Noting craving for food : Ven. Mahasi Saydaw tradition Practice : Ven.Mahasi Sayadaw




I mostly practice "daily life" meditation and I found this specific question very important ( I have got some illnesses due to this too)

I get intention to eat when I see "sweets" even I'm not hungry . Also eat more if it is a food I really "like" .

So I use mental notes "Craving  , Craving " and "liking , liking " respectively .

Sometimes it passes away . But mostly it moves to " intending , intending " and then "eating" steps.

"Suppressing" works temporally but I know this is not the purpose of meditation. 

I always try my best to follow below instructions,

 - When you look at the food, looking, seeing.

 - When you arrange the food, arranging.

 - When you bring the food to the mouth, bringing.

 - When you bend the neck forwards, bending.

 - When the food touches the mouth, touching.

 - When placing the food in the mouth, placing.

 - When the mouth closes, closing.

 - When withdrawing the hand, withdrawing.

 - Should the hand touch the plate, touching.

 - When straightening the neck, straightening.

 - When in the act of chewing, chewing.

 **- When you are aware of the taste, knowing.**

 - When swallowing the food, swallowing.

 - While swallowing the food, should the food be felt touching the sides    of the gullet, touching.


And I found "- When you are aware of the taste, knowing" is extremely momentary compare to other steps (relatively longer when having a beverage like coffee or soft drink) . Sometimes I miss that step completely .

How should I handle "intention"(cetanaha) of eating without "suppressing"?
It is not Mahasi noting, but the core of the Buddha's teaching: Dependent origination(D0) and others.

Depending on contact feeling arises, depending on feeling craving arises, depending on craving, clinging arises, depending on clinging becoming (this is when intention arises and action(kamma) begins.

The first point is contact, don't go near food when it is not meal time!
For your mindfulness is not strong enough yet!

When feeling, craving arises you still have the choice of breaking away from contact with the food (move physically or mentally away)for clinging to arise. All this comes from the very basic practice which the Buddha taught guarding the senses or sense door.

If you have strong attachment for food there is a practice recommended by the Buddha contemplation of the foulness of food, that the end product of eaten food is faeces. See food as also only the four great elements..and other insight practices to actually deal with the craving.