should noting involve quality judgments?

[u/kreayshawn777]

I've recently started noting in day to day life and am wondering if it's okay to note in terms of categorising an experience into either a positive or negatively valanced thing. I typically note without having this problem but sometimes I encounter qualities that feel like they may be positively valanced so I think about using labels like beautiful or sublime. But these feel like qualitative judgments which I think may interfere with equanimity where perhaps we are neither attached nor averse to the thing we're experiencing.

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[u/_spacious_joy_]

This is a thing in Theravada noting such as Mahasi. You note the vedana of a sensation as positive, negative, or neutral. You don't need to describe it beyond that.

[u/scienceofselfhelp → u/_spacious_joy_]

This.

[u/Diced-sufferable]

Oh! What is this noting all about? Why do you do it?

[u/Ok_Animal9961]

Quality judgment occurring, note quality judgement occurring.

You are not the mind, so who cares what it does. Simply note everything.

[u/eudoxos_]

Well, if you do noting, then note whatever is there: liking, enjoying etc. If there is judgment, not judgment. If you want equanimity, note wanting; if you expect it, note expecting.

Not only it is okay to note, is is actually very important. It is so important that Sid mentions that as one of the four foundations of mindfulness in Mahasatipatthana-sutta: contemplating kaya, vedana (!!), citta, dhamma.

He also sometimes recommended contemplating the 5 aggregates: rupa (sensation), vedana (right here!), sanna (conceptualization, view, framing, meaning ascribed to sensation), sankhara (reacitivity), vinnana (being-conscious-of). Sensation, various aspects of relationship to the sensation, and the consciousness of it.

If you attach to the idea you should be equanimous, you will soon cultivate a huge blind-spot for aversion and attraction (i.e. exclude a chunk of your reality from meditation, and perhaps from consciousness). The practice then easily becomes tense, uptight, and without juice.

[u/Ordinary-Lobster-710]

the noting technique is an idea that gain popularity with the teachings from the Burmese tradition, mainly from Mahasi Sayadaw, back in the 1940s. the purpose of it, is to stop your mind wandering. to have continuous awareness.

The sense from what I get from your question is that you are looking for more ways for your brain to wander. to be lost in thought. is this good is this bad? how do I feel about this?

I think this goes against the point of the noting which is to stop this kind of self chatter. by noting the thing you are reminding yourself to stay in the present moment. not continue to chatter to yourself about the thing you noted.

im not an expert in this topic so anyone may correct me if i'm wrong. I will say I am not a fan of this technique.