MIDL Insight Meditation System

What you will learn in Cultivation 01:

1. To lower the experience of stress & anxiety.
2. To develop relaxation in your body & mind.
3. To develop skill in softening and letting go.
4. To develop mindful presence in your body.

Suitability: Everyone.

Membership: No membership required.

Purpose: Insight into weakening physical & mental restlessness + sleepiness & mind drifting and creating the conditions for mindfulness, curiosity & balanced effort to grow and establish.

New Meditators.

If you are new to meditation, would like to develop a daily meditation practice and lower stress and anxiety in your life, I recommend beginning here.

• 14-Day Introductory Course: How to Meditate for Calm.

Experienced in Meditation but New to MIDL.

If you are experienced in meditation but new to MIDL, begin with Skill 01.

Mindfulness of Breathing Skills 00-03.

Develop insight into the left-hand hindrance to transform it into the right-hand marker of calm.

• Skill 00: Stress Breathing → Diaphragmatic Breathing.
• Skill 01: Physical Restlessness → Body Relaxation.
• Skill 02: Mental Restlessness → Mind Relaxation.
• Skill 03: Sleepiness & Dullness → Mindful Presence.

Support Article.

• Article: GOSS: How to Let Go.

If you enjoy Cultivation 01, please consider MIDL Community Membership to access the complete MIDL Insight Meditation Course. It costs nothing more than the time it takes to create a login, and it shows your interest to the teachers and the MIDL Community.

What you will learn in Cultivation 02:

1. To access the spiritual pleasure of letting go.
2. To find contentment and enjoyment in simple things.
3. To develop playful curiosity for insight into mental habits.
4. To weaken habitual patterns through the GOSS Formula.

Suitability: Intermediate meditator.

Membership: Membership is required.

Purpose: Insight into weakening habitual forgetting, habitual control & mind wandering and creating the conditions for contentment & meditative joy to grow and establish.

Mindfulness of Breathing Skills 04-06. 

Develop insight into the left-hand hindrance to transform it into the right-hand marker of calm.

• Skill 04: Habitual Forgetting → Content & Happy.
• Skill 05: Habitual Control → Natural Breathing.
• Skill 06: Mind Wandering → Length of Each Breath.

Support Articles & Meditations:

• Article: Meditation Markers.
• Article: Meditative Hindrances.

What you will learn in Cultivation 03:

1. To calm the habitual wandering of your mind.
2. To develop physical and mental calm & tranquillity.
3. To develop sustained and undistracted attention.
4. To balance mindfulness, curiosity, joy and tranquillity.

Suitability: Skilled meditator.

Membership: Membership is required.

Purpose: Insight into weakening gross dullness, subtle dullness & subtle wandering and creating the conditions for calm & tranquillity to grow and establish.

Mindfulness of Breathing Skills 07-09. 

Develop insight into the left-hand hindrance to transform it into the right-hand marker of calm.

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

Support Article:

• Article: Understanding How to Work with Dullness.

What you will learn in Cultivation 04:

1. To unify attention and peripheral awareness.
2. To skillfully withdraw awareness from your senses.
3. To fill your body and mind with spiritual pleasure.
4. To develop stable access concentration for jhana.

Suitability: Accomplished meditator.

Membership: Membership is required.

Purpose: Insight into weakening subtle distraction, anticipation & fear of letting go and creating the conditions for access concentration to grow and establish.

Mindfulness of Breathing Skills 10-12. 

Develop insight into the left-hand hindrance to transform it into the right-hand marker of 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: Understanding the Noble Eightfold Path.

What you will learn in Cultivation 05:

1. To access and abide in the first pleasure jhana.
2. To access and abide in the second pleasure jhana.
3. To access and abide in the third pleasure jhana.
4. To access and abide in the fourth pleasure jhana.

Suitability: Proficient meditator.

Membership: Membership is required.

Purpose: Insight into weakening unstable unification + enchantment with piti, sukha & happiness and creating the conditions for equanimity to grow and establish.

Course Lessons:

Use the momentum of letting go and the pleasure of piti-sukha to access the pleasure jhanas.

• Skill 13: Unstable Samadhi → First Pleasure Jhana.
• Skill 14: Enchantment with Piti → Second Pleasure Jhana.
• Skill 15: Enchantment with Sukha → Third Pleasure Jhana.
• Skill 16: Enchantment with Happiness → Fourth Pleasure Jhana.

What you will learn in Cultivation 05:

1. To create the conditions for Sotāpanna Insight.
2. To recognise the conditions after Sotāpanna Insight.
3. To create the conditions for Sakadāgāmi Insight.
4. To recognise the conditions after Sakadāgāmi Insight.

Suitability: Advanced meditator.

Membership: Membership is required.

Purpose: Insight into increasing the perception of anicca, anatta & idappaccayatā in all experience & experiencing and creating the conditions for saddha & equanimity to grow and establish.

Course Lessons:

Use the accumulation of your skill in jhana to establish the 7 Awakening Factors and create the conditions for Nibannic-Insight.

1. Creating the conditions for: Sotāpanna: Stream Entry
2. Creating the conditions for: Sakadāgāmi: Once Returner

**The purpose of this course is to guide meditators interested in developing sutta-based Theravada Buddhist Insight Meditation within everyday household life. Once a meditator's mind has reached this level of insight, course-based instruction is of no use, and in-person guidance with a skilled teacher or spiritual friend is more beneficial for deeper paths.