Open Veils · Answer
What is the rainbow body on the Buddhist tradition?
The rainbow body is among the most rigorously attested anomalous phenomena in any contemplative tradition — not mere metaphor but a reported physical event witnessed by multiple observers across centuries. Dzogchen masters describe it as the ultimate fruit of tögal practice: the irreversible resolution of gross matter back into primordial light. Western investigators, including a documented Vatican-linked inquiry, have treated it seriously enough to pursue field investigation. The phenomenon predates Buddhism itself, rooted in the indigenous Bon tradition of Tibet.
Evidence
- In Dzogchen cosmology, the physical body is composed of the five elements — earth, water, fire, air, space — which are themselves condensations of primordial luminosity.
- The case of Khenpo A-chö (died 1998 in Golok, Tibet) became the focal point of modern Western inquiry.
- Historical cases documented within the tradition include Togden Ugyen Tendzin, Ayu Khandro, and Changchub Dorje — each associated with the characteristic signs.
- Scholar Michael Sheehy explains that at death, a fully realized practitioner allows these elements to dissolve back into their radiant source rather than consolidating into a new karmic rebirth.
- The external sign of this internal completion is the shrinkage and disappearance of the corpse, typically over three to seven days, leaving only hair, nails, and sometimes a residual fragrance and display of rainbows in the sky.