No More Learning

Chapter VIII- Two Reality Perfection Stage ? 4 1 9 the deity body, and so that "magic body" is interpreted
as that deity body. unidentifiable, so vivid and void,
In that source, though it is written that the magic body is actually the indestructible drop, one can also understand that it is really that drop arisen as the deity body. Therefore one can also understand the explana- tion in the two lesser private precepts of the short A and the HOM letter as the magic body. The Five Point explains:
In the magic body practice, there are the magic equi- poise and the magic liberation. The first of these: in the southwest of your dwelling place make a skylight, sus- pend a sword above a copper kettle filled with lac-water; and place a mirror before you which reflects a painting of Vajrasattva; thus aim your mind and meditate. Since truth insistence [2t9aJ will not emerge toward these things, they identify magic illusion. This is said to be the instruction for purification in the creation stage.
This is accepted as corresponding to the meaning of the Five Stages explanation: "A well-shaped Vajrasattva," and so on. As for the way to terminate truth-insistence based on that, Serdingpa explains in the Per- sona/ Instruction ofthe Triple Continuum oJMagical lllusion:125
Of the three magic illusions, explain those of equipoise, dream, and between: as for the former, the first of the three solely purifying activities; holding magical illusion one should sit before a mirror image and, examining whether pleasure or displeasure, attachment or anger arise there from praise and blame, one should see to it that they do not. One should contemplate just like that. Again, look to see [in the mirror] whether attachment or anger
1 25 This text has not been identified among the works of Serdingpa: it may be lost.
? apparent without intrinsic reality. It is said to be illus- trated by the twelve similes of magic illusion; thus iden-
tifying it as like a mirror-reflection and so on identifies
that magic body. "
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Brilliant Illumination of the Lamp
arise from praise or blame. When they do not arise, [the reflection] should merge into one and one should medi- tate oneself as like a magical deity body. One should prac- tice not being happy and attached when one is praised, anointed with sandalwood unguent from the right, and offered wealth and so on. And one should practice not being unhappy and angry when one is blamed, poked with an axe from the left, and one's wealth is robbed.
Some people who uphold the personal instruction of this system, having set apart the designation "magic illusion" for equipoise, set up the way of meditating as holding the mind, having set the mind immobile by strict body-vital-point [penetration] and gaze; by holding it, energy is held; from that, experience develops. Earth, water, fire, wind, mind,
mental events, misknowledge, and universal void-the former dissolves into the latter [219bl with the signs of mirage up to darkness. Then, from the cloudless sky-like universal voidness in reverse order up through the three luminances, the mind along with its energy-mount arises immeas- urably with the vivid vision of the experience of the magical deity body and so forth. Even though you meditate that way, if it does not develop that intensely, there is a method to develop the impact, extensively described in the Five Point. Or if that doesn't work, by meditating aiming one-pointedly at the heart center of the deity body reflected in the mirror, the first vividness of the image is luminance. Then, when the image seems to split apart, it is luminant radiance. Then its disappearance into darkness is luminant imminence. Then its total sky-like clear light transparence experience gives rise to a variety of experiences as above
explained.
Concerning this [outlook], as for the former [instruction], it seems
as if these people are considering the "self-consecration" explained as the visions of various luminance experiences in the space of the retraction [yoga branch], cited previously from the Stainless Light and the Supreme Bliss Eulogy Commentary to be the same as this "self-consecration" of the occasion of magic body. As for the method of intensifying the impact, it seems to be based on some former Tibetans' explanation of the process of looking at any object, wherein the first vividness is luminance, its refinement is radiance, and its final unclear approach to termination is imminence.
Chapter Vlll-1\. vo Reality Perfection Stage ? 421
In the learning of the magical liberation, the Five Point explains its daytime waking practice and its night-time dreaming practice. As for the first 1220a1, within the experience of deity body vividness, one meditates integrating energy and mind by the experience of bliss-void in the throat center, thus generating the experience of engaging in the vital point of life-energy control; this develops the magical liberation. In sleep, dreams come, but here they do not, so these two are dissimilar. As for the tran- scendent liberation, one goes to Akanishta heaven and is blessed by the
mentor, and one has visions of many emanation bodies and listens to the Dharma and so on. As for learning the mundane liberation, it is said that one sees heavens such as the Thirty-three, the [joyous] Tu? hita, and the [highest] Akani? hta, one goes to them, one is worshipped by gods and goddesses, one holds the drop from such as those, and it happens that one manifests various miracles. It is claimed that such things happen as if in a dream, caused by meditating the vase-breath-holding in the throat center preceded by focusing the will to engage in those liberations.
The Equipoise Magic Illusion Instruction explains that one medi- tates the energy-kiss, aiming one's visualization at the heart center drop along with its short "A," thus developing the experiences such as flying in the sky which generate the magical illusion liberation, thus cultivating direct experiential voidness without glee and pride and so on and without obstructions such as deep ravines and precipices and so on.
The Four Point explains that the liberations happen as above explained relying on worshipping the victors by radiating lights from the uma hair-tuft of one's vivid deity body, purifying the two obscurations by manifesting embodiments as needed to tame beings and then com- pressing the lights back into oneself 1220bJ, then having melted one's self- creation into a deity body into light one collects the light within by the two contemplations.
! YI. B. 3. b. ii. c'3'd'ii'A"J"a"ii"B"'2,,c"'ii,-Explaining that import in conncl:tion with the treatise( s)]
As for that short A with its five-colored light-rays in the Five Point and the Four Point being called the "wind-energy-mind body. reality of
,"
? things
appears to the mind's eye in meditation; it is rather the wind-energy- mind subtle body consisting of the subtle life-energy wind indicated by
it is not properly considered just that form of the short A which
422 ? Brilliant lllumination of the Lamp
that [short A] and the mental awareness adhering to that [short A]. And that [short A] is also explained as generating the magic body from the experience of bliss-void in the arisal of the [four] voids unobstructed by anything else, which means that the totally unobstructed magic body is generated from the wind-energy-mind of the three voids. Thus, the intent of the instructions that explain the drop arising as deity body to be the creation of the magic body, and the drop and the syllable to be the magic body should be understood as meaning that the magic body is created from the subtle wind-energy-mind body indicated by those [drops and syllables]; so the magic body should not be interpreted as the mere deity body creation from the transformation of the drop and syllable appearing
in the mind's eye.
If one understands it like that [avoiding such misinterpretation],
[one can rightly understand] the Concise Five Stages [passage], just after its explanation of doing the vajra recitation once the mantra wheel is established:
Ordinary conception-instincts
Are visualized as the mind of mantra itself. Purifying the body purifies conceptions,
Purifying wind-energy, one becomes taintless,
And manifests the wisdom superficial magic [body].
This teaches 1221al the procedure of creating the magic body by purifying the energy by means of vajra recitation preceded by visualizing the mantra wheel. Concerning that, the forms of the mantra-letters set on the petals of the wheel are the means of indicating the mind of the eighty ordinary conceptions and the wind-energies that move them. The bodies or forms of those indicative syllables are serially collected and purified, which purifies the conceptions and their attendant wind-energies. When the conception-mobilizing wind-energies are purified, that means the reali- zation of the intuitive wisdom body, the superficial reality magic body. As the same text states:
The magic body, along with its luminance, Arises from mere wind-energy and mind
which accords with the explanation that the magic body is made from mere wind-energy and mind purified of its eighty conceptions and their
Chapter VIII- Two Reality Perfection Stage ? 423
wind-energies. And that procedure seems to agree in import with the Root and Explanatory Tantras and the treatises of the father and sons.
Further, as for the twelve similes of magic illusion characterizing the magic body, I will explain a few of the correspondences between simile and referent, as it is said that ;'by recognizing them one recognizes the magic body. " I approve the explanation that the ascertainment of the correspondence between simile and referent here is the means of deter- mining the magic body, and also, the personal instructions' explanation that such [ascertainment] is also the means of empowering the clarity of creation stage practice when it is unclear. In the magic body section of the Five Stages, if one so interprets the meaning of the passage beginning with "A well-formed Vajrasattva appears,"126 and if one meditates while perceiving a mirror image, then one sets the mind for a while having moved mentally out [of the mirror]; and [22tbl finally one takes the creation stage deity body merged into oneself as the magic body. This then contradicts the [author's own previous] statement that "from one's experience of bliss-void by intuitive wisdom of voidness one generates the magic body without interference by any other," and it disagrees with all authoritative treatises, and also appears to contradict [the author's] own root verse. The mentor Marpa had many different private instruc- tions from many mentors, among his instructions on each Tantra, so it is not sure that all of his instructions come from Naropa.
Well then, one asks, what is the meaning of the Five Stages' statement:
Free from existence and non-existence, A well-formed Vajrasattva appears,
As if reflected clearly
In a flawless mirror.
Endowed with all the best forms, This body that always fascinates
Should be shown to the good disciple; That is called "self-consecration. "
l26 The full verse is cited just below.
? 424 ? Brilliant Illumination of the Lamp
This means that it is a body like the accurately drawn image of Vajradhara, free of two extremes, dawning in clear vision in the pure sur- face of a mirror, which is superior in all aspects and always delightful to the beholder. And the meaning shown to the disciple by connecting the simile and the meaning of the reflected image and the magic body is explained as "self-consecration. " It is not that one meditates while visu- alizing oneself as reflected in a mirror or that the magic body is shown to
be the deity body extracted from the mirror and drawn into oneself. Otherwise, one would have to literally follow [as meditation instructions] the other similes.
As for the "reflection" simile, [222al among the three out of twelve similes mentioned in the Five Stages, it is the reflection of a vajradhara image and not reflections in general. And it is a simile for the body's parts all being completed simultaneously. The rainbow simile indicates unobstructedness and the non-mixture of colors. The water-moon simile indicates the singularity of the magic body itself, being nevertheless
capable of creating multiple emanations to accord with the disciples. And as for the Self-Consecration's statement-"By them one meditates the body! "-that one meditates on the magic body through those three similes, it means that one should meditate on the magic body as ascer- tained according to the description by those [similes].
