The Three Kaya Meditation

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Introduction

Death, intermediate state, and rebirth are central to the teachings and the practice of TibetanBuddhism. Contemplation and meditation on death and impermanence are considered veryimportant for two reasons : (1) only when we understand how precious and how short life is wemake an effort to make it meaningful and to live it as fully as possible;  and (2)  once weunderstand and familiarize ourselves with the death process, we will be able to face deathwithout fear and ensure a good  rebirth.

Sutric Path {highslide type="img" url="WheelofLifeAWLine.jpg" width=200 captionText='Yama Holding theWheel of LifeLine Drawing by Andy Weber (www.andyweberstudios.com)'}{/highslide}

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For the Path of Sutra here are two common meditations on death in the Tibetan tradition. (1)We look at the certainty and imminence of death and what will be of benefit at the time of death.This should motivate us to make the best use of our lives. (2) A simulation or rehearsal of theactual death process, during which we familiarize ourselves with death, easing our fear of theunknown, thus allowing us to die with full consciousness.

For the contemplation on death there are numerous meditation practices from various sources;e.g.: Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archives and Ven. Thubten Chodron has some good ones on her website. Well known is the Nine-Point Death Mediation which can be subsumed under three mainpoints: (1) the inevitability of death; (2) the uncertainty of death; and (3) that only spiritual insightcan help us at the time of death. For the simulation and rehearsal of the death process we haveto familiarize ourselves with the actual stages of dying. There are many excellent books on thesubject, e.g. Death, Intermediate State and Rebirth in Tibetan Buddhismby Lati Rinpoche, Living in the Face of Death: The Tibetan Traditionby Glenn H. Mullin, and the various editions of the Tibetan Book of the Dead (Bardo Thodol, Tib: bar do thos grol). There is also a brief summary of the death process available for download ( 272.19 kB ) from this website.

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The Three Kaya Meditation

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Tantric Path

For the practitioner of Highest Yoga Tantra the simulation of the death process, the intermediatestate, and rebirth is built into most deity sadhanas. The tantric path is different from the sutricone by the prectice of bringing the future result into the present path. All Gelug Anuttara YogaTantra sadhanas in the tradition of Lama Tsongkhapa contain this practice known as "ThePractice of Taking the Three Bodies into the Path". It has three parts:  (1) Taking death into thepath of the Truth Body  (Skt: dharmakaya; Tib: chos sku); (2) Taking the intermediate state intothe path of the Enjoyment Body (Skt: sambhogakaya; Tib: longs sku) ; and (3) Taking rebirth into the path of the Emanation Body (Skt: nirmanakaya; Tib: sprul sku). Sometimes there is mention of fourth kaya, the svabhavikakayawhich is simply the unity or non-separateness of the three kayas mentioned before.

There is also a specific practice for the dying, called "Phowa" (Tib: 'pho ba), that deals with thetransference of consciousness at the time of death (performed at one's own death or for anotherperson who is dying).

The Three Kaya Meditation

In his commentary on the Yamantaka practice (given at the Gyume College/Hunsur in 2004;soon to be published on this site) His Holiness states: "… the most important practice is takingthe three kayas on the path. It is actually here where the highest tantric practice supersedes thelower tantric practices, the practices of the lower tantric classes." Other great tantric masters ofthe past, such as Lama Tsongkhapa, have emphasized that there is nothing more essentialthan this practice. The practice of taking death, bardo and rebirth as pathway for the threekayas is the most important method for eliminating ordinary death, bardo and rebirth. This isalso why the actual session, the main part of the sadhana practice, focuses on this practice.

The practice takes place in a tantric reality where ordinary appearances and attachments areremoved; all appearances are looked at from a pure view. Nevertheless, the actual practice isperformed taking into account the conventional reality (of our lives), meaning that the practice isthe path. The path has to match the basis - and the result. The basis is the samsaric level we

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The Three Kaya Meditation

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live on. The path is the means to eventually free ourselves from our samsaric existence. Theresult (fruition) is complete purity, perfection, the realization of Buddhhood. On the basis, on thesamsaric level we are subjected to birth, death, and the bardo - without having a choice. Thegoal of the path is to get out that; the result to have a choice.

