348 A Lamp to Illum inate the Five Stages moonlight has disappeared, sunlight has not yet arrived, and the sky s own color has not emerged The last of these is the analogy for the fourth or allempty state, and so it is only included here temporarily The first o f the three analogies is that of increase, [218] the second of close-to-attainment, and the third that of appearance When the three exalted wisdoms arise, experiences resembling the three skies will arise In the third citation above, “form o f a non-phenomenon” is rendered in the Chak translation as “nature o f being without aspect,” as in the first cita tion, and is a better translation This is identical in meaning to “without apprehender and apprehended” in the middle citation This means that apart from the appearances arising in the three ways described above, all other coarse dualism has vanished in those appearances The phrase “without body or speech” appearing in all three citations means that, at these times, all physi cal movement and verbal articulation has ceased The sentences from “just as ” to “likewise ” have been explained The phrase “the characteristics o f the sky” should be taken to refer to the sky being pervaded by darkness The phrase “[focusing] in an aspect o f natural clarity” refers to the clarity o f the object appearing “Very clear” means that it is even clearer than the previous appearance The phrase “focuses on all phenomena” means that the appear ance pervades every direction and the focus is as extensive as is appropriate The actual “ultimate bodhicitta” is the exalted wisdom o f bliss and emptiness united on the path, but this name is given to paths other than that and is even used during the state o f ordinary existence W hen close-to-attainment turns into a loss o f awareness,688 there is no union o f bliss and emptiness, but that is not to say that generally it is not present in close-to-attainment “Subde” means difficult to perceive, “without self” means “with the aspect o f no nature,” and the “pranayama not flowing” means that winds are not inhaled or exhaled These are features o f all three appearances, but in the close-toattainment appearance they are more prevalent In the Chak translation, “without mind ” becomes “being without awareness, it is a nonmoving samadhi.” This is a better rendering Therefore, when winds that move the conceptual minds dissolve, the flame sign appears, and following that is an appearance resembling a clear autumn sky filled with the light o f the nighttime moon, in which the single aspect o f the whiteness o f light appears within total clarity and emptiness Apart from that, there are no other coarse dualistic appearances For example, the skies may be filled with moonlight, but that does not cause any obstruction, and you can still see Likewise, here the appearance o f this white light arises with out obstructing the clarity o f the emptiness that is like the clear sky The Three Appearances and the Intrinsic Natures 349 After that appearance has withdrawn, increase of appearance dawns At that time, just as the light of the sun fills the clear autumn skies, an aspect of red or orange light arises within an emptiness that is even clearer than the previous appearance [219] The rest of the description is the same as the pre vious appearance W hen that appearance has withdrawn, close-to-attainment arises Because the cessation of winds has become that much stronger, the appearance within the emptiness has an aspect of blackness like the darkness of nighttime Awareness, as an aspect o f consciousness, recedes, and you enter a state of no awareness, but this is not the faulty lack of awareness These appearances arise fully at the time of death When sleeping, the flow from the nostrils does not cease, and only something resembling these appear ances will arise On the path, when the winds are brought into the dhuti at the heart and dissolved, these characteristics will appear completely When they are dissolved elsewhere, they will not appear to that degree Depending on the strength of development, the quality of the gathering of the winds, and the strength of the dissolution, these three appearances will vary greatly in their extensiveness, depth, duration, and so on W hen meditating on the winds and so on, if a state of no awareness characterized by a blackness should arise before the first two appearances, this is not close-to-attainment Three empty states like those above can arise from the time you attain the illusory body until you actualize the true clear light, when you arise from meditation through the reverse process of the true clear light, and from the attainment o f the practice union until the attainment of the no-furtherpractice union But they are not mind isolation Similarly, before you attain mind isolation, the exalted wisdoms of the three empty states can arise Therefore, in terms of which encompasses which, you should differentiate between the wisdoms of the three empty states on the one hand and the wis doms of the empty states o f mind isolation on the other Some earlier Tibetans said that every nonconceptual consciousness, such as the sense consciousnesses, is one of the three appearances They assert that such a consciousness initially apprehending its object is appearance, the cognition of the features of that object becoming clearer is increase, and finally the object becoming unclear as it starts to fade is close-to-attainment This explanation is not found anywhere in the root or explanatory tantras or in the works of the master and his disciples It also contradicts the defi nitions o f the appearances from the Compendium o f Practice given above Previously, when mind, mentality, and consciousness, the three character istics, and so on were given as synonyms of the three appearances, it was 350 A Lamp to Illum inate the Five Stages done so because these terms could be used for the three appearances and not because they always referred to the three appearances If they did, many contradictions would surface, such as even the eighty intrinsic natures being the appearances However, in Five Stages it says: Nighttime, daytime, and in between, appearance, increase of appearance, and likewise close-to-attainment of appearance: having explained these three aspects of mind, I will speak of their accomplishments [22.0] The winds as subde forms are well mixed with the