The Six Yogas of Naropa

by C. A. Musés | 1961 | 44,116 words

The English translation of “The Six Yogas of Naropa”: An ancient collection of Tantric practices within Tibetan Buddhism compiled in the 11th century by Tilopa and Naropa—both Indian Maha-Siddhas. These Six Dharmas are also known as "the oral instruction transmission for achieving liberation in the bardo". They represent key Tantric Buddh...

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Chapter Seven (b): The Instruction on Recognizing the Signs of Death

One should know the explanations on the subsidence of the Crude Twenty Lights; that can be found in other books. In brief, the signs of death are as follows: When the earth-element subsides into the water-element, the outer phenomenon is that one cannot move or hold his body—as if the body is collapsing and sinking so that the dying person feels like exclaiming "Hold me up!" The inner phenomenon is the experience of seeing a mirage. When the water-element subsides into the fire-element, the outer phenomenon is that one feels thirst, a burning in the mouth and nose, and that the tongue shrivels; the inner phenomenon is seeing smoke. When the fire-element subsides into the air-element, the outer phenomenon is the experience of decrease in the warmness of the body; the bodily warmth will gather at the end of the body. The inner phenomenon is seeing a tiny light like that of a glow-worm.

When the subsidence of the delusory mind-prana takes place, the outer phenomenon is the long exhaling of the breath. The dying person feels his breath to be hard and rough, and finds it impossible to stop the exhalation even if he wills to do so. The inner phenomenon is the seeing of a steady (unwavering) lamplight. Thereupon, the so-called "First" Voidness or first perception appears, which is like seeing the moonlight shining in a cloudless sky. After the emergence of the "First" Voidness, comes the so-called "Second" Voidness or the Extreme Voidness. The dying one sees an augmenting Voidness, bright and glaring like the sunlight blazing from a clear sky; this is called the Stage of Augmentation. After the subsidence of this stage, comes the stage called the "Attainment," in which the dying one feels his consciousness becoming dim and sluggish; this experience is like seeing a dark sky. Then comes the complete cessation of all thoughts, and the dying one experiences complete darkness.

Thereafter, his consciousness awakes from darkness, and the "Universal Voidness" appears; this experience is like seeing a clear and unobscured sky under the radiant sunlight at dawn. This light is the real Fundamental Light.

In short, the successive emergence of the three Voidnesses and the Light are experienced as outer phenomenon through seeing the smoke, the light of the glow-worm, the lamplight, and the cloudless sky; as inner phenomena they are experienced through seeing the white, the red, the black, and the dawn-like visions. Although there are two different explanations—that of the With-Form-Action and that of the Without-Form-Action—the latter one is better; for in many holy books is found the saying that the smoke, etc., precedes the emergence of the Four Emptinesses (Voidnesses), and that all the Four Emptinesses cannot be literally described as having color and form. The closest description of the appearance of the Voidness is to say it is like the clear and cloudless sky.

At the time of the emergence of the Death-Light, the Three Steps (Appearance, Augmentation, and Attainment) successively come to pass and subside, one after another. Eventually, all the pranas dissolve in the Heart Center; the white Thig-le drops down from the Head-Center, the red Thig-le rises up from the Navel Center, and they join together at the Heart Center.[2] In the case of the sentient beings who do not possess all the six elements, such as devas, etc., these Lights will still appear, but not in the same manner.

Since the yogi has experienced these signs of subsidence before in his lifetime, he is able to recognize them clearly. When the first sign appears, he should apply the particular method of gathering the prana into the Central Channel that he has mastered, is most skilled in, or has practised most in his lifetime, and watch for the emergence of the signs. With such mindfulness and recollection, he may grasp these opportunities and accomplish the realization. When the First Emptiness emerges, the yogi should meditate on the view and try to recognize it. When the Second Emptiness and (the Third Emptiness) the Attainment and the Light appear, the yogi should also concentrate as long as possible on the view and try to merge with the Lights.

