Noting and Labelling with "I Am": A Subtle Yet Powerful Approach

Noting and Labelling with "I Am": A Subtle Yet Powerful Approach

In the realm of mindfulness and self-inquiry, noting and labeling are powerful techniques used to cultivate awareness and clarity. Typically, these methods are applied to sensory experiences—thoughts, emotions, or physical sensations—but they can also be directed toward deeper layers of consciousness. One particularly potent subtle object for practice is the phrase "I am."

By breaking this phrase down into its two components—“I” and “am”—we open up different avenues of investigation, each leading to unique insights about the nature of self and existence. This approach can be an efficient method for engaging with Nisargadatta Maharaj’s "I Am" practice, where the ultimate goal is to rest in the sense of presence prior to identification with form and concept.

Noting "I" vs. Noting "Am"

When using noting and labelling with the phrase “I am,” we can explore it in two distinct ways:

1. Noting "I"

   • When the emphasis is placed on "I," awareness naturally inclines toward the sense of personal identity.

   • Noting "I" repeatedly reveals the habitual self-referencing structure of the mind—associations, personal narratives, and the feeling of an individual entity navigating experience.

   • This can lead to deeper insights into attachment, ego formation, and how the mind constructs a sense of separate self.

2. Noting "Am"

   • When the emphasis shifts to "am," the focus moves toward pure beingness—existence itself without attachment to form.

   • Noting "am" can dissolve conceptual layers, leading to an experience of presence beyond identity.

   • This shift often brings about a direct taste of stillness, simplicity, and the formless awareness that Nisargadatta refers to as the doorway to the Absolute.

Efficiency in the "I Am" Practice

Nisargadatta Maharaj’s primary instruction was to abide in the sense of “I Am” without adding any conceptual layers to it. While simple in description, many practitioners find it challenging to avoid intellectualizing or drifting into subtle mental elaborations.

By employing noting and labeling, we create a structured way to refine attention:

• If distractions arise, simply note “thinking” or “distracted” and return to the felt sense of “I Am.”

• If identification strengthens, noting “I” can illuminate where grasping occurs.

• If presence deepens, noting “Am” allows attention to stabilize in pure beingness.

This method minimizes unconscious wandering and keeps practice on track, making the inquiry both rigorous and accessible.

Beyond Noting: Resting in the Unlabelled

While noting is an efficient way to sharpen awareness, the ultimate goal of the "I Am" practice is to abide in pure presence without interference. Once clarity stabilizes, the need for labeling naturally falls away. At this stage, resting in the silent knowing of “I Am” without effort becomes possible.

By using noting as a stepping stone, practitioners can move beyond words into direct experience—where the simple recognition of existence unfolds into the profound realization that Nisargadatta so often pointed to.

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This refined approach offers a bridge between mindfulness techniques and deep self-inquiry, making it a practical yet profound method for those on the path of awakening. Whether one is exploring the nature of self or dissolving into pure being, noting and labeling provide a valuable toolset for navigating the subtleties of "I Am."

Could noting and labelling (or mindfulness practices) be used within Nisargadatta's "I am" approach?

 

I really liked this response to the following question, thanks to AI reasoning:

Q: Could noting and labeling (as per Buddhist meditation practice such as Mahasi noting) work with noting and labeling the "I am" (as Nisargatdatta taught with his teachings on the "I am")?

A: Yes, noting and labeling could be applied to the "I am" in a way that aligns with Mahasi-style insight meditation and Nisargadatta’s teachings.

How This Would Work

1. Noting the "I am" as an Object of Awareness

   • In Mahasi noting, you label experiences as they arise (e.g., "thinking," "hearing," "pain").
   • You could note "I am" as a phenomenon when it naturally appears in awareness.
   • If identification arises, note "identifying" or "selfing."

2. Seeing the "I am" as Impermanent and Not-Self

   • Traditional Buddhist noting is designed to reveal impermanence, suffering, and not-self (anicca, dukkha, anatta).
   • By noting the "I am" in real-time, you might see that it is an arising and passing event—not a fixed reality.

3. Going Deeper into Nisargadatta’s Approach

   • Nisargadatta suggests staying with the "I am" without conceptualizing it.
   • Noting might initially create distance, making you aware that the sense of "I am" is an experience, not the ultimate truth.
   • Eventually, the goal would be to drop even the label and abide in pure being.

Potential Challenge

• Over-Conceptualization: Noting could reinforce a dualistic observer, keeping "I am" at the level of mind instead of allowing direct abidance in it.
• Solution: Use noting only to dissolve identification, then let awareness rest naturally in the "I am."

Conclusion

Yes, noting and labeling could help deconstruct the habitual identification with "I am" and reveal its transient nature. However, at some point, Nisargadatta’s approach invites you to go beyond noting and simply be the "I am" in its purest form.

Seeing the elements and forces play out.

I recently found and interesting exercise from an old Franz Bardon book (Initiation into Hermetics). Most of the time, these old "occult"/"hermetic" type books generally work on the level of manipulation of the five elements and rarely venture beyond this. Sometimes, however, one stumbles upon useful practices, such as this one, enabling one to get a better bird's eye view of how the elements and forces play out within one's individual consciousness.

The aim of the exercise is increased mindfulness around conditioned personality traits that normally play out unconsciously throughout one's waking existence.

The exercise is pretty simple, and relates to noting down (in a private diary) for a few days, all of the seemingly positive and negative traits (ie. personality) one experiences over the time period. Each is then assigned to an elemental quality (ie. fire, water, air, earth). I also added the 'force' dimension (ie. 3 gunas: rajas/activity, tamas/darkness, satva/conscious-harmony).

Some entries might look like:

-    "Quick temper while on the phone today, impatience" (Fire, Rajas)

-    "Resistance to going to bed late at night, knowing it was helpful" (Water, Tamas)

+   "Motivation to wish well for random stranger this morning" (Fire, Satva)

+   "Appreciation for food today during lunch" (Earth, Satva)

There is no effort to change these reactions, but rather develop observation & remembering skills.

There's also no hard-fast rules for assigning the qualities, the aim is more around becoming aware of how the elements and forces play out within one's consciousness during the day.

After a few days, a useful side-exercise would also be to notice the witnessing consciousness within which these elemental forces play out.

(Ride Waite 'Wheel of Fortune' card below, depicting the interplay of elements and forces).

Apple juice mindfulness

A few days ago I was boarding a plane from Singapore to Penang island, and noticed that my seat was next to a Theravada (Buddhist) monk in his 40's. He was wearing the traditional brown robe and was already seated.

Although interested in making a connection, I withheld conversation for most of the trip. At the end of the trip I discovered he was a Burmese monk (in the Mahasi tradition) headed for a meditation centre in Penang.

During the trip we were served a snack/drink, and we both chose apple juice as a beverage. Theravada monks due to their vows, do not eat solid food after midday, hence he only took a cup of apple juice. Myself not being particularly fond of airplane food also took the same.

I took about five minutes or so to finish the drink with some minor noting of its taste and color. However, I received a direct, silent teaching in mindfulness from the monk in becoming aware that he took around 20 minutes to finish the small cup. Each sip was savoured completely, mindfully, and slowly, no doubt attending to the sense perceptions such as taste etc., while drinking.

The event left a lasting impression on my consciousness and memory. No big deal, but it does show that mindfulness in action (when done with a high degree of awareness and intent) can and does impact those around us and in ways not always recognized.