Light in the Land of Snow: The Rainbow Body of His Eminence Khenpo Achö Rinpoche, Part 2 of 2

In the late 1980s, in a secluded area near Lemo Monastery, His Eminence Khenpo Achö Rinpoche, a venerated Master of the Nyingma tradition, built a small dwelling and entered retreat. His attendants repeatedly observed that He did not use doors or windows but instead seemed to pass through walls when coming and going.

In the final days of August 1998, many unusual and remarkable signs appeared around Master Khenpo Achö Rinpoche’s retreat. A small, pure white bird-individual arrived from nowhere. Unlike ordinary bird-citizens, it showed no agitation or fear. Calm and composed, it allowed people to approach it closely. The little bird-person remained there for seven days. For an extended period, a subtle and enchanting sound could be heard, like the soft, melodious voice of a woman singing, gentle and flowing. Yet its source could not be determined.

Meanwhile, many local people witnessed streams of multicolored light on either side of the Master’s meditation dwelling, arching into the sky like rainbows. The disciples, too, experienced unusually vivid and mysterious dreams. Recognizing these signs, they understood that their beloved Master’s departure was near. At 2:00 p.m. on August 29, 1998, the Master passed away peacefully. Later that evening, at 7:00 p.m., the disciples began the customary Tibetan Buddhist rites for attending to the body of a realized Master. As they removed His clothing and prepared to dress Him in ceremonial robes, something extraordinary occurred.

In his 2016 book, “Rainbow Body and Resurrection: Spiritual Attainment, the Dissolution of the Material Body, and the Case of Khenpo A Chö,” Father Francis Tiso recounts his interviews with several close witnesses: Lama Norta, a nephew of His Eminence Khenpo Achö Rinpoche; Lama Sonam Gyamtso, a young disciple; and Lama Achö, a Dharma companion of the late Master.

They reported that a few days before Master Khenpo Achö Rinpoche passed away, a rainbow appeared directly above His hermitage. At the time of His death, He lay on His right side in the traditional “auspicious reclining posture,” showing no signs of illness. Calm and composed, He continuously recited the mantra “Oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ.”

Over the following days, the disciples observed that, even through the cloth, the body appeared to be gradually shrinking. At the same time, they reported hearing beautiful, unearthly music in the sky and sensing a fragrant, perