The Words of the Ḍākinī of Timeless Awareness

B) Illusory body, naturally liberated desire and anger

The Vajra Lines:

Illusory body, unreal, is for those of highest, average, and lesser capability:

constant devotion, one’s body, and whatever appears.

Integrate them as the deity’s form of empty appearance, free of attachment.

Desire and anger naturally liberated, the fourteenth ground will be attained.

There are three parts to explain that the reason illusory body is explained after inner heat, recognizing illusion’s hidden meaning, and a brief explanation of the gurus’ guidances.

(1) The reason illusory body is explained after inner heat

The reason is that based on controlling the vital energy through the inner condition of inner heat yoga and the outer condition of mudrā practice, all the winds are collected and dissolved just as in the stages of dying, with the resulting awareness of lucid clarity. In the basic death process, the body of the intermediate state is produced from the vital winds mounted on lucid clarity. Therefore in the same way, the vital winds mounted on lucid clarity act as the immediate condition and the mind itself as the cooperative condition by which, in fact, the Heruka’s form manifests [in the intermediate

state].

(2) Recognizing illusion’s hidden meaning

This has two parts: the main practice and the position of the gurus of this tradition.

(A) The main practice

The six Dharma’s illusory body and lucid clarity present the meaning of the glorious Guhyasamāja Tantra as elucidated by noble [Nāgārjuna], father and sons, and may be understood from there. This, then, is their system of instruction. Without attaining the mastery of inserting the vital energies in the central channel—entering, abiding, and dissolving them there—the full authentic meditative absorptions of appearance, increase, and attainment of isolated mind will not arise. The authentic form of illusion is produced from the wind-mind of ultimate isolated mind. From Marpa’s tradition, Nāropa’s Clear Summary of the Five Stages states:

First is an experience like a mirage,

arising with five-colored light rays.

Second one is similar to moonlight.

Third like a gathering of sunlight.

It is attained at the juncture of appearance.

That is, the illusory body is produced from the recognition of the three emp-

tinesses of the isolated mind. [The text continues]:

The body of illusion with its appearance

comes from just winds and mind.[307]

Thus the actual illusory body is clearly identified, just as in the meaning of the statement, “Illusory body, unreal…” quoted earlier from the Vajra Lines. The meaning here is that although it appears as an illusion, the form of the deity devoid of intrinsic existence is posited as illusory body. “For those of highest, average, and lesser…” refers to the levels of the individual meditators. “Constant devotion…” means that with intense devotion and constant proximity to the guru, and by the force of properly attending the guru through the three modes of pleasing, you must supplicate for the blessings of the guru’s esoteric instruction sequence and thereby actualize [the experience]. “One’s body…integrate as the deity’s form…” means to actually manifest as the deity’s form from just the winds and mind, and not only in imagination. “…Empty appearance, free of attachment” is like the lexical meaning of the phrase form like an illusion. “Whatever appears…” means to meditate in that way. It is as [Nāgārjuna] said,

Remain in illusion-like meditative absorption,

and see everything in that way.

“Desire and anger naturally liberated, the fourteenth stage will be attained” means that this subtle wind-mind at the heart is the final basis of imputation for the sense of self. Therefore if, on top of that, you cling to this self as existing from its own side, concepts of passion and aggression will arise. On the strength of meditation, the vital winds enter, abide, and dissolve in the central channel, inducing the special facsimile lucid clarity. From this, the deity’s form manifests for real. The pure form of illusion manifests from the real lucid clarity. The strength of illusion-like absorption naturally liberates the bonds of afflictions such as love and hate, and one thereby attains the fourteenth stage: the resultant actual manifestation as Vajradhara.

(B) The position of the gurus of this tradition

As in the explanation of the Vajra Lines that was just presented, it says in Khyungpo Naljor’s Instructions on Three Intermediate States:

The three intermediate state bodies are the bases to be refined by the yogin.

That which refines them is creation and completion phases, dream, and lucid clarity practice.

