MIDL Insight Meditation System

Mindfulness of Breathing in MIDL is divided into 12 Meditation Skills. Insight in each skill is developed by learning to recognise a Meditative Hindrance (disturbance to calm) and developing your skill in transforming it into a Meditation Marker (a sign of deepening calm).

Suitability: Beginner.

Purpose: Creating Your Foundation.

New to Meditation?

Gentle introduction to insight meditation.

• Meditation for Beginners: 7 Days of Calm.
• 2-Week Introduction to MIDL Meditation

Mindfulness of Breathing Skills 01-03. 

Develop insight into each hindrance to develop your skill in calm:

• Skill 01: Physical Restlessness → Body Relaxation.
• Skill 02: Mental Restlessness → Mind Relaxation.
• Skill 03: Sleepiness & Drifting → Mindful Presence.

Support Articles.

The theory behind the above meditation skills.

• Article: Developing Presence.
• Article: GOSS: How to Let Go.

Optional Meditation:

If you experience stress, anxiety, or brain fog, practice this first.

• Meditation for Anxiety: Stress Breathing Pattern Retraining.

Your second step is to cultivate curiosity about balancing mental effort by developing insight into what hinders the development of calm and tranquility. 

Suitability: Intermediate. 

Purpose: Insight into restlessness.

Mindfulness of Breathing Skills 04-06. 

Develop insight into each hindrance to develop your skill in calm:

• Skill 04: Habitual Forgetting → Joyful Presence.
• Skill 05: Habitual Control → Natural Breathing.
• Skill 06: Mind Wandering → Length of Each Breath.

Support Articles:

• Article: Applying the GOSS Formula.
• Article: 12 Experiential Markers.
• Article: 12 Meditative Hindrances.

Your third step is to cultivate your skill in stable attention during mindfulness of breathing by including joy and tranquility in your attention. 

Suitability: Skilled.

Purpose: Insight into dullness.

Mindfulness of Breathing Skills 07-09. 

Develop insight into each hindrance to develop your skill in calm:

• Skill 07: Gross Dullness → Breath Sensations.
• Skill 08: Subtle Dullness → One Point of Sensation.
• Skill 09: Subtle Wandering → Sustained Attention.

Support Article:

• Article: Working with Dullness.

Your fourth step is to cultivate your skill in samadhi (unification) to develop access concentration. 

Suitability: Accomplished.

Purpose: Develop access concentration.

Mindfulness of Breathing Skills 10-12. 

Develop insight into each hindrance to develop your skill in calm:

• Skill 10: Subtle Distraction → Whole-Body Breathing.
• Skill 11: Anticipation of Pleasure → Sustained Awareness.
• Skill 12: Fear of Letting Go → Access Concentration.

Support Article:

• Article: Noble Eightfold Path.

Your fifth step is to cultivate your skill in meditative absorption (jhana), to establish equanimity. 

Suitability: Proficient.

Purpose: Develop Factor of Equanimity.

Course Lessons:

1. Meditation Skill 13: First Pleasure Jhana.
2. Meditation Skill 14: Second Pleasure Jhana.
3. Meditation Skill 15: Third Pleasure Jhana.
4. Meditation Skill 16: Fourth Pleasure Jhana.

The insight practices in this section are designed to create the conditions for Sotapanna: Stream Entry and more advanced levels of insight once a meditator has become proficient in at least a second jhana (absorption) in Cultivation 05.

Suitability: Advanced.

Purpose: Develop conditions for Awakening.

Course Lessons:

• Sotapanna: Stream Entry
• Sakadagami: Once Returner