Synopses & Reviews
An inspiring biography of a twentieth-century Tibetan yogin,
The Rainbow Body: The Life and Realization of a Tibetan Yogin, Togden Ugyen Tendzin, presents the remarkable life story of Togden (a title meaning "endowed with realization") Ugyen Tendzin (1888-1962) who, at the end of his life, attained the "rainbow body." Described as the release of the physical body to the essence of the five elements leaving no material body after death, the rainbow body has been achieved by advanced Tibetan masters in the Dzogchen tradition. It is believed that the rainbow body is an immaterial body, invisible to the physical eye, that continues to exists, actively working for the benefit of all sentient beings.
Tendzin's nephew, author and Tibetan teacher, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, developed the book from extensive interviews with Tendzin and information received from one of his closest disciples. Written mainly in first person, as if Tendzin himself were retelling the events of his life, the book traces his childhood struggles and the circumstances which led him to his teacher Adzom Drugpa Drodul Pawo Dorje, one of the greatest Dzogchen masters of the last century. Describing the lessons and instructions Tendzin received from his master, the book ends with a powerful account of Tendzin's final days in 1962 when he was imprisoned by Chinese revolutionaries. Imprisoned in a small barn, he continued to practice the bodily movements, and breathing and mental concentration exercises his master had taught him, until his physical body "dissolved" into the rainbow body.
Synopsis
Rainbow Body: The Life and Realization of a Tibetan Yogin, Togden Ugyen Tendzin, presents the remarkable life story of Togden Ugyen Tendzin (1888–1962), a Tibetan yogin who in death achieved the “rainbow body,” the release of the physical body in the essence of the five elements and one of the highest spiritual attainments of Dzogchen, recognized as the supreme level of Tibetan Buddhism. His nephew, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu, one of the greatest living masters of Dzogchen, composed the book from his own recollections of his uncle as well as direct quotes from talks with the great yogin himself and his disciple Sala Karma Samten. The book traces the yogin’s childhood struggles, the circumstances that led him to his teacher, the eminent Adzom Drugpa, and his difficult path to self-realization. Finally, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu relates the story of Ugyen Tendzin’s death during imprisonment by the Chinese, when witnesses discovered that though his sheepskin robe still sat upright, his body was gone—a testament to its having dissolved into the rainbow body.
About the Author
Born in Eastern Tibet in 1938, Chögyal Namkhai Norbu is an internationally known Dzogchen Buddhist teacher and author. The direct descendant of the first Dzogchen Tibetan master of Tibet, Norbu spent his childhood receiving many teachings from masters of various traditions. In the 1960s he was invited to teach in Italy. During his career he wrote many books on Tibetan culture and Dzogchen Buddhism. He is the founder of two nonprofit organizations including the Shang Shung Institute, which is dedicated to the preservation of Tibetan culture.