According to the two ways of achieving the magic body by medi- tating visualizing a mirror reflection, it does not mean that one must complete the creation stage and the three isolations to achieve it. As for advocating the magic body depending on the explanations in the Stain- less Light and so on that the luminance of the experience of retraction is
body, and that the explanation of the deity body only arising during the
self-consecration, it would force you to claim that the eight [signs] from mirage up to the Rahu-like black luminant [imminence] are the magic
reverse order [of the signs] after that as the magic body is incorrect. The Time Machine mentions the [eight death] signs such as mirage in the con- text of retraction as the signs of the time of approaching [initial] reversal
and [final] inward reversal of the sense faculty wind-energies engage- ment with ordinary objects. The four signs such as mirage which arise in the context of mind isolation and so on are the signs which arise immedi- ately after those [reverse order] four voids, since it has already been often stated 1222bl that the wind-energies must have entered and dissolved into the dhati channel for them [to have arisen]. Therefore, the visions of
Chapter VIII- Two Reality Perfection Stage ? 425
the aspects of moon, sun, and Rahu in the context of retraction do not amount to the same thing as the moonlight and so on of the three voids. In short, if you know well the samadhi wherein the sense conscious- nesses proceed to dissolve well before the natural instincts, and their motor wind-energies dissolve at the time of generating the mind isolation voids after completing the vajra recitation, then you will not feel any doubt such as "will there be any meditating while seeing with the eyes when the magic body is achieved? "
In general, as for the aftermath arisal of whatever appears as false magical illusion, if you develop great bliss on the occasion of the three isolations and the magic body, it should be a source of intensifying your meditation itself by combining it with penetratingly understood voidness. There is little importance [of using such bliss] in the aftermath context [to direct] the notions and so on of liking or not liking or being or not being reflections to terminate the truth insistence habit. Here, if you develop certainty through the rationally aware wisdom that has com- pletely eliminated the truth-habit-objectification pattern concerning inner and outer things, subsequently the process of objective appearances arising as magical illusions by their own momentum depends on the excellent understanding of the centrist reasonings. And the Five Stages' pronouncement [to the effect] that, after attaining the magic body, one sees everything as illusion no matter in what activities refers both to the vision of illusion that is common with the Transcendence [Vehicle] and to the previously explained vision of the extraordinary magical illusion [body] wherein the subtle bodies of all beings are seen as no more than mere wind-energy-mind and so on.
By meditating on the wind-energies and becoming pure fluency, while accepting the arisal of all objects of the buddhaverses and realms and so on, ! 223aJ letting the momentum of that precede, if you practice the kiss-union of wind-energies, although such and such appearances will arise iJlusorily, the explanation about meditating in such a way in the
Noble literature will not have taken effect. They do not explain the retrac- tion of objective appearance by means of the two contemplations in the context of meditating on magical illusion, and in fact that is not the goal to be attained.
42ft ? Bril/i(lnl lll11mination ofthe Lamp
Providing the context for explaining
If one wonders, "Are these explanations in this system of the instructions of sleep, dream, death-point, and between, made in reliance on the Tantras and the treatises of the father and sons? "
Here, Master Go explains both the merger with death and the mer- ger with the between in order to attain buddhahood in the between, and explains the merger with sleep in order to attain buddhahood indirectly through rebirth; the merger with dream is lacking in his private instruc- tion. He does not explain those mergers in order to attain buddhahood in this life, though they are explained quoting the texts of the Integrated Practices. These mergers are not there [either] in the private instructions from Naropa transmitted through Nagtso, though many instructions on all four of them are there in those transmitted through Marpa, explaining sleep and dream mergers in attaining buddhahood in this life, [explain- ing] sleep, death, and between mergers in attaining buddhahood in the between, and [explaining] all four of them in attaining buddhahood in the
next life. This treatise, except for mentioning a mere portion of the teach- ing, [223b], does not seem to express them clearly.
The Concise Five Stages gives the dream instruction:
To purify the dream body,
From the time characterized as magical, All apparent superficial objects one sees Are the stage of superficial reality magic . . .
and:
Cultivate the dream as solely magical . . .
and it teaches just briefly the sleep, death, and between merger instructions:
Merge with the three forms of the between!
I! ]JI. 3. b. ii. l'? ? "? d'jj? . \? ? 1? 'b? ? - Thl? assol"iatcd instrm:tionsI
There are two pans in explaining the instructions connected with
? that: (i
tions: and [ii and so forth.
) Providing the context for explaining the sources of the instruc- ) The actual explanation of the instructions of sleep, dream,
"
? '
? ! \"1. 8. 3. b. ii. c'3'd'ii'A"l"b"i" -
the sourl? es of the instmctions]
ChapterVIII-TWoRealityPerfectionStage? 427
single day.
