Mental isolation
Mental isolation that is concentration producing the vajra mind
The nature of the level of mental isolation is “a completion-stage practice that begins from the generation of the pristine wisdom of appearance derived from dissolving the winds in the indestructible drop at the heart. It arises through completely loosening the channel knots at the heart in dependence on the internal condition of contracting the winds through vajra recitation and absorption and the external condition of vitality exertion utilizing a seal. It extends up to but not including the attainment of the impure illusory body.”
As a general rule, physical isolation deals with the coarse body while verbal isolation deals with subtle body of drops, winds, and channels. Since both can be included in vajra recitation, the stages of completion may be enumerated as five and not six. The advantage of this classification is that it allows all elements of the body, whether coarse or subtle, to be treated similarly. A practitioner at this level relies on both internal and external conditions to achieve the complete release of the channel knots at the heart. The two internal conditions that facilitate the contraction of winds are vajra recitation and absorption, and the external condition is the practice of vitality exertion utilizing a consort, or action seal.
Contracting the winds
There are two ways to contract the winds when relying on a sādhana: gradual and instantaneous. In gradual contraction, we first visualize the elaborate celestial mansion of the main deity and the entourage. Contraction begins when the celestial mansion is dissolved into the entourage, and then all the deities of the entourage dissolve into the central deity, male and female. Next the consort dissolves into the main deity, and then the main deity dissolves progressively from his head and feet into the hūṃ syllable at his heart. This
syllable also dissolves as the lower vowel marker of the syllable dissolves into the root letter and that in turn dissolves into the drop and then into the nāda at the head of the syllable. The gradual contraction resembles the way our breath gradually disappears from a mirror. In instantaneous contraction, the mansion and deities dissolve instantly. This resembles the disappearance of a rainbow, where all colors vanish from the sky at the same time.
Contraction, whether gradual or instantaneous, is one of the internal conditions that loosen the channel knots at the heart. Moreover, it eliminates conventional appearance and is similar to the way the Madhyamaka Prāsaṅgika school eliminates the appearance of subtle objects of negation, in other words where an object established by its own characteristics is
negated to allow the emptiness of that object to appear. If a practitioner keeps this similarity in mind while performing the contraction of the deities, I think that this becomes a kind of preliminary practice inducing comprehension of emptiness—in addition to loosening the channel
knots. Once the channel knots at the heart are completely released, the winds enter and dissolve into the indestructible drop. Due to the winds dissolving in this particular location, the pristine wisdom of white appearance and so forth dawns. This marks the beginning of the level of mental isolation that extends up to the attainment of the impure illusory body.
Attainment of the impure illusory body is referred to as the third of the five levels of completion stage when we enumerate vajra recitation as the first level and observing the mind as the second. Alternately, if we begin from the stage of generation and count the three isolations as distinct levels, then mental isolation is fourth and the impure illusory body becomes the fifth level.
Although Sun Illuminating the Profound Meaning states that you perform vajra recitation focusing on the pervading wind in order to newly generate mental isolation, that is not stated clearly in Illuminating Lamp and so on. Therefore seek the origin of that statement.
It was mentioned above that vajra recitation is performed by relying on four of the five main winds, excluding the pervading wind. However, Paṇchen Losang Chögyen mentions in the Sun Illuminating the Profound Meaning that vajra recitation involving the pervading wind should be performed in order to newly attain mental isolation,283 but such a statement is not found in Jé Rinpoché’s
Illuminating Lamp. Therefore the author urges us to investigate the origin of this statement. I think this exhortation is characteristic of Ngawang Palden, who grounds his presentation in the writings of Tsongkhapa whenever possible, and if he finds nothing there, he then examines the writings of Tsongkhapa’s disciples Khedrup Jé and Gyaltsap Jé. In general he does not rely on other texts, such as the manuals used in Ganden or Drepüng Losaling colleges.
The action seal (karmamudrā)
After this initial point of investigation, the author presents the position of five scholars regarding the need to rely on an action seal—an actual consort. A single response is given for the first four debates while a separate answer is given to the fifth.
The first debate: Relying on an action seal in order to generate the three types of pristine wisdom
A scholar asserts: To generate the three types of pristine wisdom of mental isolation, you must depend on an action seal, for this is the intention of The Five Stages, which states:
From among all illusory bodies, [22b] the female is the best illusory body.
