Notes to Chapter IV 505 doing this, he or she meditates exclusively on emptiness As a result, the practitioner more effectively blocks the dualistic appearances of subject and object Self-consecration, the mandala circle, and the indestructible yogas are considered to be the causal phase of completion because they serve as the causes for the pristine awareness of great bliss (IOK, vol II, p 687) Alternatively, the indestructible yoga may refer to the sixfold yoga of the Kalachakra system also called indestructible yoga 324 The “all-shaking avadhuti” (avadhÒti, kun ’dar) conduct means “shaking off” or casting off dualistic thoughts It consists of engaging in all kinds of activities that give rise to ordinary excitement: partaking of the five nectars and five meats, union with consorts, etc It is performed in secret or in disguise (i.e., pretending to be crazy), either to deepen the yoga of the deity or to enhance the experience of clear light The beginner’s level (at which this conduct is practiced) requires having entered the path and having acquired a stable experience of pristine awareness The “ever-perfect conduct” (kun tu bzang po) means that whatever actions one performs, whether conventionally good or bad, all are inherently perfect This conduct is performed openly since the yogin has attained stability, and it consists in leading others on the right path by displaying miraculous feats or gathering dakinis through power gazes, etc The ever-perfect conduct is performed by an experienced practitioner who has experienced the dissolution of manifest conceptual constructions Thus, it is said that these two conducts, although performed all the way to awakening, are mainly focused on in the lower path of preparation The conduct “victorious in all quarters” (phyogs las rnam rgyal) means to overcome emotions and to acquire the strength to help others This conduct entails gathering goddesses, such as the goddess of water, and relying on them as one’s tantric consorts to enable one to immediately attain the vision of reality on the path of seeing This is the main conduct to be performed by an accomplished practitioner, i.e., one who has attained a great degree of warmth [on the path of preparation] indicating that attainment of the actual pristine awareness is close, up until the attainment of full awakening (IOK, vol III, pp 543, 549-552) 325 Using desire (’dod ’jug) refers to the “conduct” performed by the yogin (or yogini) between meditation sessions of enjoying food, drinks, and other pleasures When this conduct is not directly pervaded by non-conceptual pristine awareness, it is said to be common; when pervaded, it is uncommon (IOK, vol III, p 536) 326 The common practice of training and enjoying pleasures (brten slob) in conjunction with complex (spros bcas), unelaborated (spros med), and utterly simple conducts (shin tu spros med) is principally taught in the father tantras To train and enjoy pleasures in conjunction with complex conduct means to cultivate a conceptually based meditation in which one imagines whatever appears to one’s senses to be the male and female deities and in this way to enjoy all the sense objects one encounters To train and enjoy pleasure in conjunction with the unelaborated conduct means to cultivate a meditation, only partially conceptually 506 Buddhist Ethics based, which sees one’s faculties and sense objects as those of the deity and to enjoy all sense objects, while understanding that the deity is the appearance of one’s own mind To train and enjoy pleasure in conjunction with an utterly simple activity means to cultivate the meditation on the form of the deity as being the manifestation of bliss and emptiness and to enjoy sense objects with the understanding that deity and pleasures have no reality (IOK, vol III, pp 536-537) The three types of conduct (complex, etc.) pertaining to the uncommon conduct of awareness (rig pa brtul zhugs kyi spyod pa) are emphasized primarily in the mother tantras In this system, for complex conduct, the yogin wears the ornaments and attributes of the deity, relies on consorts who number the female deities of the mandala (of his practice), enjoys playful pleasures, such as songs, music, and dances, and makes use of symbolic language In the unelaborated conduct, the yogin keeps only one or two consorts and uses a lesser degree of elaboration in his enjoyments A practitioner who engages in the utterly simple conduct dispenses with external elaborations and relies exclusively on a solitary practice of contemplation (ibid., p 538) 327 Yogins (or yoginis) traversing the two phases of the Highest Yoga Tantra are classified as four types: the beginner yogin (las dang po ba); the yogin on whom a little pristine awareness has descended (ye shes cung zad babs pa); the yogin who has