In Savior Nagarjuna's treatises, the mergers are not literally clear,
except for the explanation in the Five Stages of the magic body as the between and the suitability of explaining the merger of those two. Naga- bodhi doesn't mention utilizing the between, sleep, and dream, except for mentioning the use of the death process in the perfection stage, and the use of birth, death, and between in the creation stage. Chandrakirti explains the death and between mergers in attaining buddhahood in the between, and, except for the context of explaining the dreamlikeness of all things in the fifteenth chapter, where he quotes a reference from the Integrated Practices to establish the equality in truthlessness of the things of dream and waking, he does not openly explain the sleep and dream mergers. Thus, this does not mean that one can claim that this system gives the instructions of holding the dream and so on in the fifteenth chapter expla- nation of the dreamlikeness. Therefore, the explanation of merging sleep and the four voids is not in any other treatise of the father and sons [224aJ except for the Integrated Practices. The Integrated Practices states:
Having familiarized from birth to birth and having learned the teaching of selflessness, understanding the yoga of merging, one should merge together with the natural luminance; and through this process one should perceive it in the ultimate reality. The process is as follows: Plunge the aggregates and so on into the subtle element. Plunge the subtle element into the mind. Plunge the mind into mental functioning. Plunge mental func- tioning into misknowledge. Thus uniting things, fall into sleep. At this time, awareness is forgotten in the instant of mind, mental function, and misknowledge. Afterward, the reality of intuitive wisdom free from unconsciousness also is clear light transparence. There being liberation, through wind-energy, natural instincts are discovered, whereby other things emerge in one's dream. As long as consciousness does not move, one sleeps and beholds clear light; that is called "the interior manifest enlighten-
ment, introspectively realized ultimate reality free of
and, as mentioned above, it says to meditate the five stages, connecting existence, birth, and death [between] stages with [the processes of] a
428 ?
Brilliant Illumination of the Lamp
body, speech, and mind. " Through this process, the tran- scendent buddha hosts abiding in the mandala of the body are to be killed and merged into suchness, and one attains the accomplishment of the well-destined; and without relying on either the elaborated or unelaborated activities one totally exchanges one's form. This is what it means. [224bJ
Chag's translation here is better, saying "energy moves the natural instincts, if other dreams do not arise. . . . "
Just after the above quote, [the Integrated Practices] states: This very meaning, from the Great Yoga Tantra called
Revelation ofthe Hidden Intention, is expressed:
Seeing inner things such as form
Is pronounced to be "critical insight," While counting Ak? hobhya and so on, Abide in quiescence of all notions.
These are explained as peace,
The suchness of insubstantiality; And the yogi/ni merges the buddhas In the mandala of suchness.
Thus the yogi/ni who generates sleep into the experience of the samadhi of the four voids is one who lives with the extremely unelaborated con- duct. Such an embodiment has two procedures of developing the four voids, at the times of falling asleep and waking from sleep; here the first is not described. When that [procedure] develops the four voids, it is said to develop them thus. Again, the Integrated Practices states, "By this process one engages in just the acts of bhu su ku," meaning that one simply lives by eating and drinking, urinating and defecating, and other- wise merely meditating clear light by constant sleeping. If one understands the point of this explanation to be that there is no meditation of clear light other than by falling asleep, one will come to understand the ulti- mate points of the other mergers.
Well then, while the Revelation of the Hidden Intention teaches that the yogi/ni should plunge the buddha-aggregates and so on into the clear light mandala of suchness, [225aJ how can that be interpreted as
Chapter VIII- Two Reality Perfection Stage ? 429
substantiating the plunging of the aggregates and so on into clear light by the process of the four voids of sleep?
Though the yogi/or's producing the experience of the four voids of sleep is not explicitly stated in the Tantra's words, it can be understood by Aryadeva's elucidation that uses the personal instruction by Nagar-
juna. Thus, concerning such a process of plunging into clear light, the meaning of the Revelation of the Hidden Intention statement about the aggregates and so on being plunged into clear light completely serves as a means of understanding [that process]. For example, the expression that states that the definition of a pot is "round-bellied" does not explicitly show, mixing up round-belliedness and that specific object, that a jade's round-belliedness is [also a kind of] pot; nevertheless it does show com- pletely the round-belliedness of that specific object.
As for the statement that "the well-destined accomplishment will be achieved when one kills the hosts of transcendent buddhas," it is the same as the Root Tantra statement that
Killing the hosts of transcendent buddhas,
One will attain the very supreme accomplishment!
And that quote, by its similarity of character, is also properly applied to the clear light of sleep. Relying on that personal instruction of Aryadeva, that mention of which scriptural text the [practice of the] clear light of sleep relies on, can make other [points] understandable. As for such hold- ing of the clear light of sleep, it seems to be part of the activities of attaining buddhahood in that life. Thus the supreme of merging sleep and clear light intends the buddhahood in this life of the most developed person. Attaining buddhahood in the between or after rebirth in another life require that [instruction only] according to the personal instructions of the mentors (22SbJ. Thus, if such explanations in personal instructions and the process of generating the four voids of sleep depending on them do not have effect, when one sees that the Integrated Practices states that the extremely unelaborated practitioner should use them, one can under- stand that they are teachings accessible [only] for such a person. So such a person nowadays should not neglect such teachings, or the great import will be lost. The Integrated Practices' stated process of merging sleep and the four voids, though it is beyond the ability of the inferior person. it is not that they cannot develop the merely general samadhi merging sleep and the four voids. So one must accurately distinguish the differences of
? 430 ? Brilliant Illumination of the Lamp
the paths. Therefore, that source in the Integrated Practices can be applied by contemporary persons to the holding of the voids of sleep.
Well, what is the source for the instructions of dreams?
