THREE LAST CONCEPTUALIZATIONS OF AWARENESS (ESSENCE)
The concept of Emptiness is bandied about and used as a banner signifying understanding when really such fools have no idea of what emptiness is or how it is experienced. How much more it is an attraction for the cognitively intelligent to use the word "awareness", which is the base of the contemplation of Essence, as a crutch for their arrogance.
It becomes particularly problematic when the foolish speak about "Essence", for Essence is actually a state of contemplation in which what is required as the platform for the initial generation of the Last Conceptualization is a Pre-Sensory Awareness of Sensory Awareness. As you can see that is not so easy to instantly grasp.
There are those who say that they know the difference between Emptiness (No-Form) contemplation and Awareness contemplation, but they do not understand and cannot explain at all. We can perhaps make that difference easier for the basic organization by declaring that "Awareness" in these meditations involves 'observing' sensations without discriminations and Emptiness is observing "discriminable form without perception".
There were then three possible Last Conceptualizations generated which must be understood. There is first a Last Conceptualization of "the Awareness of Pure Sensory Awareness" in its totality; there is second "the Awareness of Sensing as components of the Immaculate Mind," and finally "the Awareness of the Observing of Sensory Awareness."
These are subtle distinctions which must be understood in generating the Last Conceptualizations, understanding that here we are not speaking of the Pure Perception which is the fount of "the Awareness of Being Alive". They are very abstract in their formation, so it is not surprising that the practices were not popular and were never taken to Japan.