Part 2c.7 - How the noble ones are perfected by full attainment

With these special qualities of the vajra body:

With the nadis and the elements purified,
When prana as well as mind, with excellent qualities,
Become supremely expansive and immaculate,
Then there are what are called the wisdoms of full attainment.
After the path of the noble ones has been completed,
The state of enlightenment will quickly be attained.
This vehicle is that of the heart of luminosity,
Whose fruition liberates fortunate ones within this life.

The wisdom of the path of meditation is called the wisdom of full attainment. By meditating on the eight-fold noble path, there is co-emergence, and many stains are cleared away. In general, the virtues of the paths and bhumis appear from the workability of nadi, prana, and bindu. These also become workable through the accumulations of merit and wisdom and through efforts of purification as required.

There are twenty-one knots in the central channel. By releasing the first two, there is the first bhumi, and so on, until by releasing the nineteenth and twentieth the virtues of the tenth bhumi arise. The purified is the petals of the nadis. The purifier is wisdom proliferating in the nadi petals, drying up and emptying confused appearance attending on prana. By the purifier, the wisdom essence in the wisdom nadis, prana enters into the complete motionlessness of non-thought. Realization of the paths and bhumis arises.

Moreover, by the workability of the navel emanation chakra, the virtues of union with the accumulations arise. We see the face of the nirmanakaya buddha. By the throat enjoyment chakra becoming workable, the fields of sambhogakaya appear. By the heart chakra becoming workable, there is the path of seeing. By the throat chakra becoming workable, the sambhogakaya qualities of the bhumis from the first to seventh appear. By the crown center becoming workable, the virtues of the three pure bhumis arise. When the twenty-first knot of the central channel is released, all the surrounding nadis are completely purified, so that the kayas and wisdoms arise.

The Vajra Miracle (sgyu ‘phrul rdo rje) says:

As for the bhumis and the virtues of the bhumis
From growing and diminishing in the nadis
There is said to be action of prana and great bliss.

The purifier and ground of purification
Reciprocally wax as the other wanes.
Samsara and nirvana wax and wane.

The chakras are counted as three or four or five
As for two times two, its one is perfect.^[1]
As the last tenth bhumi, the bhumi of wisdom.
By milking it is said to go up and down.

As explained above, the three chakras correlate with the three kayas . The four accord with those, plus the mahasukhakaya as the fourth. The five are completed by the great wisdom as fifth. The twentieth knot of the chakras is that of the tenth bhumi. The twenty-first is that of perfect buddhahood. When these are released one after another, we enter into luminosity. How the natural knots in the nadis are released will be additionally explained in connection with the bardo.

In the situation where the arising of the four luminosities is recognized, as previously taught, wisdom is in the middle of the central channel luminosity nadi. In the center of the heart the nature of the great essence arises at the time of arising and dissolving. As for the way it dissolves, The Subsequent Tantra of the Manifestation of Wisdom says:

At the time of death of sentient beings,
Form dissolves and passes into sound.
Sound and smell, and taste dissolve in touch.
Touch dissolves in the space of Dharmadhatu.

At that time the Play of Wisdom says:

First earth dissolves in water.
Then water into fire.
Then fire into air.
Then air into consciousness.
The grasping of consciousness,
Now enters luminosity.

By form dissolving into sound, form becomes unclear. By earth dissolving into water, bodily strength diminishes. By sound dissolving into smell, the ear no longer hears sound. By the dissolving of water into fire, the moist aspect dries up. The blood essences are forced into the nadis and collect in the roma and kyangma nadis. By smell dissolving into taste, the nose no longer smells odors. By the dissolving of fire into air, heat is gathered in from the extremities and enters into the essences in the petals of the four chakras. By smell dissolving into touch, the tongue no longer experiences taste. By prana dissolving into consciousness, breathing ceases. All the essences of roma and kyangma go upwards to the tip of the nose.

When touch dissolves into dharmas, the body no longer experiences touchables, and its luster fades. Consciousness enters into luminosity. The HAM at the top of the central channel dissolves into the white essence of roma. The red A at the nose dissolves into the red essence of kyangma. By the wisdom of the heart center dissolving into the great essence of luminosity, after subtle and coarse thoughts have ceased, luminous wisdom arises. The buddhahood that intrinsically exists within mind appears. From the empty nature of mind the four luminosities of dharmakaya arise, and from the aspect of appearance, the five luminosities of spontaneous presence of rupakaya arise. First there come the wisdoms of appearance, proliferation, attainment and full attainment. As for the

first, at the instant when consciousness dissolves into luminosity, the external sign or appearance is light rays of the five colors, having merely the aspect of a mirage. This arises when the five essences of the elements dissolve into the center of the heart. The inner sign or essence is that the wisdoms of bliss, luminosity, and non-thought arise like a mirror. The All-Victorious Non-duality says:

First that mirage is seen,
With light rays of the five colors.

Also:

Appearance of knowables is complete non-thought.
Within that luminosity that abandons grasping thoughts
Arising does not arise, and neither does the prana.
As they rest quietly, that is the first situation.

By that wisdom, the thirty-three thoughts arising from aggression cease. The Embodiment of Action of Aryadeva says:

What are the names of the thirty-three thoughts?

1. non-passion
2. intermediate non-passion
3. extreme non-passion
4. mental going
5. coming
6. suffering
7. intermediate suffering
8. extreme suffering
9. peace
10. discursive thoughts
11. fear
12. intermediate fear
13. extreme fear
14. craving
15. intermediate craving
16. extreme craving,
17. clinging
18. non-virtue
19. hunger
20. thirst
21. feeling
22. intermediate feeling
23. extreme feeling
24. the apprehender
25. the apprehended
26. discrimination
27. shame
28. kindness
29. intermediate kindness,
30. extreme kindness
31. fear
32. hoarding
33. envy.

