Explanation o f Evam and ofBliss and Emptiness 113 that such a realization is ascertained by a very special consciousness of innate joy and that this great-bliss consciousness brings immeasurable benefits, both immediate and ultimate, such as being granted the supreme siddhi in this very life Therefore the discerning should engage in the decisive core teach ings on the view that ascertains the definitive meaning of no-self and on the method that induces the exclusive great bliss and then strive in the search for the innate exalted wisdom of bliss and emptiness inseparably united The Later Guhyasamaja Tantra asks what is the meaning of bodhicitta as taught in the Root Tantra and replies that bodhicitta is emptiness and com passion inseparable.234 Commenting on the teachings on bodhicitta in the second chapter of the Root Tantra, [59] Candraklrti s Illuminating Lamp speaks of clear light and the stage of union as being two kinds of ultimate bodhicitta The former is the actual innate clear light Therefore it is not the case that the emptiness and compassion bodhicitta of inseparable bliss and emptiness is not taught in the Guhyasamaja tradition Five Stages also says: O f the 84,000 Dharma categories taught by the mighty Buddha, that with the characteristics of stage of mastery is taught to be the essence o f the essence.235 The “stage of mastery” of actual clear light, spoken of as being the essence of even the essence, also refers to the bodhicitta of the actual innate inseparable bliss and emptiness In some highest yoga tantras and their authentic explanatory commentar ies, the presentations on bliss are clear, but the methods for cognizing emp tiness are not that clear In others the way to cognize emptiness is clearly presented, while the presentation on bliss is not But even these works should be regarded as being for the purposes of combining bliss and emptiness Do not make the mistake of regarding them as teaching these two phenomena individually The phrase “bliss and emptiness inseparable” is as widespread as the wind, but knowing great bliss distinct from the types of bliss, ultimate emptiness distinct from the types of emptiness, and the way these two are united is very rare W ith this in mind Saraha says: In house after house they talk about it, but there is no complete knowledge of the principles of great bliss.236 ii4 A Lam p to Illum inate the Five Stages Therefore, not be easily satisfied with partial knowledge, but make long and sustained effort to understand the meaning of this, which is even more secret than secret The emptiness and compassion o f the inseparable two truths Actual point The necessity of such a presentation Actualpoint If the emptiness and compassion of inseparable bliss and emptiness is the meaning of evam as described above, how is the bodhicitta that is the emp tiness and compassion of the inseparable two truths presented as being the meaning of evam? Many commentators of the yoginl tantras, when comment ing on the bliss and emptiness described above, speak of a bliss-and-emptiness stage of union and a two-truth stage of union The meaning of union in the Arya tradition can also be understood this way However, the position of Mas ter Nagarjunas tradition is that union should not be ascribed to the actual innate bliss and emptiness alone Also, tht Later Guhyasamaja Tantra says: W ithout beginning, without end, and at peace, phenomena and non-phenomena unending and prime,237 [60] emptiness and compassion inseparable, this is bodhicittaT8 The bodhicitta described here is the bodhicitta of the stage of union from the two types of bodhicitta explained above, and it is this that will be explained Emptiness is referred to as “non-phenomena,” while compassion is referred to as “phenomena.” These two are also spoken of as method and wisdom In the section explaining that method and wisdom in meditative union is the meaning o f yoga, the Later Guhyasamaja Tantra says: That which is non-phenomena is wisdom Method has the characteristics ofphenomena™ In the section on the sixth yoga o f the six-branch yoga, when the Later Guhyasamdja speaks of the meaning of method and wisdom in meditative union, Candraklrti s Illuminating Lamp describes the joining of conventional-truth Explanation o f Evam and o f Bliss and Emptiness 115 method with ultimate-truth wisdom as the “stage of union.” Generally, there are many types of method and wisdom, but here the union of method and wisdom is being singled out The actual meaning of ultimate truth is the noncomposite reality of dharmas, but here when referring to the clear-light exalted wisdom of ultimate truth and great bliss dwelling together in one taste, often no differentiation is made between ultimate truth as subject con sciousness and ultimate truth as object This actual, innate, exalted wisdom is found on occasions of actual clear light on its own, and at the occasion o f the stage o f union The first o f these is the stage of mastery, or clear light, taught as being the fourth of the fifth stages The second is one part of the stage of union Therefore the mere actual innate clear light o f bliss and emptiness inseparable that is taught elsewhere is clear-light ultimate mode from the two types of ultimate mode found in the four modes,240but as there is a stage-of-union ultimate mode above that, it has not yet reached that stage If the ultimate side of the stage of union is as described above, what is the conventional truth part of union? Other works explain conventional truth differently Here in this tradition it is explained again and again that conventional truth refers to the pure illusory body, which has become one entity with the exalted wisdom of emptiness, and which is adorned with the marks and features of enlightenment formed from the substantial cause of the exalted-wisdom five-light wind acting as the mount of the exalted wis dom o f emptiness At the end of the three kinds of empty states during mind