gained slight mastery over pristine awareness (ye shes la cung zad dbang thob pa); and the yogin who has gained thorough mastery over pristine awareness (ye shes la yang dag par dbang thob pa) The first is unable to sustain a clear appearance of the coarse mandala and the deities for a considerable length of time; the second is more advanced but meditation is still unclear on the subtle aspects of the mandala and deities; the third has gained the ability to generate a clear appearance of the mandala and the deities in a tiny drop and is therefore on the subtle phase of creation; the fourth has attained the actual clear-light awareness, onward See Akya Yongdzin (A kya yongs ’dzin), Presentation of the Grounds and the Paths of Mantra (dPal gsang ba ’dus pa ’phags lugs dang mthun pa’i sngags kyi sa lam rnam gshad skal bzang ’jug ngogs) (Dharamsala: Namgyal Dratsang, 1969) 328 See note 180 329 The dimension of the deity, i.e., the body that manifests in the absence of conceptualizations (rnam rtog dang bral ba’i sku) refers to a body of only mind and energy (rlung sems tsam gyi sku) The yogin (or yogini) attains such a body as soon as he arises from absorption into the final metaphoric clear-light awareness of the black vision called “near attainment,” entered by relying on the practice with an action seal This marks the entering of the “peak” stage of the path of preparation (Kongtrul’s IOK, vol III, p 514) The absence of conceptualization in this context does not imply the suppression of the eighty natural conceptions (as this occurs on the receptivity stage of the path of preparation) or their elimination (that occurs on the path of seeing) Possibly it indicates that at this stage the body of the deity is not conceptually constructed, but actually arises as an illusory body of wind and mind, which is still impure since the path of seeing, on which emotional impediments are Notes to Chapter IV 507 eliminated, has not yet been attained 330 Eighty natural conceptions (rang bzhin brgyad bcu’i rtog pa): a classification of conceptions, such as the various degrees of non-attachment (aspects of hatred), attachment, and ignorance These three groups of conceptions arise in turn from the ordinary minds of the three appearances—white light, red light, and black light In the final stages of the process of death, these eighty conceptions dissolve The natural conceptions associated with radiant white appearance (snang ba dkar lam pa) number thirty-three; the first three refer to different degrees of hatred in apprehending an object as unpleasant: (1) Small lack of desire, whose mode of apprehension of the object is slightly unclear; (2) Middling lack of desire, whose apprehension is clear, but being brief and so forth, does not have the power to initiate an action based on it; (3) Great lack of desire, whose apprehension is clear and continuous and is capable of instigating an action based on it; (4) Movement of the mind to an external object and withdrawal to internal objects, both denoting intentionality; (5) Sorrow, (6) Middling sorrow, and (7) Great sorrow, which denote different degrees of distress caused by being separated from a pleasurable object; (8) Peace, which denotes a stupor resembling fatigue or exhaustion which is a lack of discriminative alertness; (9) Conceptuality, which denotes a discernment that apprehends attributes by linking [the generic image based on] names with that [derived from a sense perception of] an object; (10) Fear, (11) Middling fear, and (12) Great fear; (13) Craving, (14) Middling craving, and (15) Great craving, which denote degrees of attachment to a pleasurable [object or experience occurring] in the past, present, or future; (16) Grasping, which denotes the wish to engage in what is craved for; (17) Hunger and thirst, which denote two kinds of mental unhappiness caused by these two; (18) Feeling, (19) Middling feeling, and (20) Great feeling, which denote different degrees of feelings of pleasure, pain, and indifference; (21) Conception of knowing, (22) Conception of a knower, and (23) Conception of an object known, which denote the mistaken cognitions 508 Buddhist Ethics (24) (25) (26) (27) (28) (29) (30) (31) (32) (33) that apprehend the actual knowing, the agent of knowing, and object known for what they are not; Discriminative examination, which denotes [a mind] analyzing what is suitable and unsuitable; Shame, which denotes not wanting to be immoral; Shunning unwholesome deeds out of apprehension of others’ disapproval Embarrassment is also included here Compassion, which denotes the wish to free others from suffering; Loving kindness, Middling loving-kindness, and Great loving-kindness, which denotes different degrees of love for others or wanting their happiness Alternatively, these three are explained