Whatever thought or reflection occurs should be noted.

Whatever thought or reflection occurs  should be noted.

If you imagine, note as “imagining.” If you think, “thinking.” If you plan, “planning.” If you perceive, “perceiving.” If you reflect, “reflecting.” If you feel happy, “happy.” If you feel bored, “bored.” If you feel glad, “glad.” If you feel disheartened, “disheartened”. Noting all these acts of consciousness is called cittanupassana. Because we fail to note these acts of consciousness, we tend to identify them with a person or individual. We tend to think that it is “I” who is imagining, thinking, planning, knowing (or perceiving). We think that there is a person who from childhood onwards has been living and thinking. 

Actually, no such person exists. There are instead only these continuing and successive acts of consciousness. 

That is why we have to note these acts of consciousness and know them for what they are. That is why we have to note each and every act of consciousness as it arises. When so noted, it tends to disappear. We then go back to noting the rising and falling of the abdomen. 

When you have sat meditating for long, sensations of stiffness and heat will arise in your body. These are to be noted carefully, too. 

Similarly with sensations of pain and tiredness. 

All of these sensations are dukkhavedana (feeling of unsatisfactoriness) and noting them is vedananupassana. Failure or omission to note these sensations makes you think, “I am stiff, I am feeling hot, I am in pain. I was all right a moment ago. 

Now I am uneasy with these unpleasant sensations.’’ The identification of these sensations with the ego is mistaken. There is really no “I” involved, only a succession of one new unpleasant sensation after another.

~ Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw