Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

a. Clarity. This means that not only must the form and
color of the deity be clearly seen, but every hair of the
eyebrows, the eyelashes and all the hairs on the
anthropomorphic body should be visualized clearly. As
we do not speak of art, our subject being meditation, so
besides form and color, there must also be clarity of
philosophy. It is essential that a good understanding and
a deep realization of sunyata accompany these
meditations; otherwise, they will not be effective.
Therefore, besides clearly seeing the deity's form as a
reflection, or as a bubble, translucent and made of light,
it is also most important to realize deeply sunyata
philosophy. I have written a paper on this, as it seems to
me that the venerable Tsong-khapa's otherwise excellent
Ngag-rim (Great Stages of the Tantric Path), is deficient
in its emphasis on the practical value of realization of
the void.
b. Firmness. In common books on this subject, it is said
that the visualized form must not move or change. Their
instructions are that after the form is seen clearly, the
practitioner should make the anthropomorphic body
firm and unmoving, while his own flesh body is not
perceived even for a moment—not even in a dream. For
instance, if the practitioner visualizes himself as a great,
holy, powerful vajra deity with two horns, then when
one passes through a door, one should bow the head so
that the horns do not catch in the doorway.
I should like to add that firmness not only of form, but
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