Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. The image of iron chains — birth, death, and the intermediate state as shackles that highest yoga tantra can dissolve in one lifetime — opens this 136-minute retreat session by Geshe Pema Tsering. He then works methodically through the eight stages of dissolution at death: four coarse dissolutions (earth, water, fire, wind), each with visible bodily signs and an internal visionary counterpart (mirage, smoke, fireflies, a flickering butter lamp), then the subtler minds of white appearance, red increase, black near-attainment, and the clear light of death itself. He clarifies what dissolution actually means — a transfer of capacity to support consciousness rather than one element becoming another — and how long ordinary beings versus yogis rest in the clear light. The session closes with a practical warning: without prior familiarity with emptiness and this process, death brings only panic, making this study now the only real preparation.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 2010 07 02 July Retreat.mp3
UUID: e7d348ad-2855-402e-8eb9-217eaa89f804
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Retreat Jul (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2010-07-02
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 136.3 minutes
Words: ~7,356
So I guess she’s instructing us then to give rise to a good motivation because today these teachings that we are going to study, they are teachings of Mahāyāna and more specifically the tantric teachings. So we ought to produce a motivation, the special motivation of the Mahāyāna. So we ought to produce in our hearts, in our minds, the intention to establish all sentient beings in the state of enlightenment. And in order to be able to do so, may I myself attain enlightenment very quickly in this very life, and then may I do so through this, through studying these teachings. So Geshe-la is then telling us that even though Geshe himself, he’s speaking in the first person, saying, even though I myself do not know much about this subject, we will go through the text together and then we will, in this manner, we will plant imprints in our hearts about these these subjects, these topics.
Okay? Meet me. That when we start with the refuge in the bodhicitta and the seven-limb prayers, and when we start with the mandala, then we can offer the body, speech, and mind. Just told me. Yeah, he just told me to do it. So then you and maybe Sarah, you can Sarah can give all the the body, speech, and mind to to to Chris, and I take it from from Chris.
Alright? So said Mhmm. Again, because the idea of making offerings, we always we always offer before the teachings, and the idea of offering these mandalas for the teachings is is to embody our our intentions, our aspirations, that we we are literally asking the teacher to give us these teachings. And that’s why we traditionally perform the body, speech, and mind. So when we are about to finish the seven-limb prayer, then you can stand up and do three prostrations and then start to get ready.
Alright? Alright? How come I’m saying? We start with the preliminary prayers. Yeah.
On page four. So, this is just following the composition of a traditional Tibetan text, or even the Indian traditions as well. There are certain protocols that must be observed. So, in the very beginning, they pay some expression that is paying homage to a particular deity or a particular aspect of the doctrine and so on. So here, this homage is paid, which is just a small expression, and just calling our attention to to the teaching at hand so that we pay attention, that we’d be reverenced, that we’d be respectful, that we appreciate the meaning and importance of the teaching.
Geshe is going through the title of the text, which in Tibetan starts with the basis of the three bodies, which is a clear exposition of the basis, a clear explanation of the three bodies of the basis, which are the basis. Geshe-la was then picking up. In Tibetan, the first word that comes up is basis. And Geshe-la was explaining what is that basis that is being talked about. So when we talk about the basis, we talk about the in Tibetan doctrinal studies, in Buddhist doctrinal studies, talk about the basis, we talk about the past, and we talk about the fruits, the result.
So there is a time of the basis, there is a time of the path, and there is a time of the result. Basis is this moment right now, this human birth right now that we have. This is the basis right now. And the path the path that leads to enlightenment itself, the result is enlightenment itself. And then after going through the title, then there is the one expression of reverence.
Okay? Namo Guru Manjughoshaya, which again is is that paying homage or making prostrations, paying making reverence to Mañjuśrī, the Buddha Mañjuśrī. Again, is the same more or less the same thing that we just did with the preliminaries. We go for a few to the Three Jewels and so on. So it it embodies that same spirit.