He explains that and then cites the explanation from the Display of Timeless Awareness Tantra:

The three bodies of the intermediate state

are refined by creation-completion, dream, and lucid clarity.

He also draws from the Two-Part Hevajra Tantra:

Just as illusion and dream states,

so too is the existence in between.

This explains that the basis to be refined is the ground intermediate state and the means to refine it are the two paths of creation and completion. That is to say, this current body, called the fully ripened body, is refined by meditating on it as the deity’s form. He explains that the dream body, called the body of habitual patterns, is refined by the esoteric instructions of recognizing dreams through the strength of vital winds. And the intermediate state body, called the mental body, is refined gradually by the illusory body practice of manifesting the form of illusion from lucid clarity. [308] It would seem that the above quotation from the Two-Part Hevajra Tantra presents the clearest description of the hidden meaning of illusory body from the cycle of mother tantras. Also, from Mokchokpa:

The form of illusion in the mental body

is free of all suffering.

This is the absorption of illusion.

In highest tantra, illusion-like absorption recognizes illusory body and its nature:

Illusion possesses three characteristics:

Its limbs and parts are all complete,

like the reflection in a mirror.

Its sphere of activity pervades everywhere,

like the moon’s reflection in water.

It is produced by particular means,

such as peaceful mantra and so forth,

like rainbows in the sky.

The actual form of the deity with limbs and parts all complete is personified in this explanation, illustrated by the metaphors of illusion such as reflections and rainbows. Both the intermediate state and illusory body are explained by Khyungpo and Mokchokpa as mental bodies. Furthermore, “the body of light consists of the five radiances” explains the essence of the illusory body. The five radiances are the five vital winds, mainly the life-sustaining wind. Regarding those, the Guhyasamāja system [recommends practices] such as “meditating on controlling vital energies by a drop of light at the tip of one’s nose.” There are also many explanations about the designations of light in the texts of noble Nāgārjuna and his descendants and in the instructions based on those. They explain that the [body of light] is produced from the substantial cause of the five winds, principally the life-sustaining wind.

There is Mokchokpa’s further explanation of illusion in equipoise:

At the time of meditative equipoise,

the mental body of dream consciousness

self-appears; by refining with familiarity

it can change into anything at all.

Mentally meditating on the deity’s form

produces an extremely clear deity’s form

without flesh and blood, like a rainbow.

In the context of both dream illusion and equipoise illusion, the experiences are to be sealed by the four inner mudrās, as explained:

The four mudrās are both inner and outer.

The way the inner mudrā refines

during the time of deluded sleep

when dreams of desire and anger arise

is to recognize dream and realize the illusion.

When the mental body is produced,

realizing the illusion is samayamudrā.

Applying the seal of illusion to the body

of habitual patterns is the pledge seal of illusion.

In the teachings of karmamudrā,

everything from the perfect buddha above

to the tiniest insect below

is an expression of illusion to be refined.

This resolves the relation of subject and object.

Skill in [seeing] self-appearance as illusion

is the basis that produces all good qualities.

Since it creates all action,

it is called action seal.

The essence of dharmamudrā

is when entering bliss-clarity in dreams,

the experience of the bliss of empty clarity

is one’s own intrinsic awareness arising.

Nāropa the Great also said

bliss, clarity, and nonthought—these three [309]

are the defining characteristic of coemergence.

That is the Dharma seal.

In the teaching of mahāmudrā

bliss, clarity, and nonthought, these three

possessed by the body of illusion,

being an inseparable unity,

is called the great seal.

Regarding that, he also said,

In the instructions on the three blendings,

the experience is to experience bliss.

[Facsimile illusion indicates]

while the real illusion ascertains.

The distinctions of the three blendings and the way to meditate on them are only just indicated. They are contained in the esoteric instructions of the great adept forefathers of old, but later on it seems that the masters of the Six Dharmas of Nāropa and the Six Dharmas of Niguma did not reveal the vital points of the esoteric instructions beyond a mere

mention.

B) Illusory body, naturally liberated desire and anger

This has three sections: relying on the friendship of a holy guru for those of highest capabilities, guidance without interruption by other words for the average, and developing meditative absorption in a single sitting for the lowest.

(1) Relying on the friendship of a holy guru for those of highest capabilities

This has two parts: integrating the guru through supplication and integrating the unreal nature of appearance in general.

(A) Integrating the guru through supplication

In the meditation of guru yoga, you pray that renunciation—needing ­ nothing—arises in your mindstream, that you become adept in illusory body and dream, and that the mahāmudrā of lucid clarity is actualized. Once you have petitioned with those three supplications, you regard everything, including the guru that you meditate on, as being like illusion.

(B) Integrating the unreal nature of appearance in general

Train in the arising of everything as like illusion—the impure appearances of the environment and its inhabitants that are occurring now and your meditation on them as the support and supported Heruka.

(2) Guidance without interruption by other words for the average

It states in the Questions of Kumāraprabha Sutra:

“All phenomena are illusions, dreams.”

Whoever recalls and repeats these words,

will be released from the bonds of existence

and awaken in this very lifetime.

As said here, always meditate on the meaning of the illusory nature and verbally repeat, “All phenomena are like illusion and like dream.” This also applies to integrating your own body as the deity’s form. Niguma said,

If you don’t know how to meditate on whatever appears,

how can you practice reliance on an antidote?

How can rejecting circumstances get rid of them?

They are liberated in place by knowing illusion.

As she says, integrate whatever appears on the path of illusion.

(3) Developing meditative absorption in a single sitting for the lowest

Those of least capabilities should meditate while avoiding four activities that are like frost that kills applied virtue: too much coming and going, too much changing residence, too many plans, and too much [discussion of ] perverse views.

There are three [subdivisions of the above]. (1) To make the six kinds of migrators arise as illusion, visualize yourself as the deity and focus your attention below the navel where there is a tetrahedral source of phenomena, white outside and red inside. Imagine that it is filled with the light of all sentient beings of the six kinds of migrators. Intensely draw up the lower winds. Meditate while thinking, “These beings grasp onto nonexistent phenomena as if it were truly established. [310] So they wander in cyclic existence. This is so sad, because illusion-like, dream-like appearances are without intrinsic essence.”

(2) To integrate sickness and spirits as illusion meditate on all sickness and spirits as the guru and the yidam. Also, meditate that they are not real and like an illusion. Draw them in through the right nostril to the source of phenomena below the navel. Imagine that they are all contained within the enclosure of the source of phenomena and do the yogic exercises and so forth.

(3) The sixfold set of qualities that develop from the previous meditations are: the vital essence becoming workable, refining dreams, perceiving the regions of the six migrators, ripening and liberating sentient beings, the natural arising of illusion, and recognizing lucid dreams.

This has been a very general presentation on how to meditate on illusion, arranged in brief fashion from the guidebooks of the gurus. With that, the explanation of illusory body is finished.

C) Dream, naturally purified double-delusion

This has two parts: the reason dream is explained after illusory body and the actual instructions on dream.

(1) The reason dream is explained after illusory body

The Vajra Lines:

Whoever has completely abandoned all ideas

should constantly maintain the vital point of intention for dreaming.

Double delusion will be naturally purified and the qualities

of the stages of the path of illusion will naturally arise at all times of day and night.

This is the explanation of the meaning. Also, there is a reason for explaining dream after illusory body. In the instructions on dream, dreams are to be grasped mainly on the strength of [controlling] the vital winds. Moreover, in the blending practices of sleep, sleep is blended with dharmakāya, dream with saṃbhogakāya, and waking with nirmāṇakāya. Thus [instructions on sleep] are auxiliary to the instructions on illusory body. 

