Nothing, so you must drop that intention in the moment

If you notice a will to be mindful during Do Nothing, which you can drop, then drop that will too. 

The more you do Do Nothing, the less you will need to drop intentions. The intentions fall away.

Search "Shinzen Young Do Nothing" on YouTube, the video will help you greatly

[Naviy]

@Mert Here is answer to your question (12:36)

 

https://youtu.be/cZ6cdIaUZCA?t=12m36s

[Mert]

@Naviy @RossE Wow this was very helpful. Thanks so much. Gotta love Shinzen. Have a nice day 

[RossE]

@Mert No problem. Shinzen is a fantastic teacher!

[Nahm]

@Vinsanity @Mert With breathing meditation eventually you realize you're experiencing that you were never breathing but always being breathed.