The classification of the three types of pristine wisdom is clearly illustrated from that.
The point discussed here is the need to rely on an action seal to generate white appearance, red increase, and black near-attainment at the time of mental isolation. This is supported by a statement in Ārya Nāgārjuna’s Five Stages and further by Khedrup Jé’s Notes:
Khedrup Jé’s Notes states:
The three internal conditions are the three vitality exertions and especially vajra recitation, and the external condition is stated in The Five Stages from “From among all illusory bodies” up to “is clearly illustrated from that.” Thus you can generate the pristine wisdom of mental isolation in dependence on those external and internal conditions through vitality exertion utilizing a seal.284
In Khedrup Rinpoché’s Notes, this particular passage from The Five Stages is quoted in order to support the fact that the external condition is the action consort.
And:
Verbal isolation begins from first meditating on verbal isolation and extends up to but not including any appearance of the four empties through releasing all of the remaining channel knots at the heart without exception. To release all the remaining knots at the heart without exception, you must apply both the external and internal methods explained previously.
Although enough knots have been released to allow the four empties to manifest, there are still knots at the heart that have not been completely released. The four empties that manifest from the first time that we meditate on verbal isolation up to the point of the total release of all knots at the heart are classified as verbal isolation. The four include: the empty, very empty, great empty, and all empty, and
these are applied respectively to white appearance, red increase, black near-attainment, and clear light. Further, the two methods required for releasing the remaining knots at the heart are the previously mentioned internal and external conditions. Finally, the passages cited here illustrate the necessity of relying on an actual, external consort.
The second debate: Relying on an action seal during final mental isolation
A scholar asserts: It is the intention of The Five Stages that you must rely on an action seal to generate the three types of pristine wisdom of final mental isolation; but this does not apply to ordinary mental isolation, because Illuminating Lamp states:
To fully generate the three types of pristine wisdom of mental isolation that establish the basis of the illusory body, you need an external seal.286 The Five Stages teaches that in order to generate the pristine wisdom of final mental isolation, we must rely on an external seal. Here final mental isolation is identified as the semblant clear light from among semblant clear light, actual clear light, and clear light of the final continuum.
Jé Rinpoché states in his Notes on the Difficult Points of Guhyasamāja:
He who trains his mental continuum in the common paths, properly matures it through empowerment and fully purifies it by protecting the vows, then completes the yoga of single recall and attains the concentrations producing the three vajras, and finally enters the path of the two truths of the illusory body and clear light that are the proximate causes of manifesting both the dharma and form bodies in this life, he will discover great bliss due to a pure seal.287
The stages of the path are here clearly stated by Jé Rinpoché. Initially we train in the common paths, then mature our mental continuum through receiving
empowerment and completely purify it by protecting the vows and commitments. Then we enter the generation stage and complete the yoga of single recall. Then we enter the practices of the completion stage and attain physical isolation that is concentration producing the vajra body, verbal isolation that is concentration producing the vajra speech, and mental isolation that is concentration producing the [[vajra
mind]]. Then we attain the relative illusory body and the ultimate clear light that are named after the two levels of truth. Once the pure illusory body has been established, the practitioner will certainly attain enlightenment in that life through manifesting the form and dharma bodies of a buddha. The practitioner who enters this path should utilize a consort, or “pure seal.”
This is logically necessary because the name of the three isolations is applied to concentrations producing the three vajras of the completion stage and not to concentrations producing the three vajras [23a] of the generation stage. This is because they (alone) are said to be the cause of buddhahood in this life.
Although concentrations producing the vajra body, vajra speech, and vajra mind actually refer to physical, verbal, and mental isolation of the completion stage, similar concentrations may also be found in the mental continuum of a practitioner on the generation stage. Nevertheless, the three types of vajra concentration that establish enlightenment in a single lifetime can only be practices of the completion stage, and to generate them we need to rely on an actual consort.
The third debate: Relying on an action seal in order to expedite the remaining phases of the completion stage
A scholar asserts: This text does not teach the minimum threshold where reliance on an action seal becomes indispensable for attaining buddhahood in this life; rather it teaches the threshold where it becomes appropriate to engage in activities that enhance the completion stage. To utilize a seal, you must have obtained mental isolation, for Illuminating Lamp states just that.
