JOURNEY Archives - Mindful Happiness

December 28, 2016 By Admin

Vipassana Meditation – Journey 3 No-Self

Vipassana Meditation -No-Self Journey 3

In this third vipassana meditation I will guide you on a meditation dealing with the experience of no-self. No-self is a highly advanced experience in Buddhist meditation and wisdom practices, and it is, perhaps, one of the most misunderstood concept and experience. Along with impermanence, dependent origination, typical reality vs ultimate reality, and emptiness the experience and awareness of no-self is considered a highly desirable experience in advanced meditation practice. I offer one caution, however; if you are person suffering from mental health and/or substance use disorders and/or symptoms, the meditation on no-self may be too dissociating to practice. It may be unhealthy for you to practice it. In my opinion, it may be better to let this meditation go. Let us begin with our guided meditation.

Settle into your cushion or chair. Take a few full, deep, slow, calming breaths. Notice the impermanence off your breath as it arises, stands for a few seconds, then falls away into non-existence. That specific breath will never come again. No-self experience also rests on the same impermanence principle as the rest of materiality.
As you rest in meditation, contemplate your experience of your self. The self is a construct based on experience of life and its consciousness. The what or who that is doing the experiencing is the experiential basis of consciousness about your self – the experiencer. Since we humans have no other point of self-reference, we conclude that all our experiences – the good, the bad, the ugly, and the boring – are evidence of an enduring self within an experiential way of being and doing. I assume you agree so far with this explanation. Meditate on this!
As you meditate deeper, contemplate on the possible reality that that “this self” represents an impersonal pattern of brain-mind processes that are based on causes and effects. The awareness of the phenomena we experience is just another phenomenon. Such a view contradicts and disrupts the standard perception of self as I, Me, Mine, Ego, Self. Our entire worldly experience as a self is based partly on conditioning from pleasant, unpleasant and neutral experiences. Meditate on this!
Now we shall take a deep dive! As you meditate even deeper, “play” with the possibility that your self is not a fixed, stable, independent entity. It is simply mind and body consciousness about experiences; it is simply neuron activation about an experience. There is nothing to hold onto. Impermanence once again propels us forward and downward. We have MIND plus EXPERIENCE plus impermanent MATERIALITY as the basis for all the foundations of the self. Meditate on this!
Meditating on the experience of no-self, the dissociative emptiness and boundlessness that such practice may bring; simply be with the “feeling” of the experience here now. Do your best not to flee from it (unless it is causing serious discomfort for you). If you have been able to reach an “experience” of no-self, simply be in the experience of it without judgments. Be part of the transformational experience you are now in. The question is: if there is no-self, what/who is experiencing the transformation? Meditate on this!
Now bring yourself, your mind and your body, back to presence in the meditation room. Contemplate where you have been and what you have been experiencing. Prepare to end the meditation. Before standing take a few breaths and re-associate with feelings in your legs and feet.

For more information refer to Catherine, S. (2011). Wisdom Wide and Deep: A Practical Handbook for Mastery of Jhana and Vipassana. Boston: Wisdom Publications, pp. 389-431.

By Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, Vermont

Author of Mindful Happiness

New Edition of Mindful Happiness in Production…Coming soon!

Very “SAD” Facts about the Addictions Field A recent issue of the Addictions Professional presented very disturbing news about how clinicians in the field are doing. NOT WELL! Addictions clinicians treat people with addictions but mainly people with co-occurring disorders – addictions with trauma, depression, anxiety and/or eating disorders. Often there is also a co-occurring medical […]

Self-Help Journaling – Two Methods Generally there are two forms of self-help journaling: writing about worries and concerns OR writing about joy and happiness. In my more than 35 years of clinical experience I have not found the former to be very helpful. Most people stuck in negative mood states are not easily able to […]

Meditation on Gratitude – Why it is so Important The daily rapid vibrations from our fast-paced and sometimes dangerous world may impact us in ways that make unhealthy norms of being. The struggle to feel good enough, to have enough, to be somebody, to keep up with the raging ads about what you need NOW and […]

Healing Meditations for Destructive Emotions Based on the mountain of research supporting the use of regular meditation practices and yoga, it is safe to say that Buddhism and its practices have merged with modern scientific investigation. From the early days of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (the MBSR of Jon Kabat-Zinn) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (the DBT […]

What Consciousness Really Is Considering that we have been to the moon and back, and more recently surveyed important moons of Saturn, science is still a very long way from understanding how the human brain works – and even further away from having a clear, agreed-upon interpretation of human consciousness. Consciousness is the “stuff” of […]

