Correct assumption (Skt. manaḥ-parīkṣā; Tib. yid dpyod):
It's like an intuitive insight, a correct guess based on limited information. Imagine that you hear a meow outside the door. If you don't see a cat, you're still very likely to assume that there's a cat there.
Example: Your friend is usually late for meetings. You agreed to meet at a café at 7 p.m. At 7:15 a.m. he's still gone. You assume that he's likely to stay another 10-15 minutes, and this assumption turns out to be correct.
Parable: Once a traveler got lost in the forest. He saw two roads diverging in different directions. On one road there were fresh tracks leading deep into the forest, and the other was overgrown with grass. The traveler assumed that no one had walked along the overgrown road for a long time, and decided to follow the road with footprints. This parable shows how, even with a lack of information, we can make the right assumption based on common sense and intuition.
Direct perception without definition (Skt. aniyata-pratibhāsa; Tib. snang la ma nges pa):
It's like a fleeting vision, a first impression, but it's even more fleeting and indefinite. Imagine that you catch a glimpse of something out of the corner of your eye. You are aware that something has happened, but you don't have time to determine what it is. This direct perception without definition is a primordial sensory impression that has not yet been clearly formed and named in our minds. It's like a shadow flashing on a wall – we see movement, But we don't know what caused it.
Example: You are sitting in a quiet room and suddenly you hear a rustle in the next room. You are aware that there was a sound, but you cannot immediately determine what it was – whether a book fell, a mouse ran by, or something else.
Parable: A disciple asked his Zen teacher, "What is mind?" The teacher suddenly shouted and clapped his hands. The disciple shuddered at the surprise. The teacher said, "This is mind—pure awareness of the moment without any thoughts or definitions." This parable, like a flash of lightning, illustrates the fleeting nature of pure perception that precedes conceptualization.
Doubt (Skt. saṃśaya; тиб. Di Tashome):
It's like a swing, oscillating between two or more possibilities. Imagine not being able to remember if you turned off the iron when you left the house. Your mind is torn between two options: "turned off" and "didn't turn off", causing a feeling of anxiety.