She appeared radiant, her beauty like a fresh heap of newly gathered flowers, and every gesture she made seemed to flow from the way her eyes lingered on her husband’s face. Yet, though she glowed with such splendor, her countenance was tinged with a gentle pallor, reminiscent of the moon as it wanes in the night sky. Two onlookers beheld her, but she did not notice them; she had not yet awakened in accordance with their true resolve. In that place, the former Lila, having established her body, departed through meditation, accompanied by a deep awareness, just as has already been described. But now, what of Lila—whose body remained there—has not yet been told. The question arises: what became of her, where did she go, and what happened to her body? Where is that Lila-body, and what reality does it possess? In truth, it was nothing but a delusion, much like the illusion of water in a mirage. Just as Lila, upon awakening, gradually underwent transformation, so too did her body dissolve away, melting like snow on a mountain’s slope. From the subtle body, in time, arose the mistaken notion, “I am this physical body,” just as a rope might be mistaken for a snake. Whatever the subtle body perceives—be it earth or anything else—receives those very names, and this is what is called the physical or gross body. But in reality, this so-called physical body, composed of earth and the rest, does not truly exist, either in name or substance, any more than a hare’s horns exist. If, in a dream, a man imagines himself to be a deer, does he search for that deer once he awakens and no longer identifies with it? Unreal things arise swiftly and vanish just as quickly; delusion occurs for the confused, just as the idea of a snake appears upon seeing a rope. For any being born of the mind who has not awakened, these perceptions arise as mere imitations, taking on false forms. Everyone, established in their own experience, perceives this so-called creation as a dream, much like one who repeatedly takes birth perceives the cycles of the earth. When a yogi moves forward, traversing worlds before Brahman, what is this body of his, which is seen as merely a vehicle for transition? The passage from one body to another takes place when the previous body is destroyed, and the transitional body shines, much like those seen in dreams. Just as a drop of frost vanishes in sunlight, or a white cloud disappears in the autumn sky, so too does the yogi’s body, though visible, become unseen. Sometimes, the yogi’s body is suddenly not perceived at all by other yogis present, just as a bird swiftly takes flight and vanishes into the sky. Depending on their own tendencies, some people at some time may see a certain yogi ahead of them and think, “He is dead.” For them, identifying the body with the self is mere delusion, which subsides through true knowledge, just as the notion of a snake in a rope vanishes upon seeing the rope for what it is. What is the body? Whose is existence? Whose is destruction? How and from where do these arise? All of this was nothing but persistent ignorance, which now has disappeared. Does the elemental, physical body attain the state of the subtle body, or is it something else? Such a question arises, for confusion persists as if in delusion. Though this has been explained many times, the answer is difficult to accept: only the subtle body truly exists; the elemental, physical body does not exist at all. Through repeated practice, the notion of the physical body arises in a person; when that notion subsides, the former, subtle state prevails once more. Then, qualities such as heaviness, hardness, solidity, and mistaken grasping cease, just as in a dream these attributes vanish for a person through the pure awareness of the knower. At that point, the experience of lightness arises, like the softness of cotton, just as in a dream the body feels light through the recognition that it is only a dream. Likewise, through awakening, even this gross body becomes capable of leaping, as happens for those whose minds have matured through many days of sustained intention. When this body, now lifeless, is burned, those who remain will inevitably experience a subtle embodiment. Through the intensity of awakening, even while living, yogis attain this subtle state; when memory arises there, the thought “I am this” is formed by mere thought alone. Whatever form that body may take, such is the body of the awakened one; this illusion appears just like the appearance of a snake in a rope. When it is gone, what is lost? When it arises, what is gained? If, immediately thereafter, they see their familiar surroundings as before, and if, by the power of true resolve, they become aware—what of it, O Lord? Thus, they may think: “The queen is here, distressed; another woman, a friend, has come to her from somewhere.” What doubt can there be for them? For creatures lacking discernment act as they see, without inquiry—how could they reflect? Just as a clod of earth, rolling, quickly passes a tree after striking it, so too do the ignorant pass by fire, mountains, gods, and the like, without truly knowing them. And just as, upon waking, I do not know where the body of the dream went—so too, all that is experienced in this world of matter is unreal. O Lord, where does the peak of a dream go upon awakening? Please dispel my doubt, as the wind disperses an autumn cloud. In dream, confusion, or imagination, objects such as mountains exist within awareness; these movements all merge inward, just as the wind merges into itself. Just as the movement of wind subsides into its own stillness, so too, when movement ceases, it merges into its own essence and becomes one with it. There is never any true duality between awareness and dream objects, just as there is no duality between liquidity and water, or between movement and wind. If, here, the knowledge of duality arises, that is supreme ignorance; this is called saṃsāra, said to arise from the false notion of duality. Indeed, in the absence of contributing causes, what is the nature of awareness? The duality of dream objects in the dream is ultimately meaningless.