Expanded Information about Your Compassion Practices and Benefits Compassion Practice Tips and Exercises The Buddha noted that one should not dwell on the past, become too attached to future outcomes, but instead concentrate our mind only on the present moment of our experiences. The Dalai Lama noted that compassion is a necessary condition for inner […]

Basics of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction is, perhaps, one of the major contributions to evidence-based mindfulness therapies. Jon Kabat-Zinn’s development of this model of intervention was both timely and exquisite. In clinical care of psychological and physical problems, these skills and practices are of utmost importance for improving (according to the most recent […]

Anahata – Heart Chakra Meditation Practice Rumi noted that to reach the sky we must use our hearts. The Heart Chakra is a very popular focus of meditation practice. Here we will simply review some characteristics and then move on to a meditation practice. Specific characteristics: Green color, YAM sound (say at least three times […]

Interoceptive Practices for Generic Tai Chi & Chi Kung Postures By Anthony R. Quintiliani, Ph.D. From The Eleanor R. Liebman Center for the Study of Secular Meditation in Monkton, Vermont These practices will require either knowledge of Tai Chi/Chi Kung postures or following pictures of the same postures. Be prepared before you begin to practice. […]

Meditation for Managers and Helpers Let’s Talk – Contact Me – Click Here I am a Licensed Psychologist-Doctorate and a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor with 35 years of clinical experience in community clinics, schools, professional organizations, and universities (OSU, UVM, etc.). I have been the past Clinical Director of Howard Center, and Past President […]

Mindful Leadership Skills: How to Lead in Wise Mind Ways Researchers dealing with leadership skills have noted several acquired characteristics of effective leaders. These same skills may be used in spreading “the word” about how mindfulness and wise mind practices reduce stress reactivity, enhance compassion, and expand the possibilities for human happiness, inner peace and […]

Using Your Compassionate Mind in Psychotherapy For you to become a more compassionate therapist, follow the details noted below. These preconditions, skills, and practices are required as a baseline for compassionate practice. You need the ability to access calmness in an environment of emotional suffering, chaos, or conflict. Most people do this by breathing in […]

Using Lectio Divina to Improve Your Self-Esteem LectioDivina is an ancient form of Christian (Benedictine) meditation. This meditative prayer is sometimes called “Sacred Seeing.” Lectio Divina follows specific steps as a process: lectio or reading a passage; Meditatio or meditating on the passage or image; Oratio or praying (I add – in your own way); […]

Trauma Informed Care – Avoidance Process Although more and more clinicians are learning about and using principles/practices of Trauma Informed Care, too few understand the behavioral dynamics of negative reinforcement in the avoidance of trauma-related cues (people, places, things, internal sensations, emotions and images). This post will give a very brief description of negative reinforcement […]

Three Meditation Practices to Further Your Expansion Based on the ongoing “bad news” about various domestic and world events, and the knowledge that people DO NEED more compassion and self-compassion in their hectic and challenging lives, I am writing three brief meditation practices on different aspects on compassion-wisdom as noted on my site. Hopefully, these […]

Psychological Research on the Dangers of Smartphone Abuse There is no doubt that smartphone technology bring us a great deal of advanced technological access to a world of information and communication. There is a downside. Recent research published by The American Psychological Association in March, 2017, and opinions in The Atlantic warn of potential and actual biopsychosocial […]

Gurdjieff’s The Fourth Way Meditations: A way of Being and Knowing Although Gurdjieff developed a whole way of being and knowing, including attentional practices, dance/body movements, group processes, and meditations here I will focus only on some of the suggested meditations. In particular, I include the meditations noted by his primary student (J. DeSalzmann, 2011). […]

Henry David Thoreau & Walking Meditation Henry David Thoreau is, perhaps, the most individualistic of the American Transcendentalists. He asked us to consider what we have learned that is useful as we travel our own “stream of life.” He cautions us not to regret when we die that we “had not lived.” He advised us to […]

Vipassana Meditation: Impermanence Although standard vipassana meditation practice leading to insight about the true nature of reality does not recommend what I am about to do, I plan to do it anyway. This meditation center is all about innovation in practice and generalization regarding the benefits of meditation for both regular meditators and novices. Below […]

Equanimity, Suffering, and Resilience It is said that equanimity (Pali – upekkha), the seventh factor of enlightenment and the tenth perfection, is an end-product of life-long personal practice in meditation and/or meditative yoga. It is about “walking the walk.” Some practitioners note that equanimity is the foundation for other helpful states of mind and body. […]