The more we purify the obstructions to omniscience, the more non-dual appearance and emptiness appears directly. The first thing we will perceive directly within the vast sky of only emptiness will be ourself as the nada, our Enjoyment Body. Then, we will begin to perceive directly our Emanation Body in the aspect of the supported and supporting Heruka Body Mandala. Finally, we will perceive directly the completely purified all phenomena of all three times simultaneously, all as aspects of non-dual appearance and emptiness. We perceive only emptiness, but it appears to us directly as completely purified all phenomena. Then, we we gradually draw all beings into our world.

All of this is happening inside emptiness. As VGL said to Gen-la Dekyong, “In the word empowerment, we can say from an intellectual perspective it is giving an introduction to the union of the two truths that is the union of Buddha’s illusory body, conventional truth, and the mind of clear light, ultimate truth. According to Tantra, everything is ultimate truth. Within ultimate truth, things exist, everything exists inside emptiness. Buddha sees everything as truth. There is no conventional or non-truth. Everything is inside emptiness, which is truth. This is union of the two truths according to HYT. This union is understood through our own experience. Nothing exists other than emptiness. With this understanding, self-generation has power to abandon self-grasping. We say non-dual appearance and emptiness. Not two, one. When we are meditating on self-generation, we are also meditating on emptiness as one object. Then our meditation on self-generation has power to cease our self-grasping. The way of understanding the union of the two truths has many levels. The highest level is when realizing the meaning of the 4th empowerment, the word empowerment of HYT. We realize the very subtle level of the union of the two truths according to HYT. It means the union of appearance and emptiness at its most profound level. Buddhas see only objects that are the truth, emptiness. Ordinary beings who have not realised emptiness only see false objects.”

And as VGL says in Mirror of Dharma, “For qualified Tantric practitioners, in this endless space of emptiness their own environment, enjoyments, body, mind and their own self naturally appear as the enlightened environment, enjoyments, body, mind and self of an enlightened being, all naturally existing in dependence on their mere name. The meaning of non-dual appearance and emptiness is very profound and not easy to understand. The wisdom that realizes non-dual appearance and emptiness is a higher level of the correct view of emptiness, and training in this wisdom is the quick path to enlightenment.”

As Gen-la Dekyong shared from VGL during the Summer Festival, “You can find. Emptiness and appearance are not two objects. They are called union. This is subtle and difficult to understand, but you can find this. There is no guarantee because it depends upon your energy for practicing, receiving blessings, many other methods together, such as accumulating merit, purifying negativity. Always, when you have time, you are relaxing, lying down, or even sleeping, learn this. Finally, you will find ultimate truth. We need to improve our experience. We need to understand correctly. Buddha explains this even in Sutra. Emptiness subject is explained very clearly. Non-dual appearance and emptiness, the union of two truths, the union of great bliss and emptiness, are all from HYT. But the real meaning is already explained in the perfection of wisdom sutra. The only thing we change is the mind from gross mind, we change the mind to great bliss. Ultimate view has already been explained in Sutra perfection of wisdom. Try to become familiar. Finally, we will find the highest level of ultimate truth. This is explained in the meaning of the fourth empowerment, the precious word empowerment. This is the most subtle, ultimate truth, that we find only through HYT. Emptiness we can’t make more subtle. But from the other side, we can make the mind more subtle. Non-dual appearance and emptiness, from emptiness side, not much difference. But form the mind’s side, clear light of bliss, very subtle mind becoming manifest there is a huge difference. This is the meaning of the fourth empowerment, the precious word empowerment. Buddha’s final intention, ultimate view, ultimate truth. Finally, we can attain ultimate truth of HYT, Buddha’s main intention. Before that, we ourself need to improve. We Kadampas have the opportunity to do this continually. The meaning of this teachings is inconceivable. Verbally, inexpressible. I cannot teach HYT union. In the word empowerment, which is the instructions introducing union, this union is understood through our own experience. In Buddha’s mind, everything is truth. There is no form other than emptiness, no emptiness other than form. There is only one. Union means two things become one. Now only one, ultimate truth. So this self-generation meditation on the non-duality of appearance and emptiness, we are learning this. It has power to abandon self-grasping. We need to spend a lot of time thinking, contemplating, accumulating merit, purifying imprints of wrong views denying Dharma in many lives and this life. There are big amounts of imprints of wrong views obstructing union. We need to study, contemplate, meditate, and purify negative actions. Buddha sees everything as truth.”

If we bring these understandings into our self-generation practice, training in non-dual appearance and emptiness throughout the practice, but at a minimum from bringing death into the path of the Truth Body on, viewing everything that appears afterwards as the pure dance of “only emptiness,” our tantric practice takes on a whole new, much more profound level. If we train in this way, we can begin to understand the “magic” of the Ganden Oral Lineage and how it is indeed possible to attain enlightenment in this life, even within three years if we could do this perfectly. It’s all so amazing!