Basis Path Result Death/Sleep Clear Light Truth Body Bardo/Dream Seed Syllable Enjoyment Body Rebirth/Awakening Yidam Emanation Body

In the Yamantaka practice the main session has four parts (yogas): (1) performing the yoga oftaking death as the path of the Truth Body together with its associated parts; (2) generating theyoga of the causal Vajra-holder, taking the intermediate state as the path of the EnjoymentBody by generating the supporting celestial mansion in which you are to be enlightened; (3) themethod of blessing the sense organs (Tib: skye mched), body, speech, and mind throughgenerating the yoga of the resultant Vajra-holder by taking birth as the path of the EmanationBody; (4) method of making offerings and praise.

Taking Death Into the Path of the Truth Body

This practice consists of three parts: (1) making offerings to the lineage masters (merit field) inorder to accumulate merit which transfer over to our next life; (2) meditating on emptiness inorder to eventually actualize the clear light of death; and (3) meditating on the Uncommon andCommon Protection Wheels to prevent obstructing conditions.

Accumulation of Merit

During the specific preliminaries (of the sadhana practice) we instantaneously have arisen asVajrabhairava in his two-armed (sahaja) form (with or without consort). As such, in the actual(main) session of the sadhana, we do the following practices (to accumulate merit):

- we visualize the HUM syllable on a lotus residing in our heart (a) sending out light raysilluminating the boundless realms of the universe and (b) inviting in the space in front of meVajrabhairava together with all the gurus, encircled by a host Buddhas, Bodhisattvas,protectors, and Wisdom (Skt: jnana) dakinis; - we prostrate to Guru Vajradhara and to Vajrabhairava; - we make offering to them; - we do the Seven Limb Practice; - we make/renew the Tantric Vows; - we develop the mind of Bodhicitta (through the Four Immeasurables).

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The Three Kaya Meditation

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Meditation on Emptiness

While still in the form of two-armed Vajrabhairava we develop the motivation to actualize thestate of the Truth Body and to then to arise in the form of the Enjoyment and Emanation Bodiesfor the sake of all sentient beings.This is the place (in the sadhana) to practice the meditation onemptiness. When we recite the Shuddah (OM SVABHAVA SHUDDAH...) and the Shunyata(OM SHUNYATA...; only recited in the longer sadhana versions) mantras we shouldcontemplate: "I am the natural purity of all phenomena encompassed by subject and object."The sense of 'I am ' in meditative equipoise on emptiness sort of resemples the sense of 'I am'in sleep. We think: "Since no things exist, no meditator exists."

The main points of this practice are:

- We visualize that from the HUM syllable at our heart we emanate blue light in the natureof great bliss, which gradually melts the merit field and the whole universe into light, which thendissolves into us, into the HUM at our heart. - We ourselves gradually melt from the upper and lower parts of our bodies into the HUM atthe heart. - While reciting the Shuddah and the Shunyata mantras, visualize the U (shabkyu) of theletter HUM melting into the HA, then HA into its head, the head into the crescent moon, themoon into the drop, the drop into the nada, and finally the nada into inconceivable emptiness.

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The Three Kaya Meditation

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- We visualize that this mind which meditating on emptiness, being not an ordinary mind,but your own mind which has actualized the Truth Body of the wisdom of the great bliss ofBuddhahood, meditates on emptiness without even the slightest duality, like water poured intowater. - We strongly generate pride, thinking "I am the Truth Body of Wisdom". We feel oursubjective mind of deep awareness and the object of emptiness are one in bliss. This is TruthBody. This pride of the Truth Body should be extended for a long time. As this is the way ofvisualizing you have the Truth Body, though we don’t have it, it is called taking death as apathway for the Truth Body. The importance of meditation on death is that it destroys ordinarydeath and helps us to achieve exemplary (approximate) and actual clear light. It leaves greatimprints and instincts to achieve the resultant Truth Body.

The process described above can also be combined with the death meditation, i.e. thevisualization of the Eight Stages of Dissolution at Death, from the dissolution of the earthelement to the state of clear light (of death). For the visualization and the corresponding 8Stages see  HUM 8 Stages ( 123.82 kB ) . The death process is taken as the path to the Truth Body. Itpurifies ordinary death which is to occur to us in the future.  It ripens the roots of virtue togenerate the example and meaning clear lights of the path in our consciousness, andincreasingly reinforces a special power to generate the Truth Body of the result.

Meditation on the Protection Wheels

While the Truth Body has been accomplished at this point, the activities connected to that statehave not. This is accomplished through the generation of the protection wheels. When doingthis meditation it is necessary to concentrate with one part of our mind on the protection wheelwhile the other part does not let go of the comprehension of emptiness by placing our mind onthe meditation of the Truth Body. The actual practice is described in detail in the sadhana. Thepurpose of it is (1) to avert the many obstacles encountered while practicing the four yogas ofthe generation stage, and (2) to create and prepare the (favorable) conditions for theintermediate state and rebirth.