(2) The actual instructions on dream

Mainly, dreams are grasped on the strength of the vital winds. The main instruction on that concerns the recognition of the lucid clarity of sleep. So both subjects of dream and lucid clarity will be explained briefly. Now, to explain how dreams are grasped through the power of intentionality according to the gurus’ esoteric instructions, there are six sections: recognizing dreams, refining, increasing, emanating, objective appearances, and meditating on the suchness of dreams.

(A) Recognizing dreams

First, in the meditation on guru yoga, supplicate intensely for good recognition that you are dreaming and that you can maintain the dream’s applied virtue once it is recognized. There are two ways to accomplish this practice: recognizing dreams by the continuity of recollection in the daytime, and recognizing them in the nighttime through forceful methods that are taught in the esoteric instructions. As for the first, think, “All that appears right now is all the appearance of dream. I must recognize dreams as dreams.” If you recall this continuously with intentionality, then at night when you are dreaming you will think, “This is all the appearance of dream,” and you will recognize it. That is because however strong your habitual tendency is during the daytime, that strong will be your lucid dream experience at night. [311]

Second is the way to recognize dreams at nighttime through forceful methods of esoteric instructions. This is the way to recognize dreams based on the white and red vital drops and, if that does not succeed, then based on nine infallible vital points. For the first, with yourself as the yidam, do the visualization as described in the section on inner heat: the central avadhūtī channel with the short a syllable at the navel and haṃ at the head. A white drop the size of the smallest pea emerges from the haṃ letter in the head and a similarly sized red drop emerges from the short a at the navel. Both of them are radiant and shining brightly. They circle round and round in the heart. Go to sleep while visualizing that and dreams will arise. At that point, focus with intense intentionality while recalling the thought, “I must recognize dreams as dreams.” Right when you are falling asleep, focus your attention on the two vital drops circling inside the avadhūtī at the throat and again set the recollection and intentionality as before, and thus recognize the dream.

Second is the way to recognize dreams based on the nine infallible vital points if the previous method did not succeed. Of those nine, the three points concerning time are to recognize dreams at first light, dawn, and sunrise. Three points concerning body posture are cross-legged, with legs drawn up, and in the repose of the lion. Of the three vital points of visualization, the first is to visualize oneself as the yidam with a moon seat within the avadhūtī at the throat. On top of that appears the guru as pink Heruka [Cakrasaṃvara], embracing Jetsunma [Vajrayoginī] who is similar to himself. He has one face and two hands. Meditate that at his heart is a sun seat upon which is a blue hūṃ, the nature of light, about the size of a mustard seed. Light rays from the hūṃ illuminate the guru Heruka. Then light from his form illuminates you as the yidam. Focus on that visualization and concentrate single-pointedly on recollection and intentionality.

The second vital point is to visualize the whole environment with its inhabitants dissolving into you, then into the guru at your throat. That dissolves into the hūṃ and then the hūṃ itself dissolves as far as the nāda, [the flame tip above the hūṃ], and then vanishes like a rainbow. Cultivate intense intentionality as before and recognize the dream.

The third vital point of visualization is stated in the Ocean of Timeless Awareness:

Arising in the throats of all migrators

abiding together with the letter aṃ.

Within the avadhūtī at the throat there is a red four-petaled lotus with a brilliant red syllable aṃ in its center, the size of a mustard seed. As your mind enters there, set the intention as before. At this point, prevent conceptual thoughts from straying and just before falling asleep, when a dream begins to arise, recognize whatever objective appearance arises as a dream. If sleep does not occur, keep your eyes shut and draw up the lower winds. Whatever you do grasp, increase it through intentionality and so forth, such that the dream will be fully recognized as dream. It is said that however well you recognize dreams enables the ability to refine, increase, and so forth. [312]

Once there is the proper ability to gather the vital winds into the central channel through the previous application of the vital points of inner heat, when you meditate well on those three visualizations to grasp dreams, then they become special methods to grasp dreams on the strength of the winds. Based on those important visualizations, you may also come to recognize the lucid clarity of sleep, so it is an especially crucial point.