This scholar’s position is that we must have attained mental isolation in order to use an action seal, or actual consort, for the purpose of enhancing the completion stage. In other words, once a practitioner has reached the high realizations of mental isolation, he then relies on an actual consort in order to expedite progress on the remaining phases of the completion stage. But mental isolation is not stated as the minimum qualification we must have to rely on a consort for the purpose of reaching enlightenment in that lifetime.
The fourth debate: Relying on an action seal to attain enlightenment in this life
A scholar asserts: The minimum threshold where you must definitely rely on an action seal to attain enlightenment in this life is attainment of the isolations, because Commentary to the Compendium of Vajra Pristine Wisdom states:
In this context the statement that the action seal and the three empties are certainly indispensable is made with the intention that fully generating the three empties of mental isolation capable of establishing the illusory body definitely relies on an action seal. Without it, though you may generate the three pristine wisdoms complete in some characteristics of mental isolation, you will be unable to generate them complete in all characteristics.
Compendium of Vajra Pristine Wisdom—one of the explanatory texts on the Root Tantra of Guhyasamāja—and its commentary is quoted here in order to establish the necessity of relying on a seal in order to generate the three empties289 of mental isolation and the illusory body that is derived from that.
I wonder whether these assertions reflect Jé Rinpoché’s intention. I raise them merely to stimulate analysis, since their resolution is difficult.
The author concludes the first four debates by saying that scholars have different views on these issues and he has presented them for the sake of further investigation.
The fifth debate: Relying on an action seal from the early stages
A scholar asserts: It is unacceptable to state that the threshold where you must rely on an action seal is from the obtainment of mental isolation because (1) there are fully qualified persons who receive the actual third empowerment before they meditate on the two stages and (2) Secret Attainment states that if a beginner were to abandon the method of an external seal, he could not accomplish the innate bliss of the four joys by any other method.
This scholar makes the point that it is not correct to set mental isolation as the level we need to attain before we can rely on an action consort for two reasons. The first is because there are qualified individuals who receive the third empowerment in reliance on an action seal prior to engaging in any practices of the generation or completion stage. The second reason is found in a quotation from Secret Attainment stating that if a beginner were to abandon union with an action seal, there would be no other way to generate the four joys.
Reply: That is not logically necessary because the first reason is merely a possibility and not definite, and the second reason explains that you must rely on an action seal to insert the winds into the central channel at the time of the generation stage.
The author replies that those reasons do not prove the thesis.290 Regarding the first reason, it is indeed possible to state that qualified practitioners engage in union with an action seal from the time of the third empowerment, but it is certainly not the case that every practitioner would or should receive the third empowerment in such a way. The second reason that advocates that we can only generate the four joys through relying on an action seal pertains to the generation stage.291
The advantages and disadvantages of an external seal
A seal addresses multiple needs, [23b] such as the need for a special maturing agent of the roots of virtue that generate comprehension of the completion stage by cultivating the bliss and emptiness of the generation stage, and the need to easily facilitate the gathering of winds and so forth when meditating on the means to penetrate the vital points of the body of the generation stage. But it is stated that a seal complete in all qualities is extremely rare.
Though relying on an external seal may address various purposes and accomplish different goals, a fully qualified consort292 is rare and extremely difficult to find. Not only are proper consorts hard to find, but also practitioners who are fully qualified to engage in such practices are equally rare. In most cases, the qualities of the male and female practitioner do not match. Often when the consort is qualified, the practitioner is not, and vice versa. It is very rare to find a pair of fully qualified practitioners.
It is said that if you do not practice properly, there is the great fault of falling to evil migrations. Therefore, it is best to complete the coarse and subtle levels of the generation stage with a pristine wisdom consort alone because such a path is capable of generating mental isolation, and these faults do not occur if you rely on an action seal after attaining mental isolation. Since it is difficult to find fully qualified practitioners and consorts, engaging in consort practice can be dangerous and result in falling to lower rebirths. But such potential dangers do not detract from the general benefits of consort practice.