Taking the Intermediate State into the path of the Enjoyment Body {highslide type="img" url="ManjushriCutout.jpg" width=200 captionText='Buddha ManjushriPainting by Andy Weber (www.andyweberstudios.com)'}{/highslide}

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This practice has two parts: (1) the visualization/generation of the celestial mansion in which weare to be enlightened, and (2) the visualization of causal Vajra-holder to eliminate ordinary

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The Three Kaya Meditation

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intermediate state.

The sadhana text describes in detail how, through a number of intricate transformations, thecelestial mansion is generated. Then, we develop the intention to actualize the Enjoyment Bodyas result by purifying/eliminating the intermediate state. Then, from the seed syllable DHIH, wearise as (causal vajra-holder Vajrabhairava) Enjoyment Body Manjushri. This is the practice toeliminate ordinary intermediate state. Therefore it is called Intermediate State Enjoyment Bodypractice. The causal Vajrabhairava is the subtle form or body of the intermediate state. The sundisc at the heart of Manjushri ordinarily has no significance but in terms of the path andachievement, it has much significance. It represents the illusory body and the clear lightunderstanding of emptiness, and also signifies the union of these two. In terms of the path, it isthe Enjoyment Body. In terms of the result it signifies the deep awareness of clear light andperfect union beyond hearing. Body and forms of the intermediate state are not flesh and bonesbut flesh is made up of subtle wind and consciousness. By visualizing this, wind andconsciousness become more subtle through this elimination of the ordinary intermediate state.

Taking Rebirth Into the Path of the Emanation Body

This practice has three parts: (1) arising in the form of the resultant Vajrabhairava, (2) theblessing of various parts of the body, and (3) invoking the deep awareness beings, merging,and receiving empowerment. Since the last two parts are covered by the sadhana text we onlylook into the first part.

When in the state of the Enjoyment Body we set the intention that if we stay in this form, wewould have limited accessibility. Visualizing ourselves as Manjushri we go through a number oftransformations as described in varying length in different versions of the sadhana until weemerge as the resultant Vajrabhairava (in his full form).

The significance here is that beings don’t always stay in the intermediate state. When they takerebirth they have to take another form. In terms of the path, this is a practice of impure illusorybody. The illusory body must rely on the previous body from which it arose. In the same way, bymaintaining the illusory body, we can’t reach sentient beings, therefore we must use rough oldaggregates to reach beings, because they are visible. Therefore we should feel that theEnjoyment Body has arisen in the form of the Emanation Body. By doing this type of meditation,we eliminate ordinary birth. Thus ordinary birth is eliminated and the means to attain theEmanation Body are established. Therefore it is called the practice of birth as the EnjoymentBody.

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The Three Kaya Meditation

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Abbreviated Process

While all the above seems to be an elaborate process - which may take quite some time to gothrough - for most practices there are also abbreviated versions of the Three Kaya Meditation.Lama Yeshe, in his books Introduction to Tantra and The Bliss of Inner Fire, gives good advicehow to go about the process of dissolution, reappearance, and clear appearance as the yidam.The abbreviated sadhanas for the Solitary and the 13-Deity Yamantaka serve that purpose(both are available for download from the 'Downlod' section of this site - for registered usersonly). Here is the example of the Short Solitary Hero sadhana:

Path of the Truth Body

[After resiting the Shuddah mantra] the whole world and its inhabitants melt into us, and wedissolve into emptiness.

Path of the Enjoyment Body {highslide type="img" url="YamantakaWS-cut.jpg" width=200 captionText='ResultantVajrabhairava'}{/highslide}

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While still in a state of emptiness, there comes a vajra-surface, fence, tent and ceiling, togetherwith a mountain of flames. Inside of this is the Celestial Mansion, square, with fourentrance-ways, and in the centre of which, on a seat of variegated lotus, moon and sun-discmandalas, I arise in the bodily form of a Causal Vajra Holder, Manjushri. From my heart as aclearly (appearing) Hero Manjushri, light-rays emanate, and bring forth all the Sugata Buddhasin the aspect of Glorious Vajrabhairavas. 

Path of the Emanation Body

They dissolve into me and I completely transform into a Resultant Vajra-holder, the great andglorious Vajra-bhairava, with a body dark blue-black in colour, nine faces, thirty four arms andsixteen legs, standing in the pose of the right ones bent and left outstretched. In my heart is theWisdom-being Youthful Manjushri and in his heart is the Concentration Being, a syllable HUM.At the crown of my head is an OM, at my throat an AH and at my heart a HUM.

