The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo offered during a Phowa retreat:
On the second day, here they’re saying Vajrasattva Buddha appears. This is Vajrasattva, the very same one that you are practicing in your Ngöndro. Think how ready you will be for him! The minute he shows up you’re going to go, “Yes! I know who you are!” In this case, Vajrasattva Buddha is also associated with Akshobya Buddha, but he will appear as Vajrasattva Buddha on the second day with white light. And again, the white light will be unnaturally brilliant, according to what we have understood, dazzling, frightening in its dazzling light; and at the same time a softer, easier on the eyes (even though there are no eyes, we have that kind of perception in the bardo at that point), black light, the softer black light of the hell world, will manifest. Now listen to how tricky this is. We are faced with an unnaturally white, unnaturally bright, scary light, or a softer, black light that, because we have felt hatred more than we have felt Vajrasattva, we are more familiar with. It will not be so frightening to us. It will be softer, and it will seem to be seductive, more so than the white light. So what we have to do is to be sure and avoid that black light, because that black light results in rebirth in one of the hell realms.
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On the second day, here they’re saying Vajrasattva Buddha appears. This is Vajrasattva, the very same one that you are practicing in your Ngöndro. Think how ready you will be for him! The minute he shows up you’re going to go, “Yes! I know who you are!”
Yay!
and at the same time a softer, easier on the eyes (even though there are no eyes, we have that kind of perception in the bardo at that point), black light, the softer black light of the hell world, will manifest. Now listen to how tricky this is.
O.O Oh man…
Precious Lama, in you I trust. Were it not so, I would be terrified. As it is …. I definitely have pause to reflect.
So when we’re in Bardo do we still have free will to exercise and choices to make or is it all habit at that point? Thank you.
Thank you My Lama!! OmManiPedmeHung!!
Michael C,to answer your question,we do not have a stable mind yet right? Therefore,when you were alive,you need to practice hard enough so that at the time of death,you will not have any of the frightening things.
Is vajrasattva racist or something? White- good, black/dark brown – bad.
And Well if you’ve been practicing visualizing mahakala, mahakala is black, a black light, so what does this say about mahakala? Think! Use yer noggins! Technically a hell realm is a pure realm since its purifying all that negative karma. You won’t catch me dead practicing mahakala – a demon “protector,” similar to DS. I am so glad I never got brainwashed enuf to go to a stupid mahakala empowerment! I guess mahakala is necessary tho since a lot of practictioners are gonna end up in the hell realm anyways – at least they’ll see a familiar face when they arrive there- that of the demon mahakala. Then maybe they’ll get to be super lucky and be literally a part of mahakala’s severed head necklace, lol.
And these are my honest thoughts. I could be wrong, I could be right. Don’t be offended and if you feel me speaking my mind comes off as rude or disrespectful, I would argue that dishonesty and fake smiles or a fake smile and nod in fake agreement, blindly following along like a parrot – “oh guru, precious guru, guru of gurus, thank you guru, guru knows best anyone who contradicts or even questions guru has a major character flaw thank you so much precious guru for gracing me with your precious words I will follow diligently (wink wink)” – is much more disrespectful, rude, and offensive then honest honesty!