There are three types of seal, namely
(1) the action seal,
(2) the pristine wisdom seal,and
(3) the great seal. Since there is potential danger in relying on an action seal, you may utilize a pristine wisdom seal—that is, a visualized consort rather than actual, physical consort—during the coarse and subtle generation stages.
When you attain mental isolation in reliance on a pristine wisdom seal, the dangers and disadvantages involved in utilizing an actual seal do not arise. Thus, this is a much safer practice.
Examples of great practitioners
The fact that the author presents many different views on this issue indicates the importance and seriousness of consort practice. For example, though Tsongkhapa had attained a high level of realization he chose not to utilize a physical consort. There were two reasons for this. First,
despite possessing a high level of attainment, he realized that if he took a physical consort as a monk, this would attract criticism from the general community. Second, if he utilized an action seal, some disciples may cite his example to justify their own use of a physical consort, or exaggerate or lie about their attainments in order to pursue this practice.
Tsongkhapa had two options, either to rely on a wisdom seal or a great seal. Either method first requires the dissolution of the coarse elements, winds, and minds and a practitioner may achieve this in two ways. He may rely on completion-stage practices where a practitioner initially utilizes an action seal to invoke the experience of great bliss and then continues with a wisdom seal. Alternately he may wait until death, when the coarse elements dissolve naturally
and the extremely subtle wind and mind manifest. By relying on a wisdom seal and not an action seal, the practitioner leaves behind a body composed of coarse aggregates capable of producing relics to benefit students. Some advanced beings who see a specific benefit for their students give instructions that their bodies should not be cremated. Others like Milarepa made sure that their remains were cremated. Thus Tsongkhapa fulfilled various purposes by choosing to pass away in this manner. As Khedrup Rinpoché stated in one of the prayers he composed in praise of Tsongkhapa:
May I be able to manifest the supreme siddhi by manifesting the enjoyment body as a substitute for the intermediate state.
When untrained beings experience death, their elements dissolve due to natural causes, and then they experience the end-of-life phases of white appearance, red increase, black near-attainment, and clear light, without linking this process to the completion stage. However, when Tsongkhapa attained paranirvāṇa, he first experienced the dissolution of the elements and then the manifestation of subtle mind, but
due to his meditation, instead of passing into the intermediate state he attained the illusory body. He left his coarse physical body for the sake of disciples while attaining enlightenment in the intermediate state and manifesting the enjoyment body. Some
biographies state that after passing into paranirvāṇa, Tsongkhapa manifested as Drakpa Gönpo—or Kīrtinātha in Sanskrit—and displayed the conduct of a mahāsiddha, such as taking an action seal.
Although many mahāsiddhas such as Tilopa and Drilbupa have taken physical consorts, due to their high level of realization they cannot be compared to ordinary beings. It is very difficult for any of us to accurately judge the level of realization of another person and decide with certainty that it is appropriate or not for them to take a consort. Śākyamuni noted that someone who has attained the level of a
buddha can recognize the level of another being, but ordinary individuals cannot recognize each other’s level. Since we cannot see the level of another’s attainment, we depend on valid treatises to guide us in these issues.
Entry, abidance, and dissolution of winds in the central channel
The text continues by discussing the entering, abiding, and dissolving of the winds in the central channel.
The sign of the winds entering the central channel due to meditating on gathering the winds is when the movement of breath from each nostril attains equal strength.
Normally the winds of the right and left channel circulate with different relative strengths through the nostrils. At times the winds of the right channel flow stronger than those of the left channel, and at times the opposite occurs. When fully qualified entry of winds in the central channel occurs, the winds of the right and left channel move through the nostrils with equal strength. Not only is the relative strength
of their movement equal, but their movement in general is coordinated. Thus if the winds of the right channel move, then the winds of the left channel also move, and if the winds of one channel are not in motion, then the winds of the other channel will also remain still. The manifestation of uniformity in the movement of winds should be interpreted as a definite sign of the winds having entered the central channel.
The sign of the winds abiding is that the movement from the nostrils ceases.
The manifestation of the signs of fully qualified entry of the winds into the central channel, however, does not guarantee that the winds abide there. It is possible that the winds might briefly enter the central channel but then instantly exit and not remain. The sign of the winds abiding in the central channel is that any movement of winds through the nostrils is completely halted. If the flow of the winds through the nostrils is interrupted temporarily only to resume and be interrupted again, then these are signs that complete and fully qualified abiding of the winds in the central channel has not yet been achieved.
