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There is no better illustration of the radical transformative power of the ancient Tibetan contemplative teachings of Dzogchen than the extraordinary phenomenon of bodily disappearance or "rainbow body", which is considered its ultimate fruit. In this groundbreaking study of rainbow body in the Bon tradition, which is the first of its kind in a western language, the neophyte reader is guided into the profound insights of Dzogchen, while all the components required to understand this most mysterious and enigmatic of phenomena are laid out gently and methodically.
Illustrated by unique thangkas commissioned especially for this study, the book's emphasis is on clarity of exposition. Simple enough for the layman, but detailed enough to do justice to these ancient and subtle traditions, Rainbow Body serves both as an introduction to Bon Dzogchen, and also as a pioneering study of Tibetan textual sources related to the phenomenon of rainbow body. It is offered to the public in the hope that as many people as possible may benefit from the profundity of this ancient wisdom. For as Loel Guinness states in his preface, "Dzogchen is not just for monks. It is as suitable for the businessman, the academic, the adventurer, or the practitioner. The insights of Dzogchen are relevant for all."
This is a 2021 revised version of the first edition published in 2018. It offers additional new images and minor revisions.
Rainbow Body (2021 Edition), Loel Guinness, Serindia Publications, Hardcover, 368 pages, $85.00
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CONTENTS: Rainbow Body
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| Foreword by Yongdzin Lopon Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche |
7
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| Preface |
13 |
| Acknowledgements |
24 |
| Introduction |
27 |
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| PART ONE: |
GROUND |
41 |
| Chapter 1: |
The Architecture of the Mind |
43 |
| Chapter 2: |
The Body |
61 |
| Chapter 3: |
The Importance of Transmission Lineage |
95 |
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| PART TWO: |
PATH |
103 |
| Chapter 4: |
Preliminaries and Rushan |
105 |
| Chapter 5: |
A-tri and Other Advanced Practices |
135 |
| Chapter 6: |
Trekcho, Cutting Through |
145 |
| Chapter 7: |
Thogal, "Transcendence |
"165 |
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| PART THREE: |
FRUIT |
195 |
| Chapter 8: |
The Visions |
197 |
| Chapter 9: |
Varieties of the Rainbow Body |
233 |
| Chapter 10: |
Examples of the Rainbow Body, Ancient and Modern |
253 |
| Chapter 11: |
Rainbow Body in Comparative Perspective |
275 |
| Chapter 12: |
Science and the Problem of Proof |
289 |
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| Notes |
300 |
| Works Cited |
235 |
| Glossary |
331 |
| Index |
358 |
| List of Plates |
367 |
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