Hi, just some notes I found on thogal practice.
Four visions from rigpa wiki and a quote from Longchenpa, seem to be that the fourth vision is dharmadatu exhaustion:
Longchenpa says in his Tsikdön dzö (translating back into English from JL’s French translation) :
“— Third, as to the obtainment, at the time of the exhaustion (the 4th vision), the two obtainments occur : 1. with the obtainment of power over birth, one arises in the (Body of the) Great Transfer and one accomplishes the welfare of beings ; in particular, one acts to liberate without remainder (up to) three thousands beings having obtained a human body ; 2. with the obtainment over entrance, etc…”
The four visions (Four visions - Rigpa Wiki)
- direct realization of reality itself
- increasing experience
- awareness reaching full maturity
- dissolution of experience into the nature of reality (Tib. [ཆོས་ཉིད་ཟད་ས་]
(I take the 4th point to mean dharmadathu exhaustion).
So my question then is: does thogal begin after finnishing the 4 yogas of mahamudra (last being nonmeditation/exhaustion)? And the four visions are not randomly occuring visions, but the experience or “vision” of reality after all the insight “re-wiring” the samsaric mind? (this was new discovery for me!).
Also, it conserns appearances (I saw in one video of Acharya Malcome Smtih, thogal works on appearances, trechod works on mind), as there is no labeling happening in the mind anymore and thus pure appearances will naturally reveal their true nature (being sacred, pure lands etc…).
Just some rambeling thoughts, any comments and clearifications are welcome.