Although the movement from the nostrils is stopped and the winds abide internally, if they do not dissolve, it is said that the body may also deteriorate.
Once the winds have entered and abide with stability in the central channel, it is important that they also dissolve there. Although the signs of fully qualified abiding may manifest, there is no guarantee that the winds will also dissolve. If this happens, it is said that the winds weaken, causing the body to deteriorate.
Signs of the dissolution of the elements
The sign of dissolution of the four elements of earth, water, fire, and wind as the former dissolves into the latter is the serial dawning of the appearance of a mirage, smoke, and fireflies in space. When wind begins to dissolve into appearance, an appearance like a burning butter lamp dawns. The fully qualified dissolution of the winds in the central channel following their fully qualified entrance and abidance is marked by the inner signs of the dissolution of the four elements. When the earth element dissolves in the water element
(1) a mirage-like appearance arises; when the water element dissolves in the fire element
(2) a smoke-like appearance arises; when the fire element dissolves in the wind element
(3) an appearance resembling that of fireflies arises; and when the wind element dissolves in space or consciousness
(4) an appearance similar to the light of a butter lamp arises.
The four visions appear to mental awareness and not sense awareness.
The method of applying the dissolution of the twenty-five coarse phenomena to those should be understood from Explanation of the Graded Presentation and Final Resolution of the Four Interrelated Commentaries.
Here the dissolution of the four elements is briefly mentioned, yet a more detailed explanation of the dissolution of the twenty-five coarse phenomena can be found in Jé Rinpoché’s Explanation of the Graded Presentation of Guhyasamāja and in his Precious Bud of Final Resolution , which is an analysis of difficult points within his four interrelated commentaries.Following the dissolution of the four elements and the four internal visions related to them, we experience
(5) the dawning of white appearance,
(6) red increase,
(7) black near-attainment, and
(8) clear light.
Thus in total there are eight, including four visions and four types of awareness to which these visions appear. A practitioner should train to recognize them and their proper sequence and also train to induce them through the power of meditation.
There are three assertions regarding these signs, namely that
(1) they illustrate an increase in clarity from the former to the latter,
(2) they measure the stability of the awareness possessing those signs, or
(3) they arise with an appearance similar to a mirage and so on. From among them the latter is best.
Although in some cases the serial appearance of visions and signs is said to indicate a progressive increase in clarity or stability, the best explanation is that they simply mark the dawning of internal visions that are similar to a mirage and so on.
Visions of appearance, increase, and near-attainment
When the natural conceptions along with their winds dissolve into white appearance, an appearance like moonlight pervading a vacuous autumn sky dawns. When [24a] white appearance with its winds dissolves into the red increase, an appearance like sunlight pervading the sky dawns. When red increase with its winds dissolves into near-attainment, an appearance like thick darkness pervading the sky dawns. When near-attainment with its winds dissolves into clear light, it is said that an appearance like the natural color of the sky free from the three polluting conditions dawns.
After the first series of four visions appears to mental awareness, the four minds of white appearance, red increase, black near-attainment, and clear light serially manifest. When appearance manifests we experience a white vision similar to the whiteness of the moon illuminating the autumn sky.297 When increase manifests we experience a red vision similar to the red hue of the sun
lighting up the sky.298 When near-attainment manifests we experience a black vision similar to the darkness pervading the sky when the sun has set and the moon has not risen.299 In the next phase of clear light, the vision that appears is that of a sky free from the polluting conditions of moonlight, sunlight, or darkness.
During the time of the white appearance, red increase, and black near-attainment, the eighty natural conceptions subside. Although this text does not enumerate these natural conceptions, other texts dealing with the tantric grounds and paths, such as Mantric Stages by Tsongkhapa, enumerate them fully.300 In brief, thirty-three natural conceptions subside during white appearance, forty subside during increase, and seven subside during near-attainment.301 During the phase of the initial dissolution of the four elements, coarse winds and mind dissolve. In the latter phase, the subtle minds of the eighty natural conceptions, and the winds that act as their mounts, dissolve.