Extremely Abbreviated Practice

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(1) All worlds and their beings melt into light and dissolve into us. We too melt into light anddissolve into emptiness. We are the actual Truth Body of (Buddha) Vajrabhairava. (2) In ourspace, inside the protection circle, in the celestial mansion, upon a lotus and sun seat, our mindappears as Buddha Manjushri. We are the actual Enjoyment Body of Vajrabhairava. (3) Thesecompletely transform, and we arise as the Emanation Body (full) Vajrabhairava, together withour mandala, its palace, and its inhabitants.

Summary

It cannot be overemphasized that the Three Kaya Meditation is the central piece, thequintessential practice of every Highest Yoga sadhana. When we imagine that everythingdissolves into emptiness we are bringing death into the path of the Truth Body. We think: "I amthe Truth Body." Through that we overcome ordinary appearances, which in return prepares usto generate new and pure apearances. As soon as the that experience of clear light (of sleep)has ceased, the mind becomes sligtly grosser, and a subtle (bardo or dream) body manifests.The mind arises in the form of the seed syllable (or some other representation) of the yidam.Through this experience, which is similar in aspect to the intermediate state, we develop divinepride thinking: "I am the Enjoyment Body." While we experience that (still in the form of the seedsyllable or some other symbol) we visualize that a new, pure world with pure inhabitantsdevelops in which we are reborn in the form of the yidam. We think: "I am the Emanation Body.The whole process is guided by the altruistic motivation that in the form of the Truth andEnjoyment Bodies we would not be able to benefit sentient beings because they are unable tosee a Buddha's Truth or Enjoyment Body.

Reference Death, Bardo, and Rebirth - Lati Rinpoche & Jeffrey Hopkins, Death, Intermediate State and Rebirth in TibetanBuddhism , Ithaca 1980; - Graham Coleman, Thupten Jinpa, & Gyurme Dorje, The Tibetan Book of the Dead: FirstComplete Translation , London 2005; - Glenn Mullin, Living in the Face of Death: The Tibetan Tradition, Ithaca 2009; - Lama Lodru, Bardo Teachings: The Way of Death & Rebirth, Ithaca 1987; - Ponlop Dzogchen Rinpoche, Mind Beyond Death, Ithaca 2008;

Meditation on Emptiness - H.H. the XIVth Dalai Lama (transl. by Thupten Jinpa), The Middle Way: Faith Grounded inReason , Somerville 2009; - Gen Lamrimpa, Realizing Emptiness: Madhyamaka Insight Meditation, Ithaca 2002; - Lama Zopa Rinpoche, How Things Exist, Weston 2008 (free download from LamaYeshe Archives);

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- Guy Newland, Introduction to Emptiness: As Taught in Tsong-Kha-Pa's Great Treatise onthe Stages of the Path , Ithaca 2009;

Tantric Practice in General - Lama Yeshe, Introduction to Tantra: The Tranformation of Desire, Somerville 1987; - Lama Yeshe, The Bliss of Inner Fire: Heart Practice of the Six Yogas of Naropa,Somerville, 1998; - Daniel Cozort, Highest Yoga Tantra, Ithaca 2005; - Jeffrey Hopkins (et al.), Tantric Techniques, Ithaca 2008; - Ngawang Palden (ngag dbang dpal ldan), gsang chen rgyud sde bzhi'i sa lam gyi rnamgzhag rgyud gzhung gsal byed (Grounds andPaths of the Four Great Secret Classes of Tantra), TBRC, W5926, vol. II, pp. 521-622. [partially translated by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso in Tantric Grounds and Paths, London 1994]; - Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche, Tantric Grounds and Paths, Teachings at Nalanda Monastery,Rouzegas/France 2003 ( audio files); based on Ngawang Palden's work;

Yamantaka Practice - Dagyab Kyabgön Rinpoche, Kommentar zur Sadhanapraxis des Yamantaka mit 13Gottheiten , Fürth 2000; - Tri Gyatsen Senge, The Profound Path of the Great Secret, transl. by Sharpa Tulku &Richard Guard, New Delhi 1995; - Lhundup Pandita, Jewel Treasure House of the Three Bodies, transl. by Sharpa Tulku &Richard Guard, New Delhi 2002;

Death, Intermediate State and Rebirth in Tibetan Buddhism by Lati Rinpoche, Jeffrey Hopkins

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