And then there’s that first verse of the text itself, homage to the Lord of Yoga, master over the iron chains of birth, death in between, the basis of purification, their transformation to go by the two stages of the profound path, the purifiers, and over the precious three bodies of purity, the fruits of purification. So again, one is again just it’s just an extension of of that reverence, of that act of reverence and prostrations and respect. So one is is just extending that. So again, going back to that verse, Geshe-la is explaining this birth, death, and in between, which is the intermediate state, so birth, death, and intermediate state. They are like to these iron chains.
So they are just meaning they are very like iron chains which are very hard to break, break free from. And that which can actually break those iron elements, that which can purify those iron chains is these two stages of the profound path, which are likened to gold, again likened to something which is very valuable. And So those two stages of the profound path purify those iron chains of birth, death and the intermediate state. The result of that purification is the attainment of the three bodies, are the the fruit of purification, which are the pure three bodies of a Buddha, which are named the emanation body, the enjoyment body, and the Dharma body. And then this is going for the next paragraph of the then introduction to the Tibetan text.
In order to know the mode of procedure of the two stages of highest yoga mantra or highest yoga tantra, it is very important to understand the presentation of the basis of purification, which are the three basic bodies, birth, death, and intermediate state. For through the profound short path of highest yoga mantra, the body of union, having the seven features of god and goddess facing each other, can be actualized in one short lifetime of this degenerate era. Paragraph just one more time. So, again, just making reference to the the highest yoga tantra through which through which path we can attain this body of union of of deity with consort or which people translate here as god and goddess, facing each other with all the seven features of that union, which just means one can attain enlightenment. That’s what it means.
One can attain the state of vajradhara or one can attain the state of enlightenment. One can become a Buddha. That’s what it actually means. And then one can do that very quickly in one short lifetime. For this for this path.
So just making note of what are these seven features of god and goddess, of the state of vajradhara. That’s what it means. The state of somebody who is attaining enlightenment through the highest yoga tantra. So these seven features are the complete enjoyment, is actually the complete enjoyment body, the god and goddess facing each other, so that’s the aspect of facing each other, the great bliss, the aspect of non inherent existence, the feature of being completely filled with compassion, the feature of uninterrupted continuity, and the feature of non cessation. And so and, Geshe-la was going through the text again.
Therefore, I will explain birth, death, and intermediate state. The basis purified by the two stages of the path. And then, so again, we have these bodies. So these are the three bodies, the three bases of birth, death, and intermediate states. Then Geshe-la was explaining, we can talk about the bodies of the base, the bodies of the path, and the bodies of the result.
So again, the bodies of the basis are this birth and death in intermediate state. And then the bodies of the path then we’ll make reference to the enjoyment body, and then and and then enlightenment itself, have those bodies of the enlightened being. So, Geshe-la is explaining that the one word that is translated here correctly as to purify, right? The bases are purified by the two stages, right? The purification here in this context, the purification of these bases, which are birth, death and the intermediate state, really means we want to eradicate them.
We want to stop them. We want to get rid of them. We want to completely stop birth and death and intermediate state. So that’s what it really means. We’re not merely transforming them or purifying in the common sense of the word.
We really want to stop them. We want to stop death and intermediate state and rebirth. And we do that the path of the highest yoga tantra through the two stages of highest yoga tantra, the generation stage and the completion stage of higher yoga tantra, which allows us then to do that quickly in one lifetime. And the result of practicing that path is that we attain to the three bodies of Buddha. Again, the emanation body, enjoyment body, and Dharma body.
So the explanation has then three parts: one, the stages of death two, the stages of achieving the intermediate state and three, the way that a being in intermediate state takes birth. And then so so we start with the first part, which is in the stages of death. We shall start reading the first paragraph. During the first eon, the humans of this world had seven features: spontaneous birth and immeasurable lifespan, all sense faculties, a body pervaded by its own light, adornment with multitudes of the major and minor marks of the Buddha, sustenance by the food of joy without eating coarse food, and magically flying in the sky. And then, however, due to activation of predispositions established by attachment of food, they ate coarse.
