Table of contents hide 1 Method to practice contemplation during day 2 Method of practice after contemplation during the day 3 Method of condensing the senses at essential points at sunset 4 Method of placing objects in a glass at midnight 5 Method of radiating wisdom at dawn

The methods for practicing clear light are related to the four divisions of time: day, afternoon, midnight and dawn.

Explanations of the day's practices include methods for " contemplation " and for " after contemplation ." First we will explain the method to practice contemplation during the day.

Method to practice contemplation during the day

Sit cross-legged in a comfortable seat. For a brief time, concentrate your eyes on the sky without moving them. Then your consciousness becomes clear and lucid. Direct your eyes down, look straight ahead and a fresh meditative experience will emerge. When one recognizes this experience and relaxes in this state, the instantaneous presence in its aspect of clarity is manifested as a self-luminous space. This is called " the clear light of lucidity ." When one becomes familiar with this state, the clear light of lucidity is experienced where manifestations of the perceptual experience and the mind emerge unified in space, beyond concepts, without interruption.

Depending on the circumstances, experiences such as "I exist in the space of heaven" or "my body and my mind are differently separated" sometimes occur. At this time, innumerable objects such as rainbows, thigles and visions of deities are manifested. That inherent glare of the clarity of the five pranas is known as " the clear light of the external colors . "

Through the clear light of the external colors, it is possible to clearly perceive the atoms and internal organs of the body itself . It is possible to perceive similar visions during the day and night, the interior of the bodies of others, the pure realms, what beings living in villages are doing, and beings that are dying and being reborn.

To integrate contemplation with sleep, kindly hold the prana while lying in the lion's sleeping position . Without closing your eyes, you sleep with a mind focused on the radiant sphere of five colors within your own heart. When external manifestations are appeasing, there is a bright non-conceptual consciousness in the interval between sleeping and dreaming that recognizes the clear light. When sleeping in that dimension, beyond the drowsiness of unconsciousness, sleep manifests itself as a clear light.

On the other hand, there are no dreams and consciousness naturally remains lucid in the state of contemplation. When you fall asleep, you maintain an incessant awareness of all aspects of the form, sound, and smell that surround you, and because of this, when you have little experience you can easily wake up from sleep. There is a natural clarity of the aspects of the manifestation, apart from the cessation of the judgments on the manifestations of the day.

Furthermore, with the cessation of the mental consciousnesses of the six senses, there is an incessant clarity of the sensory consciousnesses of the five sense organs. When mental consciousness dissolves in the clear light, prana enters the central channel. Because the five sensory consciousnesses are not conceptual, they do not stick to the manifestations. This is known as " the clear light of lucidity beyond concepts."

When this occurs, with the existence of the condition of contemplation of the clear light of sensation, and the existence of the ceaseless manifestation of the clear light of clarity, the clear light beyond the concepts naturally exists in this free condition of discursive thoughts. Because of this, when the clear light of the natural base is integrated, beyond duality, with the natural lucidity of the child in the dimension of primordial purity, a deeper clarity manifests itself in the primordial clarity. This is called " the clear light that integrates mother and child ."

Naturally, the clear light of the sensation is apparent and dwells in the unification with the spontaneously born joy. The clear light of lucidity is manifested when contemplation remains fully integrated throughout the day and all night. And the clear light beyond the concepts exists when the conceptual acts of the mind dissolve naturally. On those occasions, this framework is clear, which makes it easy to understand the meaning. Although it exists on other occasions, it is difficult to recognize.

Since the clear light of sensation remains inseparable from contemplation, manifestations bring the experience of infinite joy.

The experiences of the clear light of lucidity include manifestations of smoke, mirages, flashes, fog, lightning, five-color appearances, thigles, divine figures, sentient beings and the ability to directly see many pure realms. It can be seen through the forms that remain blocked by concrete gross substances, such as buildings or mountains, and it has the ability to penetrate objects such as buildings and walls. You can get the unconditioned eye, and various supranormal knowledge.

Clear light beyond concepts remains fully integrated with day and night contemplation. When any manifestation is perceived, it dissolves without concepts. Anything that is talked about lacks categories and dissolves without concepts, and all kinds of experiences are manifested as the feeling of always remaining in the space dimension.

Method of practice after contemplation during the day

After contemplation means to arise from contemplation. When you leave the state of contemplation, the external manifestations are the insubstantial aspects of the five colors. Sentient beings, fruit trees, elements and any manifestation that manifests itself is perceived as appearing clearly even though they really are nothing, like the reflection of the moon in the water. They are seen as being of the nature of the eight examples of deception. They are seen as being empty, naturally, like space. Experiencing and integrating with these manifestations, one trains in a state beyond the concepts without attachment to the manifestations of empty clarity.

Method of condensing the senses at essential points at sunset

Sit cross-legged. Visualize a consecutive series of white Tibetan syllables (or letter A of our alphabet) in the central channel from its lower end to the upper opening of Brahma . All these letters gradually dissolve into each other from the bottom to the top. Next, they all dissolve in a single white letter, which is visualized in the small hole at the top of the head. In the end, even this letter dissolves in the space of heaven, and one relaxes, freeing the mind in that state.

Method of placing objects in a glass at midnight

Lie in the lion's position. Visualize a five-color lamp in the center of your own heart, or visualize a radiant white Tibetan letter surrounded by a five-color thigle . Relax in that condition and fall asleep.

Method of radiating wisdom at dawn

Look directly in front of you with the immovable gaze of the lion. Keep your mind on the display of a white Tibetan letter floating in the sky at the distance of an arrow from the crown of your head.

First focus your mind on the radiant and then relax in this condition so that the letter disappears in its own nature. Although there are no movements of thought, there is still a clear clarity and one relaxes in that state of contemplation.

The root tantra Dra Thalgyur summarizes the practice of clear light:

With the four external times the practitioner exercises the physical body . The essential thing is to sustain the channels in their origins. With the four internal times the practitioner practices with the voice . The essential point is to interrupt the river of expression. With the four secret times the practitioner is exercised with the mind . The fundamental point is to familiarize yourself with sleeping. With the four times of the essential condition after unifying body, voice and mind one integrates the total clear light with sleep . By becoming familiar with this, one unifies with the kayas .

With this we finish the series of articles on the Yoga of Dreams. I hope you find its reading helpful and that it helps you see things more clearly. And remember that in wisdom is the door that leads us to the Light.

SOURCE: “The Yoga of Dreams” by Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche