Five Pure Lights
The Five Pure Lights is an essential teaching in the Dzogchen tradition of Bon and Tibetan Buddhism which relates to the symbolism of colours and their use in meditation. Each colour of the Five Pure Lights is representative of a state of mind, one of the Five Tathāgatas, a natural element, and a body part. Meditating upon one of the Five Pure Lights works to transform a delusion, or one of the five poisons into one of the five wisdoms.
The colours of the Five Pure Lights are:Blue, which represents Akshobhya and space. When blue is used in meditation, it works to transform anger into wisdom White, which represents Vairocana and air. When white is used in meditation, it works to transform ignorance into reality Red, which represents Amitābha and fire. When red is used in meditation, it works to transform attachment into discernment Green, which represents Amoghasiddhi and water. When green is used in meditation, it works to transform jealousy into accomplishment Yellow, which represents Ratnasambhava and earth. When yellow is used in meditation, it works to transform pride into sameness ''
These colours are often seen on prayer flags and mandalas.
Basis (gzhi)
In the basis there were neutral awarenesses that did not recognize themselves. This non-recognition was the innate ignorance. Due to traces of action and affliction from a previous universe, the basis became stirred and the Five Pure Lights shone out. When a neutral awareness recognized the lights as its own display, then that was Samantabhadra. Other neutral awarenesses did not recognize the lights as their own display, and thus imputed "other" onto the lights. This imputation of "self" and "other" was the imputing ignorance. This ignorance started sentient beings and samsara. Yet everything is illusory, since the basis never displays as anything other than the five lights.For the deluded, matter seems to appear. This is due to non-recognition of the five lights. Matter includes the mahābhūta or classical elements, namely: space, air, water, fire, earth. The illusion of matter includes even the formless realms and the minds of sentient beings. For example, the beings of the formless realms are made of subtle matter. And the mind of a human is merely matter, specifically vayu.
The Five Pure Lights are essentially the Five Wisdoms. Tenzin Wangyal holds that the Five Pure Lights become the Five Poisons if we remain deluded, or the Five Wisdoms and the Five Buddha Families if we recognize their purity.
In the Bonpo Dzogchen tradition, the Five Pure Lights are discussed in the Zhang Zhung Nyan Gyud and within this auspice two texts in particular go into detail on them as The Six Lamps and The Mirror of the Luminous Mind.