Now I need to ask again.
To accomplish this it is necessary to do the practice of ‘the four ways of leaving things in their natural simplicity’ (Tib. chokshyak shyi) and through these, to acquire perfect stability in the Trekchö practice. Then will come the ‘four visions of tögal’ which are the natural arising of visions of discs and rays of light, deities and buddha fields. These visions are naturally ready to arise from within the central channel that joins the heart to the eyes. Such an arising from this channel will appear in a gradual process. In the same way that the waxing moon will increase from the first to the fifteenth of the month, these visions will gradually increase—from the simple perception of dots of light to the full array of the vast expanse of the sambhogakaya buddha fields. The manifestation of space and awareness will thus reach its culminating point.
These experiences are not linked with consciousness or intellect as the former experiences were; they are a true manifestation or radiance of awareness. After this, in the same way that the moon decreases and disappears from the fifteenth to the thirtieth of the month, all of these experiences and visions, all phenomena, will gradually come to exhaustion and reabsorb themselves in the Absolute.
(Source:
http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Dzogchen, added highlighting in bold)
I've highlighted two phrases that are actually crucial in my eyes. According to this snippet the whole process is more complicated than commonly talked about.
1. First, the four visions arise up to the moment, where all the three kayas arise fully. (That's how I understand the first highlighted phrase.)
2. Once the fourth vision has culminated, one could say that the process starts to "invert itself", and experiences start to exhaust themselves in the Absolute.
I have never seen any teacher talk about the second point in clear terms.
My question therefore is:
1. When does one say the 4th vision has been completed or realized? At the culmination point (after stage 1 above), or only once stage 2 is completed as well?
2. Does the second stage have an end, or is going on forever? If so, what is the end?
3. If stage 2 has an end, is there a difference between people who die during this exhaustion process, and those who complete it before death? In other words, are the ones with incomplete exhaustion the ones reaching rainbow body during death, whereas the ones having completed exhaustion reaching it already during life?
4. And most importantly: What is the correct practice when one has reached culmination of stage 1 and is now in the exhaustion process? Does further Tögel practice matter at that stage at all?