Rainbow Body
A Conversation with Father Francis Tiso, Dr. Nida Chenagtsang,
and Ian Baker
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“Rainbow body”, the dissolution of the coarse aspects of the physical body into five-colored light represents the highest level of spiritual attainment, complete liberation of body, energy, and mind. According to Vajrayana Buddhism, this is attainable only by the great yogi/nis who have mastered their minds and the five elements through particular techniques, most notably, the “Great Perfection” practices of Dzogchen and represents complete liberation of body, energy, and mind. While the rainbow body phenomena is most known about and discussed in Vajrayana teachings, this mystical phenomenon was also mentioned historically in different spiritual traditions.
In this cross-cultural dialogue, Francis Father Tiso, Catholic priest and noted authority on the rainbow body will share his research and perspectives on this extraordinary topic, dialoguing with Dr. Nida Chenagtsang, lineage holder of the Yuthok Nyingthig, spiritual tradition of Tibetan physicians, founded by the great rainbow body master, Yuthok Yönten Gönpo. This conversation will be moderated by Ian Baker, author and expert on Tibetan yogic practices.
Father Tiso is a priest of the Diocese of Isernia-Venafro, Italy, where he now serves as chaplain to the migrant communities in the Province of Isernia. He is President and Founder of the Association Archbishop Ettore Di Filippo, which serves migrant and vulnerable populations in the Province of Isernia. He is Diocesan Delegate for Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs and former rector of the Istituto Diocesano delle Scienze Religiose (1989-1993).
Father Tiso has written and lectured widely, and is author of Liberation in One Lifetime (2014) and Rainbow Body and Resurrection (2016), two books on Tibetan studies. He is the recipient of grants from the American Academy of Religion, the American Philosophical Society, the Palmers Fund in Switzerland, and the Institute of Noetic Sciences in Petaluma, CA.
Dr. Nida Chenagtsang is a traditional Tibetan physician and lineage holder of the Yuthok Nyingthig, the unique Vajrayana Buddhist spiritual healing tradition of Tibetan Medicine. He has published several books and articles on Tibetan medicine, meditation, and yoga, and his extensive research and revival of ancient Tibetan healing methods has earned him great acclaim in both East and West. Dr. Nida, co-founder of Pure Land Farms is the Medical Director of Sorig Khang International and the Sowa Rigpa Institute: School of Traditional Tibetan Medicine. In addition to his work as a physician, he trains students in Sowa Rigpa and the Yuthok Nyingthig tradition in over forty countries around the world.
Ian Baker is a Himalayan and Buddhist scholar and author of seven books on Tibetan cultural history, environment, art, and medicine including The Heart of the World, The Tibetan Art of Healing, The Dalai Lama's Secret Temple, and Tibetan Yoga: Principles and Practices. He is a fellow of the Explorers Club and was recognized by National Geographic Society as one of seven 'Explorers for the Millennium' for his ethnographic and geographical field research in Tibet's Tsangpo Gorge and his team's discovery of a waterfall that had been the source of myth and geographical speculation for more than a century. He holds advanced degrees in Literature, Medical Anthropology, and History, and undertook prolonged meditation retreats in the Himalayas under the guidance of some of the greatest luminaries of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, including Chatral Sangye Dorje Rinpoche, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, and Jigdral Yeshé Dorje Rinpoche. He was curator of the 2016 exhibition
'Tibet's Secret Temple: Body, Mind and Meditation in Tantric Buddhism’ at London’s Wellcome Collection, and continues to serve as a consultant for museums and other projects in the field of Himalayan and Tibetan art, culture, and contemplative practice.
100% of donations for this live event supported Father Tiso’s humanitarian activities in the province of Isernia, Italy:
”Since my return to the Diocese of Isernia-Venafro, (after my service at the US Conference of Catholic Bishops was concluded in 2009), I was assigned to pastoral work in towns suffering from unemployment. In recent years, the population statistics are in free fall. Starting in 2016, over 1300 migrants from Africa and the Middle East were assigned to substandard structures in the area. The complex procedures for legalizing their presence on the grounds of international protection or asylum have resulted in the rejection of hundreds of requests, with little hope for recourse. I founded an association to provide humanitarian assistance, to offer courses in cultural integration, and to guide orientation in employment parameters of the EU. During the COVID19 lockdowns, we delivered food and necessities on a regular basis to isolated groups of migrants living under appalling conditions. In recent months, we have housed migrants expelled from their camps, and have raised funds to legalize the position of a number of those whose documents had expired. In addition, the association is assisting unemployed local families and needy elderly persons. We receive no funding from public institutions: everything depends on donations, which go entirely into the work of humanitarian care.”
- Father Francis Tiso