Those are the thirty-three naturally existing thoughts.

Second, at the time of the wisdom of the dissolving of the proliferations of appearance, there is a paleness like that of the rising moon. By the mind entering into alaya, the white radiance of the nadi of arising shines. The inner sign is that, more luminous than before, that is not fixated. The All- Victorious says:

The second is like the moon.

Also:

Proliferating aspects are complete non-thought.
More luminous is does not fixate or conceive.
Not thought is subtle wisdom, liberated from prana,
In the second situation of resting quietly.

By that wisdom, the thirty-three thoughts arising from passion cease. The Summary of Action (spyod bsdus) says:

What are the forty thoughts arising from passion?

1. desire,
2. intermediate desire,
3. extreme desire,
4. joy,
5. intermediate joy,
6. extreme joy,
7. rejoicing,
8. extreme gladness,
9. wonder,
10. laughing,
11. satisfaction,
12. embracing,
13. kissing,
14. sucking,
15. steadfastness,
16. play,
17. pride,
18. action,
19. association,
20. power,
21. forgetfulness,
22. delight,
23. the union of co-emergent joy,
24. union with supreme joy,
25. playfulness
26. extreme playfulness,
27. animosity,
28. virtue,
29. clear words,
30. truth,
31. untruth,
32. certainty,
33. clinging,
34. giving
35. criticizing others,
36. bravery,
37. shamelessness,
38. deceptiveness,
39. attractiveness
40. wildness,
41. great dishonesty.* ???

These are the forty thoughts arising from passion.

*= Either there is an error or two are combined.

Third, as for the wisdom of the dissolving of proliferation into attainment, the external sign is like the rising of the sun or brilliance of fire. It appears to be red-orange. As the klesha mind dissolves into alaya, it is the radiance of the nadi of discriminating wisdom. As the internal sign, wisdom that does not grasp bliss/luminosity arises even more than before. The All-Victorious says:

The third is like the sun. Also:

The wisdom of attainment is complete non-thought.
Almost not luminosity, it is very subtle.
Utter clarity of prana and mind arises
This is the third situation of resting quietly.

By this wisdom the seven thoughts arising from ignorance cease. The Embodiment of Action says:

What are the seven thoughts arising from ignorance? Dullness, true forgetting, confusion, having nothing to say, sadness, laziness, doubt. All these seven thoughts arising from ignorance cease.

Fourth, the wisdom of attainment dissolving into complete attainment is like dark blue or green twilight. It is the radiance of the central nadi as the ignorance of alaya dissolves into Dharmadhatu. The inner sign is that even more than before all stains of attachment to clarity and luminosity are purified. The All-Victorious says:

The fourth is like darkness.

Also:

As for complete attainment, it is a spotless state,
Self-arising self-luminous bliss without an object.
Supreme samadhi has no coarse or subtle natures.
This is the fourth situation, changeless and all pervading.

At that time, the blood and breath essences in the nadis of the heart that are like white silk cords completely dissolve into the bindus of A and HAM, and the wisdom of ultimate simplicity manifests. This is the buddhadharmakaya. By the successive arising of these four stages of luminosity, A and HAM are gathered into the nadi petals of the heart, gradually dissolving into the great essence in the nadis, which they become.

At the time of the first three luminosities, coarse obscurations dissolve into space.

At the time of the fourth, by the dissolving of subtle ones, this moment without all obscuration arises, revealing the first primordial liberation. This is the time when buddhahood manifests. This, which is an abandonment of the buddhas is irreversible. As for its being reversed if it is not recognized, as it is a abandonment on the path by the buddhas, if that abandonment is absent, it is reversed.

When we are liberated at the time of recognizing it, the higher perceptions and so forth are attained without defilement. There is no place to turn back to. That is the luminosity of dharmakaya.

Then the self-existing luminosity of rupakaya arises after the four moments. The All-Victorious says:

Fifth, within that cloudless sky,
Non-thought without center or limit arises.

First, from that dark blue radiance, like a cloudless autumn sky, there rises the mandala cluster of Vairochana. Here within the luminosity of his heart center is the pith of the bodies and buddha fields of the five families. Then the mandala clusters with Akshobhya, Ratnasambhava, Amitabha, and Amoghasiddhi as the principal deities, along with their retinues, arise. Self-arising from the radiance in their hearts, at that time the mandala of the vajra space of Akanishta also arises. Those who have formerly encountered and stabilized this will be liberated at that time.

Moreover since the moments of luminosity are days of samadhi,^[2] by having meditated in samadhi, discursive thoughts will then not be emanated, and the former clear luminosity of the space of cessation will exist, just so, for a long time. Since the instants of the bardo are these stages of samadhi, from now on it is very important to stabilize them. If these are not recognized, the dream-like bardo of becoming will instantly appear, half of former appearances, and half of those of our later existence and place.

When these arise, the best reverse the fearsomeness of the bardo by its lack of true existence, the middle like the illusions of the developing and fulfillment stage, and the lowest by going to refuge and so forth. It is taught that those who do so are born in the celestial realms and liberated there.

That completes the exposition of how to tread the path of the four luminosities, together with the subsidiary points.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

This line is obscure, and commentary is required to know what even the literal reading is supposed to be. See Longchenpa’s commentary on the twentieth and twenty-first knots just below.

[2]:

As described in Liberation by hearing in the Bardo (bar do thos grol) etc.