That also, since it is not explicated in the Tantra and in the other texts of the father and sons, must be understood from the Integrated Practices, as follows:
Why? Sleeping a long time. Why? One abandons the body's interior, and in the dream one goes to the Thirty- three Heaven or to other countries and regions, experi- encing the five sense-experiences. Again, coming here into the body, one will attain the fruition of experiencing virtuous and unvirtuous dreams.
One should thus inquire into dreams, "Are nonsleeping states the same or different from sleep-states? " As for "Why? Sleeping a long time," it inquires into the cause of long sleep without dreams arising. l226al As for "Why? Abandoning the interior of the body," it means as above, at the time of dreams arising after falling asleep, a dream body separates from the interior of the previous body, and going to other countries and places it comes again to this body. "Why does it come back?
"-again inquires into the cause of its entering there.
According to the wording in the Chag translation, "in the dream, with all senses, to the abode of the Thirty-three, or. . . " it means that the separate dream body seems to have a complete life-support for all senses. As for the meaning of "Why? Dreams virtuous and. . . ," it inquires into the cause of experience, at the time of awakening, of the fruits of the good or bad signs of the dream. As for "Is sleep different or not from the waking? " it inquires into whether there is the difference that the objects seen in dreams are false and those seen on waking are real. In answer to that, it is said to be excellent to inquire into the nature of dreams, in order to eliminate doubts about perceptions viewed as substantial in the body that has the nature of beginninglessness, and in order to illuminate the
explanations of the self-consecration. And so [The Integrated Practices] state s :
Therefore, from the perspective of dream[likeness], you should introspectively realize all deity bodies explained as mirror-reflections, you should thoroughly understand
Chapter VIII- 1\m Reality Perfection Stage ?
43 1
Aggregates. elements. media. faculties and so on, Collecting here both those awarenesses.
Who becomes the great void and falls asleep. 1 :! 26h l Experiences the dream by the power of wind-energy. Desirous of fruition in the dream,
Noting no difference between dream and waking, Beings fall asleep all day and night.
Dense as earth, they sleep so long.
By acts performed with effects undeveloped, Their energies engage them again in this life.
As effects develop, this very wind-energy
[Makes] people die and swiftly go elsewhere.
The victor lords of the ten directions,
Though their bodies have no marrow, flesh, or bones, They enter the elements to benefit sentient beings, Performing deeds with emanation bodies.
To a mind awake from sleep through such a process, Though caught in the net of thoughts desiring fruits, Thereby all things are like a dream,
And true and false do not exist.
Here, [the task is] to dispel the "doubts about perceptions held as substantial in the body," namely the doubts about whether one can or cannot achieve the magic body like a rainbow, not understanding the coarse and subtle bodies separately, but holding the mere coarse body as substantial and depending on it as life support. The Chag translation has "like a mirror-reflection. " As for how the Tantras cause realization by means of the dream simile, it is expressed from "aggregates" up to the "mind awakened. " And as for how the Siitras cause realization, it is
explained quoting the Purification of Evolutionary Obstructions Sarra regarding differentiating true and false in regard to the waking and dream states. ! 227aJ As for gaining realization through the Tantras, the magic body is taught relying on the Root Tantra and the Wisdom Vajra Compendium.
As for the meaning of the first line, according to the Vajra Rosary statement, [beyond] the first four aggregates, the four elements such as earth, the four objective media, the four faculties such as eye, the words
following the Tantras and Sotras. and you should attend
with a single-pointed mind.
432 ? Brilliant Illumination ofthe Lamp
"and so forth" include all the rest. As for them being included here in the body, one gradually collects consciousness [normally] involuntarily engaged with objects. Thus collected, the two consciousnesses arise, those of luminance and radiance. Of those two, the former collects into the latter and dissolves into imminence, and one becomes a great void and falls into deep sleep. As for "dense earth," from the Community Explanatory Tantra the Four Goddess Dialogue, when it establishes the four mandalas in the body, the heart center is called "earth. " Other Tantras also assign earth to the heart center. Collecting the wind-energies in the heart center it becomes dense, and on strength of that, dreams do not arise and one sleeps long. These express in general the cause of going to sleep and in specific the cause of long remaining sleeping. When the imminence unconsciousness after dream experience begins to clear, a sleep clear light will dawn; and when that is released dreams arise, so that clear light is included in imminence. In the old translations, "beings [going]" here refers to sleep, and the Chag translation has "persons expe- rience dreams day and night. " As for "wind-energies," it should be understood by the key of inquiring into the dream body made of mere wind-energy-mind going to other places. [227bJ As for effects developing and not developing, it has to do with the power of evolution being exhausted or not exhausted when that wind-energy-mind is separate and not separate from this coarse body. Thus, when it is not exhausted, it says
"again one engages here," expressing the cause of repeated engagement. As for the answers to the third question, one can understand that the separated dream body still has one continuum with that shown func- tioning in the previous body. And the second "awakening from the dream" and the third "desiring fruition" show the non-differentiation of the truth and falsity of dream and awakeness. The Chag translation says "all those things are dream-like. " By the five lines "just as" and so on it shows that the beatific body has no flesh and bone and so on, yet it dwells in a body of coarse elements in order to be seen by beings, and the emanation body performs deeds for the sake of beings, and this enables one to understand how the dream body goes to other places when one sleeps, and how the waking mind functions again in the old body. Thus
since the dream body is like the beatific body, one understands [it as like] the magic body, and that body entering in the coarse body is understood as like [the beatific body entering] the emanation body, and this shows how to understand the magic body beatific body upholding the coarse
Chapter VIII- Two Reality Perfection Stage ? 433
body emanation body. The Chag translation says, "the mind waking from sleep by that process. "
Therefore, since the three voids that precede the magic body are exemplified by the three voids of sleep that precede the dream [body], [228al the actual magic body is exemplified by the dream body, and the [waking in the coarse body] after the dream exemplifies the magic body incorporating the emanation body. You should understand from the per- sonal instruction of Aryadeva that the dream example, out of the twelve examples, is peerless in exemplifying the magic body. Except for the fact that by connecting the corresponding elements of example and referent in the other similes you get a mere idea of developing certainty about the magic body, you cannot develop the metaphoric magic body as an actual path through the exemplification from those examples; but such power does reside in the dream example, and so it is superior.