as cherishing a person, wishing his or her happiness, and wishing to protect the person from harm Apprehension or qualm, which denotes an unsteady disposition accompanied by anxiety and doubt; Accumulation, which denotes wanting to gather [possessions] and not to give things away out of avarice; Jealousy, which denotes a mind disturbed by others’ excellence Forty natural conceptions associated with the spread of the red appearance (mched pa dmar lam pa) are as follows: (1) Desire for an object not yet acquired; (2) Adherence to an object acquired; (3) Joy, (4) Middling joy, and (5) Great joy, which denote different degrees of joy upon seeing the pleasant; (6) Rejoicing, which denotes the joy of having achieved the desired goal; (7) Rapture or intense contentment, which denotes repeatedly experiencing a desired goal; (8) Amazement, which denotes a high spirit over [having obtained] an object that had not arisen before; (9) Excitement, which denotes being distracted in pursuit of the pleasant; (10) Contentment, which denotes being satisfied by pleasure; (11) Embracing or desiring to embrace, which here denotes the wish to undertake physical and verbal actions motivated by desire for an [animate] object; (12) Kissing or desiring to kiss, which here denotes the wish to repeatedly undertake actions [motivated by] desire; (13) Clinging or desiring to cling, which here denotes the wish not to relinquish the endeavor to undertake actions motivated by desire; (14) Stability, which denotes a discernment that is firm in that it cannot be changed; (15) Effort, an attraction to virtue; (16) Pride, a mind holding oneself higher [than others] based on social status, or for other reasons; (17) Activity, the will not to slack in the effort to complete a task; Notes to Chapter IV 509 (18) Robbery, the desire to possess others’ wealth, i.e., covetousness; (19) Force, wanting to conquer others; (20) Earnest interest, mind’s involvement in ordinary activities; (21) Engagement in hardship, (22) Middling engagement in hardship, and (23) Great engagement in hardship, which denote different degrees of courage in engaging in tasks that are hard to accomplish (24) Vehemence, which denotes wanting to quarrel and so forth out of anger; (25) Flirtation toward what is beautiful; (26) Angry disposition that harbors resentment; (27) Virtue, which denotes rejoicing in virtue; (28) Clear speech, which denotes the wish to speak so that others can understand; (29) Truth, the wish to speak truthfully; (30) Untruth, the wish to lie; (31) Definitiveness, which denotes having a steady intent; (32) Non-appropriation, not desiring to possess something due to having considered the grief this may cause; (33) Giving, the disposition of a generous person; (34) Exhorting, the desire to urge others into work and action; (35) Heroism, the wish to be free from impediments [to liberation, etc.]; (36) Shamelessness, which denotes failure to shun the unwholesome; (37) Deceit, the wish to cheat or mislead others; (38) Viciousness, adherence to the five bad views; (39) Rudeness, scorning others when their living environment, status, health, and possessions decline; (40) Dissimulation, the hypocrisy of hiding one’s faults Seven natural conceptions are associated with the black culminating appearance (thob pa nag lam pa): (1) Middling desire, which denotes an ignorance or mind obscured due to attachment It is “middling” as its aspect is unclear (2) Forgetfulness, which denotes a decline in recollection; (3) Misapprehension, apprehending what is big as small, form as sound, and so forth; (4) Non-speaking, disinterest in speaking; (5) Discouragement caused by various circumstances; (6) Idleness, which denotes lack of interest in or enthusiasm for what is wholesome; (7) Doubt, which denotes oscillating between two possibilities (IOK vol.II, pp 697-703) See also Aryadeva’s Lamp Summary of Practice, f 78a3-b3; Lati Rinbochay and Jeffrey Hopkins’ Death, Intermediate State and Rebirth in Tibetan Buddhism (London: Rider, 1979; rpt Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 1980) (interpretations of some conceptions differ from those given here); and Aryadeva’s Commentary on the Clear Lamp, ff 188 onward ... entered by relying on the practice with an action seal This marks the entering of the “peak” stage of the path of preparation (Kongtrul’s IOK, vol III, p 51 4) The absence of conceptualization... does not imply the suppression of the eighty natural conceptions (as this occurs on the receptivity stage of the path of preparation) or their elimination (that occurs on the path of seeing) Possibly... unwholesome; (37) Deceit, the wish to cheat or mislead others; (38) Viciousness, adherence to the five bad views; (39) Rudeness, scorning others when their living environment, status, health,