Till this point in the text the author has examined how the winds enter, abide, and dissolve in the central channel, how the four signs of the dissolution of the elements first appear, and then how the four signs of appearance, increase, near-attainment, and clear light manifest. It is important that we recognize these signs so that we may quickly review the entire sequence of their appearance in our mind and keep track
of what signs have already appeared and what signs will follow. It is exactly this type of training that can be of great benefit at the time of death. Although these events take place naturally at the time of death due to the power of karma and afflictions, we seek to develop completion-stage yoga that is capable of inducing the four signs and the four types of consciousness characterized by these signs.
Terms such as earth dissolving into water and so on or earth subsiding, water subsiding, and so forth are used. However, the meaning of earth dissolving into water is said to be that the potency of the earth element in your body to act as the support of consciousness subsides and then that potency transfers to water. This explanation should be similarly applied up to fire dissolving into wind.
Different terms are used to describe the gradual decay of the power of the elements, such as subsiding, dissolving, and others. These indicate the decline in the potency or capacity of a certain element to act as the support of consciousness rather than the literal dissolution of one element into another. As one element dissolves the potency of the next element becomes evident. Thus “earth dissolves into water” should not be taken literally but understood to describe the loss of potency of the element of earth.
Wind dissolving is said to be that the potency of the wind that directly moves the natural conceptions and acts as the mount of consciousness subsides, and its potency transfers to the wind of appearance. But it is impossible that all winds dissolve.
We should make the distinction between the dissolution of all coarse and subtle winds and the dissolution of certain winds whose specific function is to act as the mount of the natural conceptions. The term wind dissolving into appearance refers to the dissolution of this particular group of winds rather than the complete dissolution of all winds.
Also the natural conceptions dissolving into appearance indicates the decay of the power of the natural conceptions to hold their objects. Further you should understand that the four empties dissolve through the former dissolving into the latter. The term dissolving describes how a specific potency subsides or declines in different circumstances and indicates not only what happens to the elements but also to the natural conceptions as well as the four empties. We should be able to identify the processes of actual dissolution and the dissolution similar to actual dissolution, which may occur before entering the path—that is, at the time of the basis—or at the time of the path itself.
States similar to actual dissolution
Explanation of the Stages of Actual Enlightenment states:
Indeed states similar to the earth dissolving into water and so on occur at the time of the basis during sexual union, when going to sleep, when fainting, and so on. They occur at the time of the path when first taking the third empowerment up to vajra recitation. The actual states occur at the time of the basis during death, and they occur at the time of the path from the commencement of mental isolation.
States similar to the dissolution of the elements occur for ordinary beings during sexual intercourse, when entering sleep, or when falling unconscious or fainting. They can also occur for beings on the path during the actual third empowerment, the pristine-wisdom empowerment, the empowerment ritual, as well as the stages preceding vajra recitation. Although actual dissolution of the elements does not occur at such times, states similar to fully qualified dissolution can manifest.
Actual dissolution of the elements occurs naturally at the time of death when, due to the power of karma and afflictions, earth dissolves into water and so on up to the dawn of the mind of the clear light of death. This is the first instance of actual dissolution, the one that occurs at the time of the basis. The second instance occurs at the time of the path and may manifest at any stage after entering mental isolation. The specific source of this information is Jé Rinpoché’s Explanation of the Stages of Actual Enlightenment, which is a commentary to Āryadeva’s Instruction on the Stages of Actual Enlightenment (Abhibodhikramopadeśa).
Signs indicating the beginning of the process
Also the signs that arise from penetrating the vital points in the body are the signs of
(1) the winds beginning to move inwardly after reversing their strong external movement from the doors of the sense faculties,
(2) the winds subsiding to some extent, and
(3) the winds entering the central channel to some extent, and so on. [24b] Illuminating Lamp states that there are many levels of specific signs of reversal and subsiding after establishing higher levels of the path.
The penetration of vital points in the body is achieved through meditation that induces pliability and flexibility of our channels, winds, and drops. This allows us to work with the winds as well as the white and red drops inside our central channel during the completion stage, to finally penetrate specific points due to our meditation and cause specific signs to appear.