Further, as for the teaching that the yogi/ni develops the four voids of sleep that occur prior to the dream into the actuality of samadhi, it is the instruction in the merging of sleep and clear light, so you can under- stand by irresistible reasoning the instruction that the body of the dream that occurs after those is merged with the magic body. You can know it with certainty through the key point that there are explanations for [both] creation stage practitioners and perfection stage practitioners (of three each)127 of the path three bodies and the basis three bodies to be purified. Thus, this is how this supreme system becomes the instruction about the dream, and that process is necessary for all three [types of] persons.
The Apparitional Nondual Triumph [Tantra] states:
The place of ejection with the wind-energy Develops in the throat of all beings, Abiding there with the letter OM,
That which is called "unexcelled. "
By holding, changing, growing, Remembering magic, and sealing, Both become the path of samadhi.
Though it thus explains how to hold 122! 1hf the dream, it is hard to believe. 127My text hal> lam gyi . ? ku g. ? um g. ? um, bul l think the second gsum is an error.
? 434 ? Brilliant Illumination of the Lamp
As for the mergers of death and between, the Integrated Practices and so on explain buddhahood in the between, which is also fit to be interpreted as buddhahood after a rebirth depending on that, as in the case of the sleep merger. As for the system of relying on the sources for the continuum and so on of sleep and dream, it can be inferred from the
foregoing. Thus, if you understand well how to explain these merger instructions, which are Marpa's distinctive speciality, as leading back to the treatises of the personal instructions of the Noble father and sons, it seems to be the unexcelled distinctive speciality [of the tradition]. Thus, in the context of the magic body of the metaphoric illusion, exemplifying depending on the dream example, in terms of the statements of the Inte- grated Practices, the dream instructions are connected with the magic body context; and so the instructions of holding the sleep voids are also connected to that context. In terms of their import, from the boundary of being able to develop at least the four voids during waking time, you can enter into the void of sleep. After that, when you meditate the instructions of dream, this [practice] can occur either in the context of body isolation,
or in those of speech or mind isolation.
As for merging with actual death and between, that happens on
those occasions; and developing in correspondence with those two is des- ignated "mergers with those two," but actually the practice is done as appropriate in waking time or in sleep time.
The actual explanation of the instruc- The second has two parts: [A"'] Explaining the sleep and dream
mergers; and [B'"] Explaining the death and between mergers.
? ? Explaining the sleep und dream The first has two parts: ll'"I The sleep merger; and [2'"] The
dream merger.
mergers]
? ? dreamless sleep occur and after them the arisal of dreams: so in the time of
[VI. B. 3. b. ii. c'3'd'ii'A"l "b"ii"A'" -
[VI. B. 3. b. ii. c'3'd'ii'A"1 "b"ii" - tions of sleep, dream. and so forth]
IVI. B. 3. b. ii. c'3'd'ii'A"l"b"ii''A"'1, , -The sleep merger]
Here one might wonder, "is it definite or not, that, as the basis of purification, 1229al according to the definite sequence, first the voids of
Chapter VIII-Two Reality Perfection Stage ? 435
the path also, first one meditates the sleep and clear light merger, and after that there is a definite sequence of the dream and magic body merger? "
Here some latter day Marpa followers, thinking about the Five Stages statement that the magic body is third stage and the clear light is the fourth stage, separate the two mergers and interpret the dream magic [body] meditation as third stage and the sleep clear light meditation as fourth stage. However, the Five Point explanation is better, that the four voids are held first at the time of sleep, and then after that the dream body resurrects as the beatific body. The essence of the instruction of dreams is that the dream body rises up as the beatific body: because for that to happen, the voids must first be produced; because the sequence must correspond to the the basis time sleep and dream process; because, as the the voids of the mind isolation must precede the third stage magic body, the clear light voids must precede the communion magic body; and because the sequence is always the same, the between arising from the death void, and the [creation stage] primal savior being created from the dissolving of one's visualization into clear light and so on. Here, although the "sleep clear light" has the name of "clear light," I have already ex- plained that it is not [the real clear light, which is not experienced] short of the metaphoric clear light after the occasion of magic body.
