My understanding is there is one activity on the path, changing the basis of imputation of our I from the contaminated aggregates of a samsaric being to the completely purified aggregates of the guru-deity. There are two reasons why we do this – for our own sake (renunciation) and for the sake of others (bodhichitta). There is one thing that makes it possible – emptiness, in particular the emptiness of the I. There are two levels at which we do this: gross (generation stage) and subtle (completion stage). The Kadam Lamrim of Tantra has three core spiritual technologies: divine pride, which purifies ordinary conceptions; clear appearance, which purifies ordinary appearance; and correct imagination which wears away at all pure conceptions until we have direct pure experience. In this way we can understand the Kadampa path has five main aspects: renunciation, bodhichitta, the correct view of emptiness, generation stage and completion stage. The result of the Kadampa path is to attain union of no more learning, whose nature is to realize that the Guru, the deity, the five wisdoms, and myself are neither one, nor many. They are non-dual appearance and emptiness—inseparable.

I will now attempt to unpack this:

There is one activity on the path: changing the basis of imputation of our I from the contaminated aggregates of a samsaric being to the completely purified aggregates of the guru-deity.

This single activity is the path. It encapsulates the essence of all Lamrim instructions. All our practices—whether contemplating the sufferings of samsara or meditating on the clear light of bliss—serve to accomplish this single transformation of identity. In Tantric Grounds and Paths, Geshe-la explains that this transformation occurs through divine pride and clear appearance, which are sustained by correct imagination.

There are two reasons why we do this—renunciation and bodhichitta.

This is the heart motivation of all Kadampa Dharma. In Joyful Path, Geshe-la explains that renunciation is the wish to be released from samsara, and bodhichitta is the wish to release all beings. These two minds fuel our transformation, making it swift and meaningful.

One thing makes this possible: emptiness, particularly the emptiness of the I.

All transformation hinges upon seeing the I as empty of inherent existence. In Heart of Wisdom and Modern Buddhism, Geshe-la teaches that because the I is empty, we can designate it newly upon the purified aggregates of the deity. Without this, all deity yoga becomes merely imagination. But with it, imagination becomes the truth path to reality.

There are two levels at which we do this: gross (generation stage) and subtle (completion stage).

Generation stage creates the causes, and completion stage reveals the results. As Geshe-la says in Essence of Vajrayana, these two stages are not separate practices but one continuum—the path of clear appearance ripening into the experience of union.

The three core spiritual technologies of the Kadam Lamrim of Tantra: divine pride, clear appearance, and correct imagination.

For me, these the three transformative methods of generation stage and completion stage practice, just at different levels. These correspond to the antidotes to the three mistaken appearances: ordinary conception (divine pride), ordinary appearance (clear appearance), and mistaken grasping (correct imagination).

In this way we can understand the Kadampa path as five main aspects: renunciation, bodhichitta, correct view of emptiness, generation stage, and completion stage.

This is a condensation of the entire path. These five are the five great Mahayana paths adorned by Highest Yoga Tantra. They are also the essence of the Lord of All Lineages Prayer, which Geshe-la says we should recite daily to gain realizations of the whole Kadam Lamrim of Sutra and Tantra.

The result of the Kadampa path is to attain union of no more learning, whose nature is to realize that the Guru, the deity, the five wisdoms, and myself are neither one, nor many. They are non-dual appearance and emptiness—inseparable.

This is my understanding of the final result: enlightenment. In Tantric Grounds and Paths, Geshe-la says that at Buddhahood, all dualistic appearances have ceased. The appearance of Guru Sumati Buddha Heruka is the final appearance of our own potential—the perfect non-dual union of bliss and emptiness, of method and wisdom, of our mind and the body of a Buddha.