Dr Asa Heshoff

Healing the Full Spectrum of You

Rainbow Body 3: Light Body Myths

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Some of the most powerful ideas and effective tools for personal growth and evolution come to us from ancient sources—sources that maintain their vitality and meaning to the present day. But time marches forward, bringing massive displacements of populations, radical changes in cultural patterns and beliefs, shifts in power, and discoveries in science that change the entire face of society. Those ancient truths inevitably become mixed with mundane concepts, and the confused hopes and dreams of frail humanity. The handing down of sacred information is indeed a tough proposition and much can be lost or missed in translation. So, in investigating any spiritual idea, it is good idea start by examining the modern myths that become attached to it.

The possibility of developing a Rainbow or  Light Body from our physical organism is a profoundly important ancient truth that has come out of hiding in recent decades. This biophotonic structure can survive beyond the material organism, acting as a vehicle for a transformed consciousness—a luminous sphere of existence. But in the short time that it has come onto the radar, it has acquired a share of mistaken views. While there may not be any definitive cross-cultural compendium on the ins and outs of Light Body, some things can be stated clearly. And since modern biophysics is only now catching up with the reality of a luminous body, we must rely on the extensive historical evidence, written records, and teachings of past masters of Light Body technology. Based on that knowledge, we can look at seven current myths around the reality, development, and nurturing of Light Body.

1. It doesn’t exist

For reasons both mundane and profound, many people have never heard of a Light Body, or that it is part of our human potential. Others, faced with this remarkable new information for the first time, may experience an inner resistance coming from religious, logical, social, scientific, or cultural concerns. It is a radical piece of knowledge after all, and one that may threaten one’s entire worldview or alter the course of one’s life. We all know that fixed belief systems can can be an absolute barrier to new information, even in the face of convincing evidence. Within the Vajrayana tradition, for example, that evidence is clear. There a dozens of well-documented cases of Light Body development over the last 50 years, and thousands of stories of such attainment over a dozen centuries. The cross cultural and panglobal occurrence is further confirmation, as Rainbow Body tales fill the annals of Christian, Sufic, Daoist, Shaivite, and other spiritual traditions.

2. You already have one

Just open your browser. A search for Light Body reveals a confusing and often bizarre array of websites, videos, and associated persons who talk about “activating” an already present Light Body. It is there for the taking. All that is needed is the right method to “graduate from the human condition” to quote one front page YouTube video. Such teachings use all the appropriate buzzwords, including prana, breathing, high vibrations, bipohotons, and scores of others. Generally, the idea is based on “ascension,” an originally Christian concept that has been equally co-opted in the soup of ideas called New Age. Visualizations, sacred geometry, mantra, and various other forms of meditation are all valid in the right context. Creating a salad of many pieces taken from ancient Eastern, Shamanic, and Western traditions is an interesting exercise in eclecticism. The problem is that, from the practical perspective, it is a false promise.

But how to discriminate between well-meaning but impotent teachers and imaginary paths, versus real schools of inner development?  Knowledge is a good first defense. A good litmus test is simply a broad study of the philosophy, religion, and spiritual trainings that have persisted for millennia. It is clear that nowhere are there indications of a “quick fix” to the problem of the human condition or the possibility of illumination. On the contrary, according to meditative and contemplative traditions of India, China, Tibet, and the Christian West, it is a life-long, difficult climb. Indeed, according to reincarnational traditions, it is likely to take innumerable lifetimes to accomplish. Also, nowhere do we see “results” from these methods. On the contrary, most who claim to be teachers of Light Body are dimmer than a 25 watt light bulb! Nor are their students disappearing into luminous spheres at last count. This is not an entirely innocuous kind of misdirection. Misleading people from the doing work that will bring gradual, but real results is considered to be the most serious spiritual “crime” one can commit. But from our own part, abandoning naivety and gullibility, and learning discriminating wisdom is a huge task, but one that each of us must undertake.