consciousnesses and emerge through the paths o f the senses to focus upon their objects.689 Here, the consciousness mixed with the subtle winds, emerging through the sense organs, such as the eyes, and focusing upon objects are described as the three appearances W hat does this mean? “Having explained these three aspects of mind,” the text states, “I will speak of their accomplishments.” But in the Lochen and the Chak Compendium o f Practice translations it says, “I will speak of their bases,” thereby referring to an explanation of winds that are the bases of the three minds Moreover, in the description o f the winds “well mixed” with the consciousness, “mixing” means being moved by the winds, from which the intrinsic natures and consciousnesses focusing on their objects by way of the senses are created This is the meaning, because immediately after the above verses, the text continues: W hen that endowed with appearance is mounted upon the winds, at that time all the intrinsic natures without exception will arise Wherever and whenever the winds occur, there the intrinsic natures are engaged.690 This passage together with the previous citation are quoted in the Compen dium o f Practice, and their meaning is then summarized: The Three Appearances and the Intrinsic Natures 351 Therefore, from entering the subtle element, in an instant, a lava, a muhurta, the blink of an eye,691or the clap of a hand, the appear ances are moved Then in an instant, a lava, a muhurta, the blink of an eye, or the clap of a hand, the intrinsic natures are engaged.692 Therefore, at the time of taking a new birth, consciousness and the intrinsic natures are created gradually and sequentially from the three empty states arising in reverse order, and then they are mixed again and again from within die empty states of sleep It does not mean that each time the engaged con sciousness and the intrinsic-nature conceptual minds are created they are actually created from the three empty states Consciousness can be catego rized as being either conceptual or nonconceptual, but it is not necessarily categorized as being any one of the appearances or being an intrinsic-nature conceptual mind A sense consciousness is not one of the appearances, but it is also not an intrinsic-nature conceptual mind Understanding the intrinsic natures If the appearances are as described above, how are the eighty intrinsic-nature conceptual minds the entities of the appearances, and how are these intrinsic natures created from the appearances? There are thirty-three intrinsic natures of the first appearance Five Stages states: Their intrinsic natures elaborated, I will explain: nondesire, moderate and great, going and coming to the mind, the three o f lesser grief and so forth, similarly, peace, thought, fear, moderate and great, craving, moderate and great, grasping, nonvirtue, hunger, and thirst, instances of feelings, moderate and great, perceiver, perceiving, and basis perceived, discrimination, a sense of shame, [221] compassion, and loving as three, doubt, accumulating, and jealousy: these are the thirty-three intrinsic natures, the self-knowing minds of sentient beings.693 352 A Lamp to Illum inate the Five Stages “Nondesire” is a state of not wanting an object It has three levels—lesser, moderate, and great The phrase “to the mind” means “of the mind,” and the “going of m ind” refers to the mind going to an external object “Coming” refers to the mind returning to an internal object The Go tradition says that this stanza line can be generally applied to all “G rief” is the mental torment of being separated from that which we love It can be small, moderate, and great “Peace,” according to Clarifying the M eaning^ means the mind resting in peace Those of the past explain it as meaning “at leisure,” with the mind in its natural state “Thought” here, according to the above commentary, means a state of agitation or excitement Those o f the past described it as the mind thinking coarsely “Fear” is a mind frightened from coming in contact with unpleasant circumstances “Craving” is an attachment to objects These last two are each in sets of three “Grasping” is holding on fully to sensual objects of pleasure The above commentary explains “nonvirtue” as being in two minds over virtuous activity Earlier masters described it as the mind becom ing discouraged This particular intrinsic nature is also translated as “inaus picious.”695 Earlier masters described “hunger” and “thirst” as the desire for food and drink The Chak translation counts these as one, but the previous understanding is better “Feelings” are those of happiness, unhappiness, and of being neither happy nor unhappy These too are small, moderate, or great according to the object of the feelings There are three types of conceptual minds concerning the perceiver, the perceiving, and what is perceived “Dis crimination” is the analysis of what is correct and not correct “A sense of shame” is the avoidance of wrong activities with oneself or the Dharma as the reason “Compassion” is the wish for others to be free of suffering “Lov ing” is of three kinds: wanting to protect the object of your focus, holding it as beautiful, and wanting to be with it “Doubt” is an oscillating mind that cannot find certainty “Accumulating” is a mind desirous of gathering posses sions “Jealousy” is a mind disturbed by the wealth of others Vlryabhadras Clarifying the Meaning and the Chak translation both have “miserliness” here In Five Stages and old translations of the Compendium o f Practice, how ever, this term is translated as “jealousy,” which is good On the forty intrinsic natures, Five Stages states: Desire, attachment, likewise delight, moderate delight, and great delight, rejoicing, enrapture, amazement, excitement, and satisfaction, ... entering the subtle element, in an instant, a lava, a muhurta, the blink of an eye,691or the clap of a hand, the appear ances are moved Then in an instant, a lava, a muhurta, the blink of an eye,... that appearance has withdrawn, close -to- attainment arises Because the cessation of winds has become that much stronger, the appearance within the emptiness has an aspect of blackness like the. .. mind, mentality, and consciousness, the three character istics, and so on were given as synonyms of the three appearances, it was 350 A Lamp to Illum inate the Five Stages done so because these