THE PRACTICE of illusory body is the second practice of the Six Dharmas, in each of the different configurations compiled by Naropa, Niguma, and Sukkhasiddhi. The Tibetan term is gyulu; gyu translates as illusory and lu as body. The Sanskrit equivalent of gyu is maya. Both of these translations point to the playful dance of appearances that, though we perceive them to be solid, real, and existent, are in actuality rainbow-like. Due to particular causes and conditions, they appear, yet upon closer examination, we can see that they lack inherent existence.
Not being aware of the illusory nature of everything in our experience is a source of great suffering; when we begin to wake up to the true nature of things, we come to experience the creative, magical qualities of this illusory nature. On a mundane level, we refer to magicians as illusionists who delight us with their sleight of hand. In the context of illusory body practice, we can delight as we explore how we magically and creatively project a world of self and other that we otherwise habitually perceive as real and solid. We can further refine our skills such that we become master illusionists who see the rainbow-like nature of all, and who can even manipulate and manifest energy as form in a way that supports and benefits others.
VAJRAYANA, or tantric practice, includes two stages: the generation/creation stage and the completion stage. In the creation stage, we work with a (an embodiment