Then, when the unrefined part of the food turned into feces and urine, the male and female organs protruded as openings for excretion. Those whose predispositions established by a copulation in former times became attached to each other, and, in dependence upon their lying together, a sentient being is formed in the womb. Through these steps, birth from a womb came to be. And then one born humans of this world are said to have the six constituents, earth, water, fire, wind channels and drops, so the energy channels and the energy drops. Or the six constituents are bone marrow and regenerative fluid obtained from the father and flesh, skin and blood obtained from the mother.
So whoever is a person definite to become enlightened in one short lifetime of this degenerate era through practicing from the beginning the path of highest yoga tantra is necessarily such a womb-born human of this world having the six constituents. So again, you should went back for the same paragraph again. So whoever is someone to attain enlightenment in one lifetime by practicing highest yoga tantra from the beginning, from the start, is again has to be necessarily a human being born from a woman with all the constituents. Then the bodies of humans of this world have seventy two thousand channels as well as the right, left, and central channels. And then, so at the time of death, all the winds are in the seventy two thousand channels, in the right and left channels.
Then the winds in these two dissolve into the central channel. Then the winds in the upper and lower parts of the central channel then finally dissolve into the indestructible life bearing wind at the heart. Yeah. And then the white and red constituency exists in the manner of a closed case inside the central channel at the channel wheel of the heart. And in the center of this closed case is the one entity of the very subtle wind in mind.
The very subtle wind is the indestructible life bearing wind into which the final dissolution occurs. And Geshe-la was explaining, so that very subtle wind in mind is that consciousness and energy which travel from life to life. It has been traveling all the way from time without beginning in saṃsāra, and it’s going to keep on traveling all the way into enlightenment. Alright? And then so we have this very subtle wind, right, which is present.
And if at any point there is any other wind other than that very subtle wind present together with that very subtle wind, it means then that that being, that person has not yet died. Alright? So again, death then occurs in this way because except for this very subtle wind, if the slightest wind that acts as a basis of consciousness dwells in any part of the body, death is not possible. So again, if any other wind is also present, it means that death has not occurred yet because that other wind is still present. So humans, as for stages of dissolution itself, so humans must die by way of the dissolution of the twenty five gross objects, the five aggregates, the four constituents, the six sources, the five objects, and the five basic wisdoms.
So again, has to first we have the form aggregate or the body aggregate, and we have the aggregate of feelings. So so first, we have the dissolution of the form aggregate, then we have the dissolution of the feelings aggregate, and so on. So then we have then the initially, the five phenomena on the level of the aggregate of forms dissolve simultaneously. So we have the aggregate of forms, the basic mirror like wisdom, the earth constituent, the eye sense the visible forms included within the continuum. So we have again of those twenty five gross objects which are grouped into the five aggregates, four constituents, the six sources and five objects and five basic wisdoms.
So we have, of the five aggregates, first we have the aggregate of forms. Of the four constituents, first we have the earth constituent. Of the six sources, first we have the eye. Of the five objects, first we have the visual objects, the forms, which are objects of the eye. And of the five wisdoms, have the basic mirror like wisdom.
Alright? And then as the external sign of the dissolution of the form aggregate, one’s limbs become smaller than before and one’s body becomes weak and powerless. Geshe-la was just noting very briefly, so we have both external signs of the dissolution of these elements and we have internal signs. So we are being explained now the external signs. The external signs of the dissolution of the form is that one’s limbs become smaller than before and one’s body becomes weak and powerless.
And then the basic mirror like wisdom is explained to be an ordinary consciousness to which many objects appear simultaneously and clearly, just as reflections appear in a mirror. As an external sign of its dissolution, one’s sight becomes unclear and dark. And as an external sign of the dissolution of the earth constituent, the body becomes very thin, the limbs lose, and one has the sense that the body is sinking under the earth. And as an external sign of the dissolution of the eye since power, one cannot open or close the eyes. And as an external sign of the dissolution of the visible forms included within one’s own continuum, the of one’s body diminishes and one’s strength is consumed.
Those are all the external signs of the first stage of dissolution. The internal sign of the dissolution of these five is the arising of a bluish appearance called like a mirage. So the internal signs are signs that pertain to consciousness. So all the other signs are visible in the form body, in our bodies and so on. But this internal sign is in the consciousness.
So the sign, the internal sign of the dissolution of these five is the arising of a bluish appearance called like a mirage. It is like an appearance of water when the light of the sun strikes a desert in the summer. So then we have then in this first stage of the dissolution, we have the dissolution of the earth constituent, the earth element and the form body and the respective mirror-like wisdom and so on. So each one of those things they are dissolving together in this first stage of the solution. All this is sort of happening at the same time.
All the dissolution of these five things and with all those external signs and the internal signs, they’re all happening at the same time. Then the second dissolution, then we start after that, the five phenomena on the level of the aggregate of feelings dissolve simultaneously. So when the aggregate of feelings dissolves, the external sign is that the body consciousness can no longer experience pleasure, pain, and neutral feelings, which accompany the sense consciousness consciousnesses. And then the basic wisdom of equality, again, of the five wisdoms that pertain to the to all the phenomena associated with the aggregate of feelings, the the wisdom here that associated with that is the wisdom of equality, which is explained to be, again, an ordinary consciousness that is mindful of pleasure, pain, neutral. And neutral feelings as of one type, that is to say, as feeling.
So it doesn’t look for the content of those feelings, but just knows those feelings as feelings for what they are, their feelings, not for their content as pleasure or as pain or as neutral, but for as feelings. And then as an external sign of its dissolution, the dissolution of that wisdom of equality, one is no longer mindful of the pleasure, pain, and neutral feelings that accompany the mental consciousnesses. And there’s an external sign of dissolution of the water constituent when saliva, sweat, urine, blood, and regenerative fluid dry greatly. And then as an external sign of dissolution of the ear sense power, one can no longer hear external or internal sounds. As as as an external sign of the dissolution of the sounds included within one’s own continuum, the sound inside the ears no longer arises.
And the internal sign of dissolution of these five is the dawning of an appearance called like smoke, which is like blue puffs of smoke. It is similar to smoke billowing from a chimney in the midst of a mass of smoke. So then this makes up for the second stage of of phenomena associated with the aggregate of feelings. So then we start with, after that, the five phenomena on the level of the aggregate of discriminations dissolve simultaneously. As an external sign of the dissolution of the aggregate of discriminations, one is no longer mindful of the affairs of close persons, such as one’s parents.
And the basic wisdom of analysis, which is again of the five wisdoms, the wisdom that is associated with the aggregate of discrimination, is here the wisdom of analysis, is explained to be an ordinary consciousness that is mindful of the individual names, the purposes, and so forth of close persons. As a sign as a sign of its dissolution, one can no longer remember the names even of one’s parents. And then as external sign of dissolution of the fire constituent, the warmth of the body diminishes whereupon the capacity to digest food and drink is lost. And then so as an external sign of the dissolution of the nose sense power, the inhalation of wind, of air through the nose is weak, whereas the exhalation is strong and lengthy, and the breaths are as if piled one on top of the other. And so as an external sign of the dissolution of the odors included within one’s own continuum, one cannot smell any fragrant or unfragrant odors.
The internal sign of the dissolution of these five is the arising of an appearance called like fireflies. It is like burning red sparks seen within puffs of smoke rising from a chimney or like red sparks on the soot on the bottom of a pan used for parching grain. So again, Geshe-la, was just reading through that analogy. Again, so we are told they are like burning red sparks or like red sparks on the soot of the bottom of a pan. So they’re just trying to explain what those appearances are like.
So they’re just like sparks of fire or ember and so on. So we’ve gone already through the aggregate of form, the aggregate of feelings, aggregate of discrimination, and now the next of the five aggregates is the aggregate of the composition of factors. So after that, the five phenomena on the level of the aggregate of composition of factors dissolves simultaneously. The external sign of the dissolution of this aggregate is that one cannot perform physical actions such as moving about. And then the basic wisdom, again of the five wisdoms, the one wisdom that is again dissolving together with the aggregate composition of factors is the wisdom of achieving activities.