In general, the winds exit freely through the doors of the senses, proceed to external objects, and thereby facilitate the mind’s engagement of its objects. For example, the wind that acts as the mount of eye awareness proceeds externally from the eye sense faculty to the physical form it observes, allowing eye awareness to access that form. This function of movement is a characteristic of the wind. Once these objects are accessed, they are held by the eye awareness. This function of engaging and holding an object is an attribute of awareness.
The author here describes the initial stages of gaining control of the doors of the senses and the flow of winds. In this process we reverse the external flow of a small number of winds so that they move inwardly toward the central channel and enter the central channel to some degree. The signs that occur should be interpreted as marking the beginning of a gradual process where the flow of winds is not instantly and completely reversed and redirected toward the central channel. Moreover Lamp Illuminating the Five Stages states that we progress on the completion stage as the reversal, subsidence, and insertion of the winds into the central channel gradually increases in strength till all three have been fully activated.
Points of debate
Are the three states commencing from mental isolation actual states?
One says: It follows that any of the three states of white appearance, red increase, or near-attainment during mental isolation must be actual states, because their actual states commence from mental isolation.
Reply: That is not logically necessary, because even though it is said that actual states commence from mental isolation, it is not said that any of the three types of pristine wisdom of mental isolation must be actual states.
For although Ornament of Realization states that the signs of irreversibility occur from the Mahāyāna path of preparation on, it is not necessary that a practitioner of the Mahāyāna path of preparation attains the signs of irreversibility.
Ngawang Palden questions the logical necessity implied in the opponent’s syllogism because although it is possible that the actual states of appearance, increase, and near-attainment begin from the level of mental isolation, it is not logically necessary that all instances of dissolution occurring during mental isolation are fully qualified states.
Also your assertion is unacceptable because, at the time of the path, all the karmic winds must dissolve in the indestructible drop at the heart as they do during the stages of death when actual white appearance, red increase, and near-attainment arise. In addition, many who are incapable of fully gathering the pervading winds to the heart nonetheless obtain mental isolation.
The author then rejects the opponent’s assertion that the three states must be actual states. Ngawang Palden asserts that for a practitioner to manifest fully qualified states he or she must cause all the winds, including the pervading wind, to dissolve in the indestructible drop at the heart. But many practitioners at this level cannot fully dissolve all karmic winds because they cannot fully dissolve the pervading wind.
Are the three derived from dissolution actual states?
One says: Any of the three states of white appearance, red increase, or near-attainment occurring during mental isolation must be actual states because any of the three states of white appearance, red increase, or near-attainment derived from the dissolution of the winds in the central channel at the heart must be actual states. For it says in Illuminating Lamp:
At the time of death they fully appear. At the time of sleep only semblant states appear, since the movement of winds from the nostrils is not reversed. At the time of the path, the winds dissolve through entering the central channel at the heart, and the actual states fully appear. When dissolution occurs at other sites, the full measure does not appear.
The quote from Jé Rinpoché’s text deals with the various times that appearance, increase, and near-attainment manifest. As such, fully qualified states manifest at the time of death, but at the time of sleep only states resembling actual states appear. At the time of the path, fully qualified states appear through the dissolution of the winds in the central channel at the heart. But dissolution in other locations produces states merely similar to actual dissolution and lacking the full measure of the actual state.
Reply: You should investigate this matter [25a] because Sun Illuminating the Profound Meaning states:
The three empties associated with such states at the time of the basis appear as actual states at the time of death and as semblant states at the time of sleep. The actual states appear at the time of the path when you have attained final mental isolation, but prior to that similar states appear.305 The quotation from Paṇchen Lama Losang Chögyen’s text indicates that the actual states do not occur in ordinary mental isolation but on the level of final mental isolation and that the states occurring prior to that are not actual states.
And it appears that it is commenting on the meaning of the text of Illuminating Lamp. Khedrup Jé’s Notes states that those occurring at the time of physical isolation and soon:
are the four actual empties, but they are not the four empties of mental isolation.
This passage reveals that the four empties occurring in earlier stages such as during physical isolation and so on are actual states of the four empties. But even though the states occurring during physical isolation are fully qualified, they are not the four empties of mental isolation.
Do these pristine wisdoms combine bliss and emptiness?
One says: The three types of pristine wisdom at the time of the path must be pristine wisdoms of bliss and emptiness.
Reply: This is unacceptable because if the three types of pristine wisdom do not combine bliss and emptiness, it is said that the three states of white, red, and black appearance alone will dawn. Also meditation on uncommon bliss alone is praised as an amazing concentration, and it is said that bliss and emptiness cannot be applied in the unconscious state of near-attainment. These should be understood in detail from Illuminating Lamp.
The author does not agree that appearance, increase, and near-attainment at the time of the path must be pristine wisdom combining bliss and emptiness. But if they do not combine these two, we will experience mere ordinary states of white, red, and black appearance.309 Nevertheless, the cultivation of the uncommon, blissful awareness on its own that is delinked from the aspect of emptiness is highly praised. And it is also understood that the stage of black near-attainment cannot utilize emptiness and bliss. But these issues are discussed extensively in Illuminating Lamp.
Are the four joys the four empties of mental isolation?
One says: None of the four descending and ascending joys are the four empties of mental isolation because Sun Illuminating the Profound Meaning states:
During mental isolation, the four joys of the reverse order that are by nature clear light are not posited as distinct from the four joys of the forward order310 that gather winds and bodhicitta from the upper and lower body, because if they were posited in that way, then bodhicitta must be posited in separate stages from the heart, and if that were so, the winds would move.
Although this is stated in Sun Illuminating the Profound Meaning, the author does not agree that the issue is settled because Jé Rinpoché contradicts this assertion in his Illuminating Lamp, his Collected Works, and in his presentation of the system of mahāsiddha Lūipa in Cluster of Siddhis.
Reply: This should be examined because Illuminating Lamp states:
If you are capable of generating the empties from the stages of dissolution that gather the winds and bodhicitta at the heart, then you are capable of both activating the descending and ascending joys and inducing the special empties from separate external stages, having gathered them at the heart.312 In the first text Jé Rinpoché distinguishes between those who are capable of generating the empties from the stages of dissolution by gathering winds and bodhicitta at the heart and those who are not capable of this. Those possessing this capacity can then induce the ascending and descending joys or the special empties from separate stages outside the heart.
Can the three appearances be posited as innate joy?
And Cluster of Siddhis states:
It is explained that white appearance, red increase, and black near-attainment of the reverse order cannot be pristine wisdom of clear light, but the other three joys of the reverse order are posited as innate. So, too, the three states of white appearance, red increase, and black near-attainment of the forward order are posited as the three joys, but they are not posited as innate joy. However, there are times when the three descending joys of the forward order are posited as innate joy.
Mahāsiddha Lūipa states that it is possible that the three descending joys of the forward order are classified as innate joy, but this is not always so.
But these statements alone do not appear to clarify the issue.
Since the quotations from Illuminating Lamp and Cluster of Siddhis do not fully settle the issue, the author assembles quotes from various texts in Jé Rinpoché’s collected works.
The abbreviated advice recorded in Jé Rinpoché’s Collected Works states:
Without the winds arising, the four ascending joys occur at the conclusion of the four descending joys, and the four descending joys occur at the conclusion of the four ascending joys, following in succession.
And:
The four descending joys that occur without arising from the ascending joys are greater in bliss than the former ascending joys, and these four must be posited as innate joy. The four descending joys generated after arising from the ascending joys are greater than the former, but there is no certainty that these four are innate joy.
And:
Through the strength of meditation joining bliss and emptiness at the time of innate ascending joy, the former winds do not arise, and some of the coarse pervading winds, not previously gathered, gather. Through that they enter, abide, and dissolve, inducing the four descending and ascending joys.
Since Jé Rinpoché stated that these points are extremely difficult to comprehend, those with intelligence should analyze them in detail. The author does not offer a final opinion on these matters.
He cites Jé Rinpoché as evidence of the difficulty in reaching a final conclusion and urges us to engage in further analysis. The issues explained in the context of the three isolations in general require prolonged investigation, but those raised in mental isolation are particularly challenging. This therefore completes the first part of the completion stage dealing with the three isolations, namely physical isolation, which produces vajra body, verbal isolation, which produces vajra speech, and mental isolation, which produces vajra mind. From this point on the author presents the second phase of the completion stage dealing with the illusory body and clear light, which are here named after the two truths.
