Dropping, Grounding and the Four Foundations of Mindfulness

I've continued to experiment with direct perception and the lightening rod/grounding practice in particular and as I do so, I'm finding that there are subtle differences between it and the dropping practice that I did for many years and which initially seemed to be the same as the grounding practice. I'm also I'm finding that there is some interesting stuff to be gleaned by bringing a bystander practice perspective (although that take me out of direct perception mode).

With dropping, the focus is on mental activity in general and thoughts in particular. The base resting place for attention is the sense gates all held as a unifed field of experience. At the moment of noticing any thoughts that don't spontaneously pass away, I drop them. The field of attention opens back up after having been constricted around the thoughts. The dropping practice brings attention back to present moment experience and the peacefulness that is part and parcel of being here now, but it isn't as embodied as the grounding practice. As a result, the field of attention/energy only incorporates the upper torso, or the heart, throat, third eye and crown chakras.

to be continued....

With grounding, the focus is on emotions, and particularly on emotions as felt in the body. The base resting place for attention is the body (but not to the exclusion of the other sense gates). When I feel a proto-blob of emotion arise as a sensation in the body, I bring my attention (and sometimes my hand) to the sensation, and the energy of the thing literally sinks down, as if it is riding the energy channel that runs from the crown to the root. There is a sense of standing solidly on solid ground. When I don't catch the proto-blob as quickly, there is an ascending energy as the emotion starts giving rise to thought. If the mental aspect of emotion begins to predominate, the energy is felt primarily in the head and I feel top-heavy and disconnected. Attention begins to constrict and energy becomes unbalanced. If the process continues, the blob breaks off. In the lava lamp example, the constriction is the ever-thinning thread that holds the blob to the main body of the wax. When I'm grounded, the field of energy/attention incorporates the whole body and all seven chakras. The ascending and descending energy channels are stable and in balance and peace infuses the whole system.

The difference is sublte, but real.

more to come...

So, in some ways, this is a 4 foundations practice. Attention rests in the body (first foundation). Feeling tone (second foundation) creates the sublte bulges in the form of the wax. Emotions (third foundation) give rise to proto blobs. Thoughts (fourth foundation) energize the blob which can then take on a life of its own and break off completely. Continuously grounding in the first foundation circumvents the process. There's less insight into the nature of mind with this way of holding the four foundations than in vipassana and less concentration than in bystander practice, but much more peace. And once one has gleaned suffiicient insight and concentration to complete First Gear, there's no need to keep looking for insights or cultivating concentration. So why not choose peace instead?

That's how it looks to me at the moment, subject to change of course.

So.... if we were to research traditions and practices that involve energy and balancing energy in the body, do you think we'd find the practice we're calling "direct perception?"

BTW, Naomi, I'm finding what you describe to be the case, too. Not that you need any validation from little ol' me

Hmmm. I don't know. I think we might. I work with a few advanced t'ai chi and yoga practioners and this topic might make for some interesting conversation. I'll let you know what I learn.

Naomi, this dropping pracice sound familiar. Does it come from a Vajrayana tradition? I remember something like this from some Ken McLeod podcasts. I don't have an exact name to put on it. It's a practice I never did, but it came to mind with all this talk of direct mode. Eric

I learned the practice from my teacher Rabbi David Cooper who studied extensively with Tsoknyi Rinpoche, but I'm not sure that I was practicing exactly what was taught or my own idiosyncratic understanding of it.

"So, in some ways, this is a 4 foundations practice. Attention rests in the body (first foundation). Feeling tone (second foundation) creates the subtle bulges in the form of the wax. Emotions (third foundation) give rise to proto blobs. Thoughts (fourth foundation) energize the blob which can then take on a life of its own and break off completely. Continuously grounding in the first foundation circumvents the process. There's less insight into the nature of mind with this way of holding the four foundations than in vipassana and less concentration than in bystander practice, but much more peace. And once one has gleaned suffiicient insight and concentration to complete First Gear, there's no need to keep looking for insights or cultivating concentration. So why not choose peace instead?-Lhamo"

This is great, Naomi. It does seem that continuous grounding of the emotional charge in the body depends on two prerequisites: 1) complete transparency of mind and body, and 2) a fully built-out physio-energetic infrastructure that is capable of handling the energy. Both of those things are cultivated by the noting practice, so the ability to sustain peace (3rd Gear) rests on the foundation of 1st Gear. As you say, in some ways the direct mode practice is a four foundations practice.