Right? So the basic wisdom of achieving activities is explained to be a consciousness that is mindful of external worldly activities, purposes, and so forth of these and future lives as well as how to achieve them. As an external sign of its dissolution, one is no longer mindful of these. And then there’s an external sign of the dissolution of the wind constituents. The ten winds, the gross life bearing wind and so forth, shift from their own abodes to the heart, and the breath ceases to move in and out.
And this is what we people, what we ordinarily would call death. To stop breathing, we would say, Oh, the person is dead. As an external sign of dissolution of the tongue, since power, the tongue becomes thick and short, and its root turns blue. As an external sign of dissolution of the tastes included within one’s own continuum, one can no longer experience these six tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, astringent, pungent, and salty. And then, so since at this point the body sends power and touches, also dissolve as an external sign of their dissolution, one can no longer experience any smoothness or roughness.
The internal sign of the dissolution of these seven is the arising of an appearance called like a burning butter lamp. It is like the sputtering point of a butter lamp’s flame when it is about to go out. And now, as you know then, we’ve been talking about the dissolution of the aggregates and the elements and so on, right? So we’re talking about now the meaning of dissolution, the word dissolution, with respect to how the former elements dissolve into the latter. Element.
The capacity of the wind associated with a former element in the list of earth, water, fire and wind to act as a basis of consciousness is withdrawn, and the capacity of the latter one to do so becomes more manifest. So this is called the dissolution of a former element into a latter one. But it is not a case of one element becoming of the nature of another. It’s just that as one element becomes weak and more incapable of sustaining consciousness, then the next element, which is not weak, then takes that role. And the consciousness then is supported by the next element.
So the earth dissolves into water means that the capacity of the earth wind or the earth energy to act as a basis of consciousness degenerates, whereupon the capacity of the water wind or the water to act as a basis of consciousness becomes more manifest. It becomes more manifest because the earth is less manifest, so the water becomes prominent. Thus, since this is like a transference of the capacity of the former to the latter, it is said that earth dissolves into water, but it is not that ordinary earth dissolves into ordinary water. This applies to the other dissolution as well of the other constituents and of everything else, the aggregates and everything else. So again the whole point being that if the earth is dissolving into water doesn’t mean that earth becomes water, it just means that the earth energy, that earth element is becoming weaker and so the water becomes obvious and the water then starts performing the function of supporting that the earth was performing before.
So the earth weakens and is not able to support consciousness anymore, so then the water element is supporting that. The water constituent is supporting that in stages like that. So this then is up for the coarse stages of the dissolution, right? The more obvious ones and the more coarser ones. And now we’re going to start with the more subtle stages of the solution.
Alright? So then we start with the fifth dissolution, which is the more, the start, the beginning of the more subtle stages of dissolution. So after the four elements dissolve, again earth, water, fire and wind, After the four elements dissolve, the five phenomena on the level of the aggregate of consciousness dissolve in stages. These five are the mind of the eighty indicative conceptions, the mind of radiant white appearance, the mind of radiant red increase, the mind of radiant black near attainment, and the mind of the clear light of death. So which are these names that are given to subtler and subtler minds.
And so at the end of that course those coarse stages of dissolution, when the breath ceases, that’s what we call death. That’s what everybody else calls death. People say, okay, when we see all those signs of death, which is the dissolution of the elements and so on, and the breath stops, the person ceases to breathe, and we call that death. But in actuality, for us here, in this context, person is not dead yet, and then the subtle stages of dissolution start then. And then so the eighty conceptions of the second group.
So we have seen what have we seen here? So the mind of the eighty indicative conceptions and the wind which serves as its mount must dissolve prior to the radiant white appearance because its mode of apprehension and that of the mind of appearance are discordant. Also, since there is a great difference in coarseness and subtlety between these two, coarse minds such as those of the eight conceptions cannot exist at at the time of the white appearance because the white appearance is a much more subtle mind. So when the eighty, indicative conceptions as well as the wind that serves as their mount begins to dissolve into the radiant white appearance, an appearance like a burning butter lamp arises. The sign of the mind of appearance itself when those eighty indicative conceptions have dissolved into it is the dawning of extreme clarity and vacuity, as well as of light with a wide aspect like a night sky pervaded by moonlight in the autumn when the sky is free of defilement.
