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Primordial Clear Light

From Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia
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The primordial clear light serves a highly important role in the symbolism of the Bardo Thodol. In Tibetan Buddhism, it is considered as the state of pure wisdom and the peak of experience. In Zen Buddhism, the experience of the primordial clear light is regarded as the highest state of meditative experience known as Satori. Others call it "the radiance from the seed of emptiness” or “the primordial wisdom of great bliss.”

The experience of the primordial clear light may be two-fold depending on a person's spiritual attainment: 1902 2a24.jpg


1. The Primary Clear Light

The primary clear light is the clear untainted light that represents a highly evolved form of the spirit or a clear presence of the totality of consciousness. In the presence of the clear light “all things are like the void and cloudless sky, and the naked, spotless intellect is like unto a transparent vacuum without circumference or center.”

The primary clear light immediately experienced at the time of death is also equivalent to enlightenment — the highest level of spiritual experience for people in various mystical and spiritual schools — since it is well-known among these circles that consciousness can be transformed into wisdom by means of spiritual practice.


At the time of death, the dead person is reminded by the lama or guru not to let this clear light slip away. A message is repeated many times through the ear of the dead person to abide in this state without being enthralled or mesmerized. If the person's consciousness cannot hold on to this experience because of its overwhelming power, then the secondary clear light will soon appear, which will be followed by the visionary deities.

2. The Secondary Clear Light

The secondary clear light is less intense. While in this state, the person becomes concerned with his or her individuality, but cannot determine whether he or she is dead or not. The consciousness of the dead person drifts within familiar places. It even gets a glimpse of its relatives and people it had been close to as if one is having a lucid dream.

The terrifying karmic apparitions have not yet begun at this point, but will soon start if one's consciousness still cannot hold on to this state. In this case, the dead person is again reminded, through the ritual, not to be distracted and to meditate upon his/her tutelary deity to help focus the mind on the clear light.