Is The Mindful Labeling Technique A Paradox?

[phoenix666]

I've now committed to a daily mindfulness meditation, using the labeling technique. during a session a couple of days ago I felt some serious doubts come up. Isn't labeling itself the root cause of my problem? Isn't it the exact definition of categorizing, dividing reality into separate 'things'? Isn't seeing reality in its wholeness the way to awakening?

[Leo Gura]

@phoenix666 No! Stop concocting problems out of thin air.

 

 

[phoenix666]

@Leo Gura hahaha thanks for the vivid motivation. It's probably just my mind trying to come up with lazy excuses. I'll do it.  

[dice]

What about smell and taste? How do you label it?

[Visionary]

Well i have reached a certain point,where i have no evidence what determines the separation of the senses. So from that perspective, yeah. But you need to work your way through this exercise to realize this.

[AlwaysBeNice]

I know Shinzen talks about it, but I really don't see how or why you want to label sensory experiences.

Because they are always present? At least for me..perhaps if you have a more focused consciousness it could be useful, but it seems weird to me, I mean, you won't find unconscious baggage or delusion in sensory experiences..

-

But I find labeling inner experiences very useful: 'talk', 'image', and 'concept' (for thoughts that don't present themselves as sound).

As for 'feel', I try to have my awareness on that as much as possible, as therein lies the gateway to the Self, and the most direct access to suppressed emotions.

[abrakamowse]

6 hours ago, phoenix666 said:

I've now committed to a daily mindfulness meditation, using the labeling technique. during a session a couple of days ago I felt some serious doubts come up. Isn't labeling itself the root cause of my problem? Isn't it the exact definition of categorizing, dividing reality into separate 'things'? Isn't seeing reality in its wholeness the way to awakening?

The labeling what it does is to to stop separating things so much, is like an step to mindfulness.

Before you used to name things like table, chair, house, cat, etc... now you just say "hearing".

After a while you will see that the mind begin to get accustomed to that and it tends to "separate" from the objects. You are not so involved on the objects when you label them more generically. That also helps to not identify with the thoughts.

So, don't worry. Keep doing it until you see the results. Don't try to understand how it works. Just do it and see the results.

:-)

 

 

[phoenix666]

@see_on_see I already noticed myself labeling one or two random thoughts 'hearing' outside of a meditation session. It happened whilst I was walking to college. It made me very aware for a couple of seconds. then I fell back into my stream of thoughts. I guess I just have to go on exercising.

@dice Whenever I smell or taste anything I label it 'feeling'.

@Visionary it already happened once or twice that I felt something (can't remember what) and it was like all senses fused into one huge feeling inside of me. it confused me, but it was also pleasant. 

@AlwaysBeNice should I try to focus my awareness on the 'feeling' more than on 'hearing' and 'seeing'? It's difficult, they sometimes seem to warp and melt into each other

Thank you guys for your help and motivation

[phoenix666]

37 minutes ago, abrakamowse said:

The labeling what it does is to to stop separating things so much, is like an step to mindfulness.

Before you used to name things like table, chair, house, cat, etc... now you just say "hearing".

After a while you will see that the mind begin to get accustomed to that and it tends to "separate" from the objects. You are not so involved on the objects when you label them more generically. That also helps to not identify with the thoughts.

So, don't worry. Keep doing it until you see the results. Don't try to understand how it works. Just do it and see the results.

:-)

 

 

Seems to make some kind of sense to me. It's like I can understand what you want to say logically, but I still need to get there experientially. So through this exercise I should slowly learn how to detach from 'my' mind, right? 

I already notice that as soon as I catch a thought, image or a sound and label it, a certain kind of distance between 'me' (the observer) and the perception arises. 

thank you very much for your help!

[abrakamowse]

1 hour ago, phoenix666 said:

Seems to make some kind of sense to me. It's like I can understand what you want to say logically, but I still need to get there experientially. So through this exercise I should slowly learn how to detach from 'my' mind, right? 

I already notice that as soon as I catch a thought, image or a sound and label it, a certain kind of distance between 'me' (the observer) and the perception arises. 

thank you very much for your help!

You are welcome. 

You will notice the effects almost immediately. At least that was what happened to me. After meditating some days I noticed how easy it becames to "dissolve" negative thoughts.

It's like the mind or the brain becomes accustomed to see that the thoughts are independent and happen anyway. The brain is like a machine, you can train it to change your perspective.

The other thing is that the senses are the only thing that you can be sure of, they are the only thing that makes you perceive the "outside" world.

You don't know if what you see is exactly that, because when you see the light hits in your eye, then it sends electrical signals to the brain, that are interpreted in a way where you see the "solid" world. But you don't know that, you don't see the objects and even the light that hits your eyeball you don't really see it.

So the "labeling", the senses is the only thing you really  know

listening, hearing, smelling, seeing, thinking, etc...

 

 

Edited June 14, 2017 by abrakamowse
grammar

[phoenix666]

@abrakamowse wow, thanks for sharing your perspective. I feel very motivated right now. I've just been out for a walk and getting some studying work done outside in the sun and I really felt a shift in my perception: without even having set the intention, I noticed my mind doing the labeling! I was able to graze over perceptions, thoughts and feelings; it's hard to describe, but it felt like they were floating by. (Usually it's more like they take me with them and I dig myself deeper into them without even realizing it). I felt very light. uff haha it's hard to describe

I didn't expect such a fast impact, I just started like a little more than a week ago with the labeling technique. I didn't expect it to go so fast with the establishing of new thought/brain patterns.