So again, that vacuity, that emptiness is making reference to the absence of those coarse conceptions, the eighty conceptions and so on. So again, when the eighty indicative conceptions and their wind dissolve into the mind of radiant white appearance, then there is an appearance of burning butter lamp. And when the sign of the mind of appearance itself, when it is the dawning, it’s like the dawning of an extreme clarity and vacuity as well as of light, again with a wide aspect like a night sky pervaded by moonlight in autumn. So with respect to the cause of such an appearance, all the veins in the right and left channels above the heart have entered the central channel through the upper opening at the top of the head. Through the force of these, the knot of the channels at the top of the head is loosened and since the white drop obtained from the father, which has the aspect of the syllable Ham upside down, has the nature of water, it comes downward.
When it arrives on top of the six-petalled channel wheel knot of the right and left channels at the heart, the radiant white appearance arises. Thus, this is not case of an appearance of moonlight and so forth shining from outside. So again, those are analogies for things that are happening within one’s consciousness, within one’s mind. And it is and the empty or void. Again, making reference to what it looks like and making reference to the void of the eighty conceptions and so on.
So, as for the sixty solutions, so after that, the mind of appearance as well as the wind that serves as its mount dissolves into the mind of increase, of red increase. So the mind of increase dawns a red or orange appearance, empty and vacuous, but much clearer than before, shines like an autumn sky free of defilement and pervaded by sunlight. And so with respect to its cause, all the winds in the right and left channels below the heart have entered the central channel through its lower opening at the base of the spine. Through the force of this, the knot of the channel wheel in the jewel and the knot of the channel wheel at the navel gradually loosen. Thereby, the red drop that is obtained from the mother, which exists in the form of the single line of a short a in the Sanskrit, there is the has one vertical line.
In the middle of the channel wheel at the navel, then it comes upwards until it arrives below the six-petalled channel wheel knot at right and left left channels at the heart, and a red or orange appearance then arises. Thus, it is not a case of the illumination of sunlight and so forth shining from outside. So again, that red appearance occurs because of the red seed of the mother which arrives at the seed of consciousness in the heart, and it’s not because of some actual sunlight coming from outside.. So it is called increase of appearance, again because it is very vivid, and the very empty because it is even more void than the mind of white appearance. Thank you.
So this is going very quickly for the seventh dissolution. After that, the mind of increase, together with the wind that serves as its mount, dissolves into the mind of near attainment. During the first part, there dawns a vacuous black appearance, like an autumn sky free of defilement and pervaded by the thick darkness of the beginning of the night, of a moonless moonless night. The upper and lower veins inside the central channel have gathered within that channel at the heart. And through and through the force of this, the six-petalled channel wheel knot of the right and left channels at the heart is loosened, whereupon the white drop that is above in the aspect of the syllable Ham upside down descends and the red drop that is below in the aspect of the short A ascends.
These enter into the middle of the white and red indestructible drops that exist in the manner of a closed case in the center of the central channel at the heart. Due to their meeting, the radiant appearance of near attainment arises. Thus, it is not a case of an appearance of darkness and so forth coming from outside. And so it is called near attainment because it’s close to the attainment of that final stage of the clear light, and also it’s called great empty. Again, that we have very empty, great empty.
This is indicating how more and more subtle those minds are. And so the first part of the mind of near attainment is accompanied by a sense of an object, but during the latter part one is not mindful of any object, as if swooning unconsciously, confounded in darkness. Then all the winds and minds that adventitiously arise from the very subtle wind and mind cease. And then so the latter portion of the mind of near attainment without mindfulness continues continues until the mindfulness of the very subtle wind and mind which has existed non manifestly from the beginning in the ordinary state is activated. When that occurs, the clear light of death dawns.
