Wow! Death and “The Rainbow Body”

I’m about ready to head back out to the Tibetan Cultural Center and the final afternoon of the retreat with Francis Tiso. And I must say, for someone so mild-mannered and easy-going, this wide-ranging and deep-thinking scholar/priest/activist has led a life of incredible drama. He is a man who pays attention to signs and wonders, even those emanating from his own body — like the time his hand started to vibrate in the stacks of Columbia University when he finally came upon the long lost volume that would help him research the life of Milarepa for his doctoral dissertation . . . That story, from our Friday evening introduction, made me sit up and pay attention.

I have a “personal visit” with him at 11:10 this morning, for 20 minutes. Very excited, especially since I have also discovered that he has done a lot of research on the Body of Light, and the Rainbow Body.

I’ve long been fascinated with what we call “death,” both as Mystery, and as Taboo. Don Juan’s remark, to Carlos Castenada, “Death sits on your left shoulder” has reverberated inside me ever since I read his book, The Teachings of Don Juan, way back in the ’60s. By remaining continually aware of my own eventual “Death,” I live life differently, and I intend to “die differently,” too (assuming I’m conscious). All this sets me apart from the abject terror of Death that fuels our sick society.

So, you can imagine how just finding a few internet references on Tiso and what’s called “The Rainbow Body” has set my spine tingling.

Here they are:

by Francis Tiso:

The Rainbow Body Phenomenon

by Gail Holland about Francis Tiso and The Rainbow Body:

Christian Buddhist Explorations: The Rainbow Body