(B) Refining dreams

This has four parts.

1’ Refining the mind through the body

When you recognize that you are dreaming, imagine that there is a huge chasm below you and that you are above it holding the vital body posture. Meditate that your body is that of Heruka father-mother suspended about an arrow’s length above [the edge of ] that great chasm. When you look down you experience vertigo and become terrified. With that feeling and your visualization, remember that it is a dream and cultivate that intentionality. Imagine jumping over the precipice and so forth.

2’ Refining the body through the mind

Imagine that in the pores of your body there are blue hūṃs facing inward with their top half recessed inside. Meditate that their light fills your body inside with a blue radiance and it becomes utterly empty.

3’ Refining through Nairātmya

Meditate that before you is blue Nairātmya holding a flaying knife and skull cup. As you recite oṃ āḥ svāhā, blue light rays emerge from her body and enter yours through the sexual organ. Then Nairātmya herself enters through that secret place and melts into light, filling your whole body with blue radiance. Finally, imagine that your body dissipates into that blueness like a rainbow vanishing, becoming clear and empty.

4’ Refining through intentionality

When you recognize that you are dreaming, think, “My body of karmic ripening is actually lying in bed. This body is the body of dream. These appearances are dream appearances.” [Knowing that], you can travel to impure and pure lands, such as Tuṣita, Sukhāvatī, and Abhirati, see the faces of buddhas and bodhisattvas, listen to their Dharma teachings, and so forth.

(C) Increasing dreams

You can increase dreams by multiplying your dream body from one to two, or two to four, and finally to one hundred or more.

(D) Emanating in dreams

Emanate as Yamāntaka to subdue Yama, as Garuḍa to subdue naga, as Hayagrīva to subdue king spirits, and so forth—emanate whatever is appropriate for whatever is to be tamed. You can also emanate and change into coarse and subtle elements, such as from earth to water, water to fire, fire to wind, and so on.

(E) Objective appearances

After gaining proficiency in recognizing dreams, you gain the ability to ascertain the activities of sentient beings in the impure and pure lands and to see the actual appearing places of death, transition, and birth just as they are. [313] It seems that one must open this important juncture of the path.

(F) Meditating on the suchness of dreams

When you have recognized dreams in this way, meditate on yourself as Heruka father-mother. Light rays emanate from the hūṃ in your heart and causes the whole environment as the divine palace to melt into light. This dissolves into all the inhabitants imagined clearly as the deities of Heruka. Imagine that this also dissolves into yourself as father-mother, then the mother dissolves into the father, the father into the hūṃ at the heart, that into the nāda, and then even the nāda is unvisualized. Rest the mind directly in the view.

Removing the obstructions: Excessive delusion is when dreams are too deluded to be recognized. Excessive insomnia is when you wake up without complete recognition. Excessive bliss is when the [bodhicitta] constituent falls to the lower body and you are deluded by lustful thoughts. Excessive emptiness is when dreams never come. The remedies for those four are as follows: For the first, vigorously cultivate the intentionality of thinking you must recognize the dreams. For the second, do not open your eyes even if you wake up and keep thinking of the former dream situation. For the third, draw up the vital drops. And for the fourth, with intense intentionality, remember that in fact there are many dreams and they must just be recognized. Such are the teachings of the gurus. This concludes the explanation of dream practice.

D) Lucid clarity, naturally clarified stupidity

The Vajra Lines:

Lucid clarity arises through devotion to the guru and

the great bliss with and without dissipation; the yogic gazes

cause bliss, clarity, and nonthought inseparably to arise naturally.

Adorn the preliminaries, main part, and conclusion with the vital points of time.

The first line shows what causes lucid clarity to arise. The second line distinguishes facsimile and real lucid clarity in the essential great bliss of coemergence depending on the two divisions of whether the dualistic appearances regarding objective emptiness have subsided or not. The third line shows the nature of the path of lucid clarity. The fourth line shows how the preliminaries, main practice, and concluding practices are applied on the path of lucid clarity.