Here you might wonder, "If, before meditating on the magic [body] of the dream, the sleep clear light [229bJ is held, how is it held? "
In this regard, in general there are two ways to create sleep as an experience of samadhi. Thus, first, if one finds a stable samadhi of the qui- escence common to the philosophical Individual and Universal Vehicles and to the Mantric and Transcendence Vehicles, even if one does not make a purposeful effort to create sleep as a samadhi, when one experiences
waking state samadhi at the point of falling asleep, and then falls asleep right after that, one might pass into many samadhis without experiencing an ordinary sleep. Again, second, at the time of falling asleep after the arisal of the four signs such as mirage by the power of forcing the wind- energies into the dhati channel, the three voids such as luminance like moonlight first arise, and then one generates sleep into clear light like a cloudless open sky. In the first of these [two ways], without any prior arisal of the four signs such as mirage or the three voids such as moonlight-like luminance, though there is an arisal of a transparent clarity of pure void- ness, still it does not mean it is the sleep clear light. In order to produce such a [samadhic sleep,] it is not necessary to have the arts of holding the
436 ? Brilliant Illumination of the Lamp
sleep clear light taught in the Mantra Vehicle and one does not need to enter into this vehicle. Therefore, to generate sleep into clear light here, it must be developed in the latter manner by the force of dissolving the wind-energies into the dhati channel. Therefore, having meditated during waking time on the instructions of penetrating the vital points in the body, from the boundary of at least being able to develop the four voids, those voids can be merged with the four voids of sleep; since otherwise, though one wants to merge [230aJ [the clear light] with sleep, there is nothing there to merge with it.
In that regard, as in the occasion of sleep, usually the subtle breath- ing in and out in the nostrils is not eliminated. Though there is no basis time void of sleep according to the void of dissolving in the dhati channel, cutting off even the subtle respiration, it is not that there are no four voids [at all]. Even so, there are great differences between the sleep before any dreams have arisen and [the sleep] after they have arisen in [terms of] the intensity of dissolving the wind-energies into the heart center and in the dissolving and not dissolving of the coarse [wind-
energies]. The yogi/ni who is capable of merging the waking time voids and the sleeping time voids, at the time of developing the sleep void, must approach eliminating even the subtle nostril respiration and disolv- ing it into the central dhati channel. For such a person, when they begin to go to sleep, at first though the four signs such as mirage might not arise in definite sequence, as they cultivate further they must definitely arise in neat arrangement. Therefore, a sleep which is not preceded by the arisal in definite sequence of the three voids, when it is produced as an actual samadhi, is still not the sleep clear light; because such an arisal of universal void clear light must definitely be preceded by void, extreme void, and great void, since each is the cause of the succeeding one that is its effect.
that the wind-energies might concentrate somewhat easily. And that is the life-energy control of meditating the indestructible in the heart center. Further, as a preliminary to that, when you can develop the four voids
Therefore, in the Marpa system's personal instruction of the force- ful method of [attaining] clear light transparence, though there is an expla- nation of holding the sleep void in a month's retreat by visualizing the setting of the white and red drops in the center of the four petals of the heart center lotus, if you concentrate on that visualization during one month and meditate continuously night and day l:ZJObl, it could happen
Chapter VIII- Two Reality Perfection Stage ? 437
during waking time, you can then merge them with sleep: it is not that you will develop this ability by meditating this only at going to sleep, not meditating anything else day and night.
Further, on the point of falling asleep, if you meditate again and again by aiming your visualization, it can happen that you can identify the basis time sleep void, but the fully defined voids from dissolving wind-energies cannot arise. As the Five Point states [in words to the effect that] :
Before merging with the dream, in order to hold the sleep void, you must set the [unexcelled] anuttara in the throat. Meytson asserts meditation on the throat center, and Tsurton asserts meditation on the heart center; these meaning that for meditating clear light focus on the heart center and for meditating the dream magic body focus on the throat center. Visualizing the petals' four letters, connect each of them with holding each of the voids.
Thus, prior to merging with the dream, it is better if you hold the voids of sleep. If you hold them alternatively, the lotus with the drop should be held in the heart center according to Tsurton's position, and the throat center meditation is not good. If you meditate clear light, due to its connectedness with the heart center, you must meditate in the heart center. Without being able to enter the merging with the dream by the power of dissolving the wind-energies, if you hold the dream by the power of will, it seems you must have a great distinction of connecting with meditating in the throat center. According to the explanation that the "meditation of anuttara" is the Nondual Triumph Tantra, this can be thought of as [23Ial
the position of some Indians. But to accomplish the meditation of the mantra wheel at the heart center according to the instructions of Naropa, not to practice by this [way], it does not seem there is cause to practice by those four letters [alone]. Therefore, when you hold the sleep clear light, it is better to meditate on visualizing the white and red drop in the heart center according to Marpa's personal instructions. That seems to be the orientation of the mind toward the indestructible in the center of the mantra wheel in the heart center. So if you want to expand from that. you can set the mantra wheel and contract it as previously explained. As the Five Stages Single Session explains, you should visualize the four letters along with the central drop in the heart center and practice the vajra
4. 'M ? Brillitmt Illumination t? f the Lamp
nx-itation to hold the sleep clear light. Here the need or lack of need to set up the fnur letters has already been explained; and the holding of the sleep clear light by practicing vajra recitation having visualized the drop in the heart center is the marvellous instruction; since it is also the import of the Re\? elation ofthe Hidden Intention. As the Revelation ofthe Hidden Intention states. just after the passage explaining the recitation of the wind-energies of the four mandalas:
One explains it all in the eighteen; Again, that abides in these themselves. Just as milk pervades
And comes to be new butter,
So Pandaravasini, and so on,
Abide there in peace itself.
