Note taking

I used to be a very diligent note taker. Not so much anymore.

It was really helpful when I was first learning vipassana and going through some of the weird experiences that are so often associated with insight practice. After writing it down, I could send the relevent bits to a teacher or practice buddy and see if they could offer any pointers. Also, it was a way for me to get some validation from my peers, which I think is important when learning any skill. It keeps one encouraged enough to keep going (at least that's how it helped me).

After a while, though, I began to back and actually read my notes. For me at least, most of the notes I took don't have any lasting value. Well, other than being able to see just how many times I was dead wrong about something! How many times my views have changed! How often I was/am confused!

So now, when I journal it is mostly to sort out the details of a practice session after it happens. But, I often just discard the entries immediately or after a week or so. Practice keeps moving and changing, and I gain very little from revisiting old, dead words.

So, as with most answer with dharma practice (and in life in general), it depends

I still keep a daily record. When i was working with a teacher I sent him a weekly summary. I note every meditation session, what type of meditation I did, what I experienced, various thoughts and ponders or whatever. It's really really useful to review after some time and super useful if you want feedback from a teacher/colleague.