Then we are given the definitions of those minds, right? So the definition of a mind of radiant white appearance is a mental consciousness, one, which occurs upon the dissolution of the conceptions and until their movement, and two, to which an appearance of radiant white vacuity dawns, which is like an autumn sky free of defilement and pervaded by moonlight, and three, to which no other coarse dualistic appearance appears. The definition of a mind of red increase of appearance is a mental consciousness which occurs upon dissolution of the conceptions and until their movement, to which an appearance of radiant red vacuity dawns, which is like an autumn sky free of defilement and pervaded by sunlight, and to which no other coarse dualistic appearance appears. Definition of a mind of near attainment is a mental conscious which occurs upon the dissolution of the conceptions and until their movement is reinstated, to which an appearance of radiant black vacuity dawns, which is like an autumn sky, free of defilement and pervaded by the thick darkness of the beginning of the night, and to which no other coarse dualistic appearance appears. Then as for the last and eighth dissolution, so when the mind of near attainment dissolves into the clear light, the second portion of the mind of near attainment that is without mindfulness is cleared away.
So without even the slightest coarse dualistic appearance, an appearance of very clear vacuity dawns. It is like the natural color of a dawn sky in autumn, free of the three causes of pollution, moonlight, sunlight, and darkness. That make a reference to the three previous minds of white appearance, red increase, and black near attainment. Appearance is like that of a consciousness meditative composed directly realizing emptiness. So again, it’s like that.
With respect to the cause of the clear light appearance, the white and red drops dissolve respectively into the white and red indestructible drops at the heart, and all the winds inside the central channel dissolve into the very subtle life bearing wind. Through this, the very subtle wind and mind that have existed in the ordinary state from the beginning in the non manifest state are made manifest, whereby such an appearance dawns. Thus, this is not a case of an appearance of vacuous sky from the outside. So this is called the clear light of death and the all empty. So we have the empty, the very empty, the great empty and the all empty.
Again, it is devoid of the eighty conceptions, it’s devoid of the mind of white appearance, the mind of red increase, and the mind of black near attainment, and all the winds. So this is actual death. This is the basic truth body. The vacuity is called the the basic nature body. And the mind that takes it as its object is called the basic realization wisdom truth body.
So again, ordinary humans remain in the clear light for three days, whereupon the signs of the white and red constituents occur. So again, red constituents coming out from the nose, and white coming out from the genitals. However, in cases where the physical constituents have been severely consumed by disease, the signs of the red and white constituents do not occur no matter how many days pass. Also, is said that yogis with higher and lower realization can mix the clear light with the truth body and remain in this for a greater or lesser number of extra days. So Geshe is asking, did you understand anything of what we’re saying?
This marks then all the stages of death. So, saying that because he himself doesn’t understand this subject very well, he’s assuming that we would understand even less. Nonetheless, Geshe-la reiterates that even if we cannot understand it right now, we are laying imprints that will make it possible for us to understand it in the future. So Geshe-la has explained it to us. We talk a lot about the afflictive obscurations and the obscurations to omniscience, right?
So in the sūtra this is what we are working with, the afflictive obscurations and the obscurations to omniscience. Now in the tantra vehicle, especially in the highest level tantra, this is what they are working with death, intermediate state, and rebirth. So, in the context practice of the highest yoga tantra, they are trying to transform two things: the appearances Or another word for that particular term is is a a form of attachment, a very subtle and pervasive form of attachment. Some it is not the same word that is used as attachment in other context, but so so people some people translate it as adherence, but it signifies a a a attachment to to conceiving conceiving things to exist in the way that they appear to exist. So, they are transforming the appearances.
In the highest yoga tantra they want to transform the appearances, which are then death, intermediate state, and rebirth. Those appearances that they want to transform as those things as being ordinary and so on. And they want to transform that adherence, adhering to those things as being in the existence. They want to transform that adherence. Okay?
Transform the adherence into? Sorry? Non adherence? Yeah. So so we are trying to transform ordinary appearance and adherence.
So in Geshe-la was in picking up the cup, right, as an illustration. So we look at that cup and we see that cup is ordinary. So it has that appearance of inherent existence and we have the adherence to it as inherent. So we adhere to the way that it appears, appears as inherent, exists. And that’s what we’re trying to transform.