-and after that, from "The inner things such as form. . . " up to "the Buddha enters" - and after that:
In and out breathing of the yogi/ni,
The reality of uniting is sameness.
Wisdom abiding in art,
Recite without losing the limbs [23 J bJ of mantra. Knowing the yoga in the actuality
Of all activities, lying down and so on, [As the] nameless, the inexpressible, Transcending three times, always recite.
The first six lines here state that in the vajra recitation of Pandara and so on, the clear light of the actuality of the eighteen voidnesses abides like fresh butter emerges from the milk; thereby explaining the develop- ment of the four voids through vajra recitation. From "matter and so on. . . " up to "enter the buddha. . . " the aggregates are explained as enter- ing into clear light, the meaning of which also applies to the sleep clear light, as I have already explained. "The yoga" and so on the four lines decribes the recitation uniting energy and mantra indivisibly. The next four lines teach one to perform the recitation also at the time of lying down. Thus, it teaches that at the time of lying down at night, doing the vajra recitation develops the four voids, since that also means that vajra recitation can develop the sleep clear light. In short, whichever art devel- ops the four voids during waking time must be merged to develop the
? Chapter VIII- Two Reality Perfection Stage ? 439
four voids at the time of going to sleep. The supreme art during waking time is the meditation of the indestructible at the heart and the vajra reci- tation, as I have already extensively explained.
Those two arts of holding the clear light of sleep come from the per- sonal instructions of Master Marpa and must be understood as the instruc- t i o n s o f t h e R o o t a n d Ex p l a n a t o r y Ta n t r a s a n d t h e u n e x c e l l e d i n t e n t i o n o f the father and sons. It is of crucial importance to distinguish the mutually intermingled, scattered personal instructions. 1232nl lf you understand this, when the Integrated Practices states that sleep emerges as the actuality of the four voids. you can fully eliminate the arisal of the doubt that wonders "where was this art of holding the clear light of sleep stated? "
In general, in regard to whichever path, if you know how to tum with methodical skill whatever exists in the basis reality into the path. it is swift[er]. Thus in this time of sleep also, the base reality is that the wind-energies naturally withdraw and a void is produced. So if you know how to turn it into a path through the instructions of merging, it is extremely swift. Though there are voids in the base reality, since there is no void of very great intensity and sleep has a great tendency to destroy mindfulness, you will not be able to develop a certitude of recognition [of the four voids] until you can tum the process into a path. Here, if there is no diminishing at all of the force of mindfulness, sleep will not come; and if the loss of mindfulness is too severe you just fall asleep and never ascertain the four voids of sleep. Thus you must practice through the personal instruction, when going to sleep, doing it without losing mind-
fulness and so losing ability to ascertain the void.
The obstruction of this virtuous practice through not falling asleep
is rather weak in intensity; and among the personal instructions there are many ways to dispel that [insomnia] and too deep a sleep, as well as other methods not explained there. After the arisal of the voids of light, moder- ate, and deep sleep, at the time of clear light, having remembered the [realistic] worldview, you must cultivate it for a long time. Thus, quick waking and quick dream arisal become obstacles; so I will give a definite explanation of the basic way of dispelling those. The yogi/ni who inserts and dissolves the wind-energies in the dhuti [232bl can produce the four joys and the four voids; but if s/he does not know such an instruction of merging, when s/he meditates by merging sleep with those experiences s/he will not develop intense understanding of the path in this life and will not attain the supreme [accomplishment]. And at the time of death,
440 ? Brilliant Illumination of the Lamp
not only will s/he not be able to be immune from the suffering of death by having taken the four voids of death as the path but s/he will not know how to intensify the understanding of the path. Therefore, you should become expert in the instructions of merging. If you know them well, though you won't develop the power [to accomplish these things] just by that, by applying them to your mind again and again you will develop a marvelous strong instinct.
Thus, this thorough explanation of, even when you can not create sleep as an actual samadhi, having or not having the ability to ascertain the corresponding voids of sleep of the base reality, of, even when you can create that, producing or not producing it in the reality of the voids of sleep, and of the genuine and spurious methods of creating that-this is a
method of developing a rough understanding that is not misled about the key of the instruction of holding the clear light of sleep. The rest of them I will explain elsewhere in fine detail.
[VI. B. 3. b. ii. C'3'd'ii'A"1"b"ii"A'"2"'-The dream merger]
Thus, one who can merge the voids of sleep, having held the dream by the force of energy, when the voids of sleep arise in sequence, s/he can ascertain "this and this is the luminance and so on of sleep. " Thus, from the perspective of understanding the process of arisal of dreams after the clear light of sleep, you should well distinguish the boundary between the void of sleep and the arisal of dream.