3. Only (substitute your religion) can obtain this

During a recent conference at which I gave a presentation, I discussed the worldwide history of the Light Body. I was surprised when a well-known Tibetan teacher objected to this panglobal approach, intimating that this was an exclusive possibility of Tibetan Buddhist lamas. Like every other field of expertise, there tends to be bias. Whether it is a sports team, a lifestyle, a health regimen, or a fashion trend, our preferences color one’s perception. But when it comes to issues that affect the whole of humanity, clearly no one culture has an exclusive right to inner transformation. Again, the evidence is present in the literature, art, and living traditions of Rainbow Body formation in cultures around the world. Anyone, anywhere is a candidate, if they understand the goal and get to work on it. In Buddhism, recognizing this extraordinary possibility is what turns a mundane existence into a  “precious human birth.”

4. Light Body is “all or nothing”

This is a strange one. Spiritual traditions, such as the Tibetan Vajrayana, speak about and explain the necessary methods to progress along the path to Rainbow or Light body. But there is very little (if any) discussion about what happens along the road to that lofty goal. The point is that there is a progression, actually a growth and accumulation of change within the bio-energetic, cellular and atomic structure of the individual. This is one of the main reasons that it takes, at the best of times, several decades to complete the process. Some types of progress can be lost over time if they are not nurtured. Yet if a certain threshold of development is reached, permanent changes in an individual’s biofield structure can occur. Such changes will be accompanied by a variety of new functions and experiences. In Sanskrit these are called siddhis, and include what we normally call clairvoyance, astral projection, and fresh insights into the nature of life and mind itself. Perceiving one’s own or another’s stage or state, but the oral tradition and a living teacher can make such assessments. In other words, Light Body is like any other organic growth process. It is incremental, not like a light bulb being switched on.

5. Light Body is the answer to life’s problems

This important issue does not just relate to Light Body, but to spirituality altogether. A simple way to understand this is the profound statement: “Psychological and spiritual development are two parallel, non-intersecting lines.” Life’s problems, our stresses, anxieties, depressions, struggles, worries, weaknesses, and failings don’t magically dissolve with spiritual practices such as mantra and meditation. Spiritual development does not equal development of character or psychological health or maturity. The not uncommon occurrence of highly dysfunctional spiritual teachers (and students) should be clear enough evidence of this. Yes, mindfulness may come in handy as a form of psychological observation and insight. But it, too, can become a form of “spiritual bypassing” in which one avoids addressing the deeper issues, traumas, and behavioral patterns that have been programmed into us, or the maladaptive ways we have learned to cope. Fortunately, this problem was much greater in the East, where going into the mountains for 20 years was an option. Being in the nitty gritty of life is a more effective way to create Light Body, while simultaneously developing the character strengths, compassion, open heart, tolerance, and true grit that is required for a successful and fulfilling life.

6. Results are forthcoming . . .

Most practitioners learn the hard way that this process takes time. Not a weekend seminar, not an online summit, but prolonged and often difficult work. At the same time, this may be the easiest way to spot false paths to Light Body and misleading spiritual roads in general. To paraphrase the great Western mystic, G. I. Gurdjieff, it takes at least 10 years to truly master any language or to learn an art or skill fully, such as being a professional cook, designer, carpenter, and so on. And it requires at least double that to gain expertise in scientific or professional fields, such as a researcher, doctor, lawyer, financier, psychologist, and so on. Could gaining mastery over the energy body and achieving the highest goal attainable for a human being take any less than the devotion of a lifetime?

7. It’s impossible—not!

At this point we seem to have painted a picture of an arduous slog up a lonely mountain. But if we leave it there, we are in danger of perpetuating our own myth—that Light Body is only attainable by spending the rest of this century in a Himalayan cave. Not to worry. Although the signs and expression of progress toward Light Body may not always apparent, things do move along. In this natural progression, there is no rigid guidebook by which we can keep score. Moreover, there are many past stories of those who seems quite ordinary, humble, or inconsequential individuals who attained luminosity at death, leaving only their clothes, hair, and fingernails behind. Many others achieve their full fruition only after death, in the bardo state beyond this life. There is a point during one’s development when one crosses a point of no return, after which one’s light development is not lost, but carries over into the next life. But more than this, because of infallible karma, no sincere effort is lost during our time here. Slowly and steadily, with effort, our cellular structure changes, our brilliance accumulates and becomes a fit vehicle for a much greater consciousness. It is just a question of taking the next step, one day at a time . . .