We’re trying to transform that adherence to its inherent existence and to realize its lack of inherent existence. And so, in the process of death, we have all these signs and appearances arising, all these visions, and have these minds and the mind of white appearance, red increase, black near attainment, all these things appearing. And we can hold on to it as existing the way that they appear to exist, as existing inherently. And we have to realize that they do not exist inherently. So if one has familiarized oneself with the idea of emptiness beforehand.
So again, it depends on how much one has familiarized oneself both with the idea of emptiness and also with this process, the process of death. So it becomes very hard if one has no familiarity with one or the other or even both. So if one does not know anything about emptiness and if one is not familiar with this process of death, at the time of death all one can do is panic and get scared. So it is helpful, it sure is helpful. Initially I was just saying for example we go through a similar process to this one every night when we’re falling asleep and yet how much are we aware of that process so we can realize, we can understand how difficult it is to be aware of the actual death itself.
I understand this description that we’re meant to I’ve heard the idea is to to be familiar with the process so that when we die, we don’t panic. Look, Geshe-la is saying, look, one has to have gained, at the very least, a very solid understanding of emptiness beforehand. And it is not a way to realize emptiness, it’s just another opportunity to realize emptiness and it is a very meaningful and important opportunity to realize it, that’s what it is. But it’s not an easier way to realize it. It’s an opportunity to realize it and a very important one.
But again Geshe-la was saying it’s a dangerous, it’s tricky terrain, it’s a dangerous terrain and there is a lot of ground for doing mistakes so one has to have gained and studied all this beforehand and gained very good familiarity with this whole lot of emptiness itself and with this process itself. So the idea for us, the idea is that by gaining this knowledge now, we can this moment on keep on train ourselves and habituate ourselves with the idea of this process so that when the time comes for us to die, we will not be caught by surprise and we will not panic. It was very helpful for us in this regard. So the idea is that if we prepare ourselves now from this moment on, then we can benefit. We can greatly benefit at the time of that.
If we do not prepare ourselves, then it’s up to luck and chance what’s going to happen at the time of death. And what’s more, this description of death is the description of a gradual process, a gradual death, not of a sudden death. There are many instances of people who die suddenly, or by weapons or by car crashes and so on. And so that doesn’t quite apply in the same way. So the idea is that yogis who can stay for long periods of time with the clear light, that is an indication that they have realized emptiness.
So that something that those who have realized emptiness and who have been very familiar already before death, before dying, have been familiar with the clear light mind. So they have the ability to remain with it, like sitting in meditative equipoise for long periods of time. And of course, if one has realized emptiness and can stay for long periods of time in meditative equipoise absorbing the emptiness in a clear light mind, and that sure is beneficial. How it’s going to benefit? We do not know exactly, but it sure is beneficial.
Ordinary people who stay for three days or less are people who have not realized emptiness and what’s happening there is all up to actions and the afflictions. It’s not up to them anymore. No, the mind of the very subtle wind is there with or without a body. That’s the mind that travels from one life to the next. From time without beginning all the way to enlightenment, that’s the mind that travels from life after life.
So the body doesn’t matter with your body? If you burn the body then you have only the mind. So the idea is when one reaches that final stage of clear light, in the process of death, right, so one reaches the clear light mind, the consciousness is still abiding within the body. And then after the consciousness fully exits the the body, then we have that sign of the blood coming from the nose and the white fluid coming. So normally that’s what would happen.
We would see this visible sign. So regardless of how many days, short periods of time or for long periods of time, we would normally see a sign. But there are many instances of people who do not show the sign and the consciousness has already exited. Could you recognize any of the dissolutions?. Yeah.
So it doesn’t mean that if I die tonight before I fall asleep, I will not be able to recognize all those dissolution and So the idea is yes it is very difficult to recognize those stages. We are told that these stages do occur but we are not being told that we will be aware of them. We say the stages and these appearances do happen. It doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re going to be aware of them. So these things do appear and happen in the stages like this, but it’s not to say that everybody is going to recognize them or that it’s gonna be exactly the same for everyone.
This one again. Like is? Yeah.