isolation, there arises the conventional illusory body formed from the fivelight wind This is the illusory body known as the self consecration stage or the third stage of the five stages These illusory bodies will be extensively explained later Thus, the actual clear light described previously and the completely pure illusory body, with which it is to be inseparably joined, is the meaning of the letters e and va The former as mind and the latter as body joined as one entity is the meaning of m This is because the second meaning of evam is the ulti mate union [61] The Guhyasamaja explanatory tantra, the Tantra Requested by Indraystates: W ithin these two letters e and vam , omniscience abides in illusion At the beginning of the sacred teachings, therefore, evam is taught.241 116 A Lam p to Illum inate the Five Stages The “illusion” mentioned here refers to the stage of union and therefore describes the second meaning of evam There are two levels of the stage of union: that of practice and that of no further practice For the stage of union, the Arya tradition also uses the terminology wisdom and compassion Five Stages states: Understanding wisdom and compassion as one, to engage in that is known as union, and this stage is the activity field of a buddha.242 From the time of the third stage of self-consecration onward, the union of illusory body and exalted wisdom of emptiness carries the meaning of evam because this is evam in its hidden meaning.243 W ithin the traditions, teachings on the four kinds of emptiness are replaced in the yoginl tantras and their explanatory commentaries by teach ings on the four joys In the present tradition, there is a description of the illu sory body formed from winds and mind arising between the third and fourth empty state; there is no such description of an illusory body arising between the third and fourth joy in the body of yoginl tantras Also, in this tradition there is the description of an illusory body formed merely from winds and mind occurring after the actual clear light, while in the other tradition after the actual innate joy, there is no such description Therefore the clear descrip tion of the illusory body formed from the winds found at the stage of prac tice union, which acts as an immediate cause for the resultant form body, and the clear description of the illusory body formed from the winds and air at the third stage acting as an immediate cause for the former illusory body are a peerless feature of this supreme tradition The necessity of such a presentation If it is absolutely necessary to teach a way of achieving such an illusory body in highest yoga tantras, then the above assertion is true Where, however, is it said that a way to attain such an illusory body should definitely be taught? You of intelligence, listen I will settle this most difficult of points with authentic proofs, of which there are four: Proof by way of the exclusive cause of the form body Proof by way of the exclusive principles of the basis of purification Proof by reliance upon the principle of deity generation Explanation o f Evam and o f Bliss and Emptiness 117 Proof by reliance upon the principle of the inseparable entity of method and wisdom Proofby way o f the exclusive cause o f theform body Ornament ofRealization states: Generation of the mind of enlightenment is the wish for perfect and complete enlightenment for the sake of others.244 For those tormented by thirst their main focus will be the search for some thing to drink, [6 z] but for that they will need a container Likewise, for those of the Great Vehicle who are moved by a great compassion that is unable to bear living beings being tormented by suffering and deprived of happiness, their main focus will be striving for the welfare of others They realize that, however, without becoming a buddha there is no way to accom plish that perfectly In this search for complete enlightenment as the way to accomplish the welfare of others, the two Great Vehicle paths of Mantra and Perfection are similar because there is no difference in their bodhicitta In that case, actually appearing before sentient beings and then accomplishing their needs is to be performed by the form body (rupakdya) from the two types of enlightened bodies and not by the dharmakaya Therefore the main focus of their endeavor is the form body Because of this, a special cause that is similar in type to the form body, that is used as a method for achieving the form body, and that is a special and peerless feature not found in other vehi cles, other classes of tantra, and in the generation stage has to be present in the completion stage If, however, this feature does not contain the wisdom that cognizes emptiness, there can be no attainment of the freedom that is a release from the chains of samsara Such a wisdom is present in the Hinayana, but because the complete causal method for the form body is lacking there, no matter how much they meditate on emptiness, although they gain liberation from samsara, they will not gain the state of omniscience There fore cognition of emptiness is essential within the causal methods for the attainment of the form body Similarly, for that cognition of emptiness to become a special cognition that travels to the dharmakaya, meditation on the complete method side is also essential This is the position of both Mahayana traditions ... Guhyasamaja Tantra says: That which is non-phenomena is wisdom Method has the characteristics ofphenomena™ In the section on the sixth yoga o f the six-branch yoga, when the Later Guhyasamdja... is the ulti mate union [61] The Guhyasamaja explanatory tantra, the Tantra Requested by Indraystates: W ithin these two letters e and vam , omniscience abides in illusion At the beginning of the. .. tradition can also be understood this way However, the position of Mas ter Nagarjunas tradition is that union should not be ascribed to the actual innate bliss and emptiness alone Also, tht Later