In taking up the practice presented here, generally the reason lucid clarity is placed fourth in the order of the six Dharmas is indicated by Mokchokpa beginning with the words, “Illusory body entering into lucid clarity….” The impure form of illusion is purified in lucid clarity, so according to the Guhyasamāja literature lucid clarity is explained in the fourth place, and so it is. Here, if one were to explain a bit about the way to meditate on lucid clarity that comes from the esoteric instructions, then according to the gurus there are two methods of visualization that produce lucid clarity: “based on the letter a and based on Nairātmya.” Since these are not the meditation methods in the uncommon completion phase practices of lucid clarity, I will explain as a brief adornment some esoteric instructions concerning the visualizations taught as “producing lucid clarity based on the guru or producing the lucid clarity of the hūṃ syllable.” [314]

Visualize yourself as Heruka father-mother and meditate on the avadhūtī that extends from the tip of the sexual organ to the cranial aperture filled with bodhicitta like dripping snow. Inside the avadhūtī in the dharmacakra at the heart is the essence of your root guru in the form of a white vital drop tinged with red. Inside that is a white letter hūṃ the thickness of a white mustard seed, radiating intense light with a color like quicksilver. Meditate on it as the nature of coemergent bliss. As your mind enters there and fixes on it, light rays emanate from it and cause the whole environment and its inhabitants to melt into light and dissolve into you. Then you as father-mother melt into light from the father’s crown downward and from the soles upward, and finally dissolve into the drop with its hūṃ. Then imagine that the drop dissolves into the hūṃ, that into [its component parts] ha and u, those into the head-stroke of ha, that head-stroke into the crescent moon, that into the drop, and that into the nāda. Even the nāda is then unvisualized. Remain there and meditate with single-pointed focus. This causes the winds at the heart to enter, abide, and dissolve, from which the timeless awareness of lucid clarity dawns.

This meditation may be done from the time of initial proficiency in inner heat that causes the winds to enter, abide, and dissolve, and stimulates the ability to experience coemergence. In such meditation, the ultimate place for lucid clarity to arise is the heart, so it is not the same as focusing on other visualized places in the body. Hence this turns out to be the eminent [way for the winds to] enter, abide, and dissolve. The timeless awareness of the great bliss of coemergence arises well by means of generating the essence of four emptinesses and four ecstasies. At that time, the view of emptiness is resolved, and the joined percept-perceiver is maintained. In arising from that emptiness, arise in the form of Heruka from just the wind-mind. Once again you meditate that your old body is the deity’s form of Heruka just like the way the awareness being enters [the pledge being in creation phase]. When objective appearances arise, train in regarding whatever appears as empty, that emptiness as bliss, and that bliss as the arising of the deity’s form. Seal all subsequent objective appearances with the timeless awareness of the great bliss of meditative equipoise. Through meditation on the manifold display, this [method] has the power to grant a special enhancement for the heightened blazing of the awareness of bliss-emptiness in meditative absorption.

The way to train in the lucid clarity of sleep:

This is done once you are able to enter, abide, and dissolve [the winds] by such meditation while you are awake. When falling asleep, it connects with the meditation on the final dissolution sequence that was explained before, in which the coarse winds are turned inward. Through that process, there occurs an arising of the four emptinesses resembling that at the time of the ground. And since the heart chakra is the place where the vital drop was generated, it is also an excellent [place] during the waking state to attain the ability to draw in [the winds] to enter, abide and dissolve, so meditate as before at that time. [315] When dreams begin to arise, you manifest in the form of the deity based on just the wind-mind. When you start to wake up, make this form enter into the old body, and so on.

The details of the achievements of completion phase practice are now widely known based on the glorious Guhyasamāja literature. Since there is no difference in that tradition, they won’t be explained here. This completes the explanation of lucid clarity.