At the time of death when the Light of Death emerges, the mind-pranas all gather in the Central Channel and dissolve into the Heart Center; the erroneous views and the dualistic conceptions of the crude form also subside. Thereupon, the "vision" of the cloudless sky will appear. Even if the yogi can concentrate upon this light, however, it will be of no avail if he has not practised and meditated on the Middle Way View in his lifetime and knows how to absorb his mind in that view. Otherwise, this yogi will not be able to see Reality. It is, therefore, necessary to have had the experiences of the deep contemplation on the Madhyamika principle in one’s lifetime and the practices of the Bliss-Void or the practice of Son-Light or Light of the Path. Said the Jetsün [i.e. venerated Ed.] Milarepa:

"The light of Death is the Dharmakaya, itself; one should understand this point and thus identify it. In order to recognize it, the 'Pointing-Out-on-Mind-Essence' practice should be given by one’s guru. Thus one will understand the view of reality and the practice of the expressive Light of the Path."

These were his words:

The Light of Death is the primordial Mother-Light. In order to merge the Son-Light with the Mother-Light, one should practice in the waking state the gathering of the pranas into the Central Channel and the entering, remaining, and dissolving exercises. One should also contemplate the Four Emptinesses, especially the "All Emptiness" (or the Fourth Emptiness). Only if a yogi is able to merge with the Light, even in the deep-sleeping state, will he be able to merge the Son-Light with the Mother-Light through his prana power at time of death.

If he can recognize the Light of Death and merge with it, he will be able to recognize the subsequent emergence of Bardo. The recognition of the Light of Death and the capability of merging with it, is the only right way of "holding" the Bardo; there is no other way to hold or recognize Bardo. If he exercises during his lifetime on the practice of pretending to go through the successive stages by reminding himself "Now, death has come… This is the such and such vision of Bardo…," he may to some extent hold or recognize the Bardo, but his power to do so will be extremely weak.

Likewise, if he keeps exercising on the practice of imitating the successive stages of death, he may at the time of the emergence of the Light of Death, be absorbed in (his) Samadhi for a long period. Nevertheless, because of his Samsaric Prana (literally, prana of this life) that never enables him to identify the Light of Death, it is very difficult to consider this kind of practice a practice of the unique Anuttara Tantra.

If he puts too much emphasis on this practice, it is like abandoning the basic teaching to put stress on the secondary teaching. Instead, he should practice the Heat Yoga and work hard on the gathering of pranas into the Central Channel. In his waking state, he should practice the entering, remaining, and dissolving process and the arising of the Four Emptinesses; if he is able to do so, he will be able to hold the Light of Sleep through his prana power.

If the yogi can raise the Illusory Body after the emergence the Light of Waking State and the Light of Sleep, only then will he be able to hold or recognize the Light of Death and Bardo. Then he will have attained a supreme and unprecedented confidence.

This is the reason that the practice of Heat Yoga is considered the peerless teaching. This one should always remember. From the state of recognizing and holding the Light of Death, the dying person comes to another stage, and, through his ability acquired from meditation in his lifetime, and through his understanding of the key-instructions and his faith toward Dharma, he is then able to raise the Buddha’s Bodies in the delusory Bardo state. The Bardo Body, however, cannot be used as a qualified means to accomplish the Supreme Bodies of Buddha, though at the time of Bardo one should recognize the Bardo state and try to take up the perfect Buddha Bodies. Nevertheless, one still should visualize the self-Body becoming the Yidam’s Body, contemplate on the View of Thatness, and identify all manifestations—cosmos and sentient beings—as illusory, dreamlike, and magic in nature. If the yogi practises these teachings in Bardo, he will procure superb benefits; therefore, he should realize the significance of these pith instructions and practise them.

The yogi who practices the Teachings of Path may not be womb-born in his next life. Very possibly he may take any of the other three forms of Birth[1]. Therefore the Bardoist should try all the more to practise the teaching of manifestation-as-Yidam, Yidam-as-delusion, delusion-as-Voidness, as instructed before. He should also identity his future parents as the father and mother Guru or the father and mother Yidam.

One may also apply the teaching of choosing the place of birth in the Bardo state—to vow earnestly to be born in the Pure Land of Buddha—as given in another part of Marpa’s teachings. These teachings include the recognizing of Bardo and the longing for a birth in the Pure Land according to the pith-instructions of Apo-wa (the teaching of Transforming One’s Consciousness).

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

The four births of Samsara: (1) the metamorphosis-born; (2) the egg-born; (3) the womb-born; (4) the wet-born.

[2]:

This is an extremely significant point. Compare our observations on pages 176–178, 182 and 191. Ed.

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