Rainbow Body 1: Science Meets Light

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When Science meets spirit

When Fritz-Albert Popp first discovered that all living cells emit light—biophotons—he could not have anticipated the revolution this would create in the fields of both biology and physics. Since then, there has been a tidal wave of research and the emergence of the pioneering fields of biophotonic diagnosis,  biophysics, biofields and biomagnetism. Yet one of the greatest implications of this body of knowledge is a convergence of science and spirituality that was previously not possible. This directly impacts our understanding and practice of Vajrayana, and especially the enigmatic phenomena of the Light or Rainbow Body (Tibetan: ö-lu and ja-lu). Indeed, the  entire corpus of these ancient teachings moves towards LB creation, which we  define here as a separate, non-physical bioenergetic or photonic form. It is a light structure that can survive beyond the material organism, acting as a vehicle for a transformed consciousness—a luminous sphere of existence.

Light Body Gets Real

Recently this ultimate goal of the human state, long the “holy grail” for Western Vajrayanists, has received more attention in the public arena. A number of books have appeared validating the fact that the Rainbow Body is a real possibility, historically, and even into the modern era.  But it should be understood that this is a human potential, not restricted to any single culture or time period. Clearly it is a panglobal, transcultural reality, seen in Christian, Alchemical,  Japanese Shingon, Greek, Egyptian, Gnostic, Manichean, Kaballistic and Zoroastrian art and writings, that would fill many books to catalogue and compare. Some of these traditions are no longer extant, some have lost the key to their own meaning, while others have kept their secrets almost too well hidden. At this point, the most accessible and available LB teachings are held within the various schools of Buddhist Vajrayana. These living lineages, hermetically sealed in Tibet, Bhutan and the Himalayas for a millennia, have now been disseminated across the globe. Less well studied but equally effective are the Shaivite (Hindu) and Daoist systems that also provide unique missing pieces of the grand mosaic of LB creation.

Why Science?

Having these well-worn traditional practices, designed to lead  us towards ja-lu or ö-lu, why bring in science or physics? The fact is that in spite of some fifty years of concentrated activity in the West, including multi-year retreats and high level trainings, we have not seen exclusive clubs of Light Body adepts proliferating in the West. This absence could be blamed on the still infant state of Buddhadharma in the West, on a lack of monastic facilities, on our busy lifestyles, or any number of social, psychological or cultural factors. But as I realized when I emerged from my own three-year retreat, stuffing 11th century concepts into a 20th century mind is liking putting square pegs in round holes. Even my few years sheltered from the outside world demonstrated that it is not just the content of mind that changes over time, but its very architecture (relative mind of course, not unchanging Ultimate Mind).

It is possible that what is needed is a new paradigm. It has been shown time and again that when we understand why we are performing a task, we do it better on all levels. The introduction of hard science into our way of thinking and practicing visualization, mantric sound and internal energy manipulations may be the needed game-changer. It provides a rational framework for inner training, and promotes confidence in the reality of the mythological and symbolic instructions that we have learned to follow. Not to be confused with an intellectual, distanced approach, this knowledge can  help a practitioner make the all-important intuitive, living connection with their  meditation. The secrets that biophysics has made available to us are, in fact, messages of awakening.

In this and future articles we will touch on some of the incredible recent discoveries and how they might change and deepen our view and practice. A new paradigm may help resolve unanswered questions and ultimately aid in the creation of future Rainbows.

The Light of Life

Photons, the wave-particle nature of light, include all seven sections of the electromagnetic spectrum, including X-ray, gamma rays, radio waves and so on. In the body though, so called biophotons emitted by every cell are in the visible spectrum of light, though a thousand times too faint for our naked eye. For a photon, there is no time, and no distance, already making them enticing candidates for the properties of a Rainbow Body. Stored in the cell’s DNA, these messengers are the main communication network of body, connecting the cell parts, tissues and organs. Already they have been shown to regulate growth, differentiation and regeneration  of cells. Coherent biophoton fields could prove to be the basis of memory and even consciousness, as suggested many years ago by Karl Pribram, David Bohm and others.

