Divisions, Functions, and M ovem ent o f the W inds 243 For the organizing of battles, always be with the power of glorious compassion For playing, putting on shows, cutting, digging, burning, and smelting, the oature of compassion is well praised Furthermore, that which has the nature of both should be known as an expression of doubt No certifying them as good or bad, the holder of the vajra, knowing the winds, has illustrated them here.461 “The nature of wisdom” refers to the time of the flow of wind solely from the left nostril “The nature of compassion” refers to the time of the flow of wind solely from the right nostril “The nature of both” refers to the time of the winds flowing from both nostrils In the commentary,462 the former citation is explained in terms of wind yoga accomplishing the feat of increase when the earth wind flows, pacification when the water wind flows, the wrathful feat when fire flows, and as an aspect of the wrathful feat, the feat of expelling and so on when the air flows Acarya Sridhara says: W hen doing good and bad deeds, coming and going and so on: W ith earth and water come good deeds, with fire and air come black deeds Know that moon is the best, bright light is average Bad deeds done in the sun will certainly bring death That done in the moon will not bring much suffering.463 This is an explanation in connection with various deeds “Moon” refers to the time the ldft winds flow “Bright light” refers to the time of the sun, or right, winds Wrathful deeds attempted at that time bring death means that that feat will be accomplished In short, it is good to perform placid deeds such as pacification at the time of the earth and water winds Performed at the time of the fire and air winds, such deeds will bring no joy It is good to 24 A Lamp to Illum inate the Five Stages perform them during the times of the left winds, whereas at the times of the right-nostril winds, the results will be average When performing wrathful deeds and the reverse situation is present, similar results will follow Sridhara explains the four winds as being those of the minor elements Furthermore, if something is requested when winds are flowing in your dliy or left, but flowing in the questioner s kali, or right, or vice versa, the pur pose will not be realized If both winds are in the same nostril, the purpose will be realized If both winds are flowing in both nostrils of requester and requested, there is no certainty that its purpose will be accomplished If the other asks something when your winds are entering, and you undertake that task, the result will be good The same situation when the winds are leaving will produce bad results W hen the winds are abiding inside, there is no tell ing whether it will be good or bad The Samvarodaya Tantra continues: A request with the lord flowing in dli and for others dwelling in kali or flowing in kali while dwelling in dli, desired aims will not be fulfilled [148] From wherever the lord is flowing, if others request while dwelling there, all their wishes will be realized fully Dwelling in both, the result is in doubt.464 Also: For the questioner and even for oneself, all dharmakaya instances are good, sambhogakaya instances are in doubt, and emanated body instances are trouble.465 “Dharmakaya” refers to the winds entering “Sambhogakaya” refers to the winds dwelling “Emanated body” refers to the winds leaving How the winds perform theirfunctions The Compendium o f Practice says that the subtle element of wind and the con sciousness appearances join together and accomplish all worldly and transworldly activities If you understand the first of these, you will understand Divisions, Functions, and M ovem ent ofthe W inds 245 the process o f entering samsara shared by other vehicles as well as the exclu sive position By knowing this you will comprehend the second function and understand well the stages of turning away from samsara according to the shared and exclusive traditions How the winds accomplish the activities of worldly samsara? The Vajra Garland says: Just like the moon being eclipsed, the winds gradually weaken as their own characteristics successively dissolve, again to merge with mucilinda.m At death, just as the moon being eclipsed becomes unseen, preceding winds dissolve into succeeding winds and again merge to join with mucilinda, or life-sustaining wind This is the same as the Compendium of Practice when it says, “These attain the indestructible and become non-phenomenal,”467 and “While abiding in the body, all is accomplished, and finally they enter the indestructible.”468 W hen earth, water, fire, and air dissolve sequentially, the movement of the winds becomes progressively less, until finally the winds that move the intrinsic conceptual minds enter the consciousness o f the first appearance These conceptual minds are stopped, and the first empty state arises Then the second and third empty states arise, followed by the fourth empty state, or clear light These also appear because the movement of the winds is becoming progressively less W hen the movement of the clear-light wind increases in strength, close-to-attainment, increase, and appearance will arise sequentially due to an increase in the movement of wind in each W hen the movement of the wind of appearance is at its strongest, the intrin sic conceptual minds are created In this way the stages of birth and death are created by the winds, and the time between the dissolution of the winds that move the intrinsic conceptual minds [149] and their subsequent arising is the time of the appearance of the four types of empty states In this way the increase in movement in the three appearances will induce the intrinsic conceptual minds Therefore it is said that the root o f the intrinsic concep tual minds in' all living beings is the three appearances The Vajra Garland states: Here are gained the three consciousnesses, with features of the three appearances, 146 A Lamp to Illum inate the Five Stages the root of the intrinsic natures of every realm of living being.469 Also: This is the great realm of wind, the mount of the three consciousnesses Through its force the intrinsic natures constantly move where they will.4/0 Five Stages also: Endowed with the appearances, riding the mount of the wind, at such a time every intrinsic nature without exception will arise Wherever a wind abides, there an intrinsic nature will be engaged.471 The intrinsic conceptual minds give rise to mental afflictions, which in turn accumulate karma and create samsara The Vajra Garland says: Just as fire burns to leave nothing, they cease flowing and dissolve Again life-sustaining wind arises, and various karmic winds appear; once together, the consciousness again dwells in the three worlds From this comes karma, likewise birth; from that imprints of desire and so forth, from that, again birth and death In this way, it is like the turning of a wheel.472 This is not teaching that wind is the root of samsara while ignoring the teach ing that holding to a self is the root of samsara The Compendium o f Practice also states the above, but by relying upon three sutras, including the Eight Thousand Perfection o f Wisdom Sutra, he establishes the stages o f entering Divisions, Functions, and Movement ofthe Winds 247 samsara by clinging to self and mine, committing good and bad deeds, and circling through the realms of happiness and suffering These processes are clarified by citing Nagarjuna: If all this is empty, and of the nature of no birth, then how is this happiness and suffering driven by karma? As soon as there is delusion of self, you come under the power of thoughts driven by the stains of desire and so forth, and the ignorant are tormented by suffering These things are just mind arising as the forms of perfect illusions Then by good and bad deeds, they are born in happy and suffering realms.473 This is common to both sutra and tantra Therefore the statement that the winds create samsara should be understood as meaning that they exist as a cooperative cause for the creation of samsara by the afflicted emotions of holding to a self and so on This has been the functions o f the winds in general [i$o] Concerning functions of specific winds, on the life-sustaining wind the Vajra Garland says: From the continuum of the sense gateways, life {prdna) and endeavor (dydma) flow At all times it flows and is known as life.m There are several other translations of this verse found in other editions of the Vajra Garland and also as citations in other works Still, the meaning is that the constant entering and exiting of winds through the gateways of the senses is primarily carried out by this wind Also, because this process gives life, it is known as life The meaning of endeavor is “lengthen,” and so it also has the function o f making life long Ekadasasvaras Secret Ambrosia Instructions says that it has the function of traveling out and withdrawing in through the gate ways of the senses ... the statement that the winds create samsara should be understood as meaning that they exist as a cooperative cause for the creation of samsara by the afflicted emotions of holding to a self and... as life The meaning of endeavor is “lengthen,” and so it also has the function o f making life long Ekadasasvaras Secret Ambrosia Instructions says that it has the function of traveling out and... Vajra Garland says: Just as fire burns to leave nothing, they cease flowing and dissolve Again life-sustaining wind arises, and various karmic winds appear; once together, the consciousness again