MIDL Meditation 13-18

In MIDL Mindfulness Meditation Training 13/52 you intentionally develop sensitivity to the four elemental qualities of experience. They are experienced as Earth Element = a range of ‘soft’ to ‘hard’, Fire Element = a range of ‘cool’ to ‘hot’, Water Element = a range of ‘dry’ to ‘wet’ and Wind Element = a range of contraction to expansion (movement). These four elemental qualities are the building blocks of all experience appearing before perception and the proliferation of the mind. By developing sensitivity to these elemental qualities all experience breaks up and identification with experience ceases. 

In MIDL Mindfulness Meditation Training 14/52 you further develop your perception of the four elemental qualities. As this perception strengthens and concentration develops, you intentionally bring awareness to the borders between things such as one of your hands touching the other or your body pressing against the chair or floor. As you focus on the elemental qualities at these points of touch mind created perceptional borders start to dissolve and you can experience reality free from separation. 

In MIDL Mindfulness Meditation Training 15/52 you change your focus from observing the elemental experience of your body in the previous training, to developing the skill of observing  any habitual movements of your attention. This is done by using the elemental quality of three meditation objects: your body, hands and breath, as a reference point from which to observe when awareness shifts towards one of your six senses. Observing these shifts in attention strengthens mindfulness, lowering the time lost within habitual thinking thereby allowing you to observe when it arises and eventually the desire to think the thought itself. 

In MIDL Mindfulness Meditation Training 16/52 you continue to refine your skill in observing habitual shifts of your attention away from the elemental quality of your body in order to develop understanding of the nature of attention. Through placing effort towards noticing when attention shifts towards thoughts arising within the mind you continue to develop your sense of investigation, continuity of mindfulness and momentary concentration. As these mental factors mature you will also start to experience the ability to observe thinking patterns as they arise within the mind in daily life.

In MIDL Mindfulness Meditation Training 17/52 you develop the accuracy of your attention by using a breath counting technique to develop steadiness of awareness through one-pointed concentration. The focus during this training is on the experience of breathing at the tip of the nose. As you experience the breath draw in, then out, you count "1". As it draws in, then out, you count "2"; up to five out-breaths. Once you have experienced 5 in and out-breaths you start at 1 again. If you become distracted in any way you start at 1 again refining the steadiness of your attention and temporarily suppressing the five hindrances. 

In MIDL Mindfulness Meditation Training 18/52 you develop the skill of clarifying shifts of attention during meditation by using a mindfulness labeling technique. A label is a silent, intentional word used to describe an experience that arises during meditation in order to direct awareness and clarify perception. As an example, as the breath draws in you silently say “in”, as it goes out you silently say “out”, aligned with the experience of the breath. Whenever you notice your attention habitually move from the experience of breathing you clarify it by silently saying “hearing” for a sound or “thinking” for a thought etc.