The Light of the Brain

Biophotons are important carriers of information in the brain, along with well-known electrochemical signals—neurotransmitters and nerve impulses (waves of ionic depolarization). These biophotons cover the whole range of light, from near infrared to near ultraviolet, though we don’t yet know what different frequencies or colors of light mean for brain neurons. Remarkably though, the majority are towards the red end of the spectrum. In cross-species comparisons, we see that the more red-shift in biophoton emissions, the smarter the species. From rats to monkeys to humans, the more advanced animals produce more near infrared biophotons. The implications for meditation are profound, since major methods of light body formation in Tibetan, Daoist and Yogic traditions involves the Fire Element, solar energy and visualizing inner fire that arises from the gut and travel upwards and through the body’s energy channels.

It is also thought that quantum (atomic sized) information travels as coherent light along the fatty coatings of the nerves (the myelin sheath). This would make for a truly fiber-optic-like system of wiring within the brain. Photons also travel in the cerebrospinal fluid (CFS), that magic elixir that bathes the brain, and accumulates in its fluid-filled hollows, the ventricles. Here the fluid and photons connect to the pineal (third eye) and other nearby structures, where they interface with secretions like melatonin and DMT (the spirit molecule). This whole set-up is the perfect milieu for light-based consciousness, and a number of exciting models have evolved form this. The quantum hologram theory  is particularly enticing because is depicts as merely a local connection point linked to vast network of awareness that exists, simultaneous with light, outside the physical body. Naturally practitioners will reflect on the familiar human skull cup filled with nectar, so prominent in Vajrayana ritual.

Contagious Photons

A striking fact is that living things communicate with each other through photon emission. Plants can make other plants grow. Animals can induce sickness in others nearby, not through physical touch or contagion, but simply through photon radiation. Healers impact others through this same energy and information transfer.

Even more profound, it has been known for decades that there is something called “quantum entanglement” that applies to atomic particles, including photons. Once two or more photons are in resonance with each other, or “entangled,” they stay that way regardless of space or time. It is now shown that this applies to living beings as well. Imagine what this means in terms of the spiritual teacher-disciple relationship. One would also expect this phenomena to be implicit in empowerments and spiritual transmissions. It is also a biophysics explanation of why samaya—keeping these spiritual connections intact—is so important. A student who acts badly impacts the teacher in certain ways, as does the bad acting teacher. And both influence the entire intricate structure of the spiritual construct, for good or ill. Instead of the old “watch your P’s and Q’s” we need to mind our photons! This very much relates to the important Tibetan concept of “tendrel” or interdependent relationship in general.

An equally remarkable development is the re-discovery of the Primo Vascular System (PVS),  after being overlooked for 30 years. This system of microscopic channels, different than the lymph, blood and nervous tissues, qualifies as the actual tsa, nadi, or psychic channels utilized  within Vajrayana,  yogic and Daoist traditions of meditation. The microscopic PVS is everywhere, even following the course of nerves and the brain itself.

The Future of Photons

While we are endowed with a “free” physical form, a Light Body is not a given. It is only a potential, for those dedicated enough, and astute enough to realize its worth. Then it may truly become the “precious human birth” of Buddhist lore. Fortunately, we are equipped for this eventuality. Biophotonic research proves that if we simply visualize light, we create bursts of  photon emissions in the brain. We now have ways to measure the biophoton activity inside the body, but no studies have been done on someone in the very process of illumination and dissolution of their material body into ephemeral light. I invite you to be the first volunteer! For now, we can look at  the brilliant paths towards Rainbow that the great masters of the past have developed, and in what way biophysics can help us on this unique journey.

Coming Next….

In future articles we will talk about methods of Rainbow Body building and what biophysics can do to deepen our understanding. This will include:

  • Creation Stage: How yidam or deity meditation provides the structured template or framework for Light Body formation.
  • The extraordinary Completion Stage methods, especially Tummo, as a photonic implosion of the upper and lower poles of the body and subsequent cellular dissolution.
  • How biophotons may help unravel the mystery of consciousness—and awakening.
  • What pure realms mean as stellar realities and abodes of the Light Body beings
  • The crucial role of the five elements and their transition to the pure five wisdoms.