using words in mindfuleness
 

I have noticed that when I mentally use words to describe an internal or an external experience (fear; a sound of car) this helps to keep my thoughts focused on the present moment. However, words also create some sort of separation or distance from the experience. Should I use words to make mindfulness easier?

I find that while in sitting meditation to saying to myself thinking when a chain of thought starts up helps it pass or doubt when doubt arises helps me, but then again I'm not a very experienced practitioner.

Hi daniela,
As Traveller has shared I also find what you describe, and I have come to call " naming", useful when meditating.

There are many different techniques and chanting and use of mantras may be something you would like to investigate if you are verbal in your mind.

For me, especially when I was beginning a regular meditation practice I found " naming " easily turned into analysing what, how, when and why and that intellect tended to confuse and hold back my progress.

I have been reminded of this story, which was sent to me in an email ....

Once upon a time in a land far away lived a poor uneducated, mentally challenged man who tended a herd of cows for his master.
He happened upon a meditation teacher and was very taken with his calm, loving, gentle and happy nature.
He decided he wanted to know that experience first hand. And so he went to the teacher and begged him to teach him a way to achieve the inner peace that radiated so obviously from the teacher.
The teacher accepted him as his student but quickly found that the man couldn’t understand any of the philosophical points he was making and as a matter of fact couldn’t even remember the mantra Om when he tried to teach it to him.
The teacher lovingly said, "My oh my, you don’t seem to know anything at all, can’t be taught, and can’t remember anything.
You are devoted and sincere in your desire to gain happiness though, so I will try to help you. My son, what do you know?"
The man said, "Oh great teacher, the only thing I know is cows. All my life I’ve spent caring for cows, making sure they graze, are milked, and are kept clean. Yes, for me, everything is cows."
"Well, that’s alright," said the teacher, "then you know what sound the cows make."
"Oh yes," said the man, "they say moo."
"Very well then," said the teacher, "for you, moo will be your mantra.
All you have to do is say moo continually and you will reach freedom from suffering and know real bliss."
So the man chanted moo, moo, moo when he took the cows out to graze and he chanted moo, moo, moo when he milked them, and he chanted moo, moo, moo when he cleaned them.
He chanted moo all the time and very soon merged with that, which is Om backward, and reached the highest heights of joyous understanding and lived happily ever after.

Thanks for sharing the lovely story Andy.

hi Daniela

my opinion is if we need to use words then use them

words are best used when the emotion is very strong & we need words to help us restrain & bring groundedness to the mind

but if we can watch the emotional mood without words & thoughts then this is ideal

kind regards

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When one is feeling angry just saying or thinking "there is anger" or "anger,anger" stops the build up of emotion. The words used are important eg. "I am getting angry" can make things worse as one is making the emotion personal.

Once this is 2nd nature there is no need for labelling.


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Thanks for your help. I Understand from the answers that labeling/naming is OK but should be viewed as a temporary helpful technique.

In Vipassana meditation labelling is very common, usually one word labels like, anger, frustration, happy. You don't need to see it as short term or long term. Use labels if they are helpful to you and don't if they are not. Gil Fronsdal often talks about labels on Audio Dharma http://www.audiodharma.org/
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Silent observation is mostly advised. Internal chatter is very unproductive IMO. It is best not to train the mind to incline towards internal dialogs with every experience and feeling. It is unproductive in daily life and certainly a big hindrance to reach deeper stages in meditation.

This is very important to comprehend and to take into account. Silence and contemplation, IMO, has worked very well. To get ride, in meditation, internal dialogue is a good way to improve letting go and being in the present moment... mindfulness.

Just sharing . Words should not be any referral to any "ownself" action or intention . Buddhism is all about learning to understand ownself by being awake .....as words could not be any guide , referral for own understanding .

One should learn to understand " ownself" by one awareness and words is only capable to descripe part off the understanding and one should not limit himself to the words.....but to use words try to descripe the understanding .

Thks
CSEe

OP: by daniela
“Should I use words to make mindfulness easier?” By Deshy: “Silent observation is mostly advised. Internal chatter is very unproductive IMO. It is best not to train the mind to incline towards internal dialogs with every experience and feeling. It is unproductive in daily life and certainly a big hindrance to reach deeper stages in meditation.” by Kaarine Alejandra: “This is very important to comprehend and to take into account. Silence and contemplation, IMO, has worked very well. To get ride, in meditation, internal dialogue is a good way to improve letting go and being in the present moment... mindfulness.”
This would fit with the suttas. When discursive thought gets in the way, the problem lies mostly in a lack of correct ānāpāna to develop calm. Once established, this calm is unperturbed by discursive thoughts.

“Ānāpānassatisamādhissa, bhikkhave, bhāvitattā bahulīkatattā neva kāyassa iñjitattaṃ vā hoti phanditattaṃ vā, na cittassa iñjitattaṃ vā hoti phanditattaṃ vā.

“Monks, it is composure through mindfulness of in and out breathing, when developed and practiced of which there is no shaking or movement in the body, and no shaking or movement in the mind.” - SN. 5.10.1.7 Thoughts are things, as it were. And these things are sensate. When these can be experienced as such without exploring a concept of them, then the knowledge of how they construct will be evident. This is the building of contemplative knowledge and wisdom.

A good post, that.

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A good quote, that. (SN 54.7)

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Re #12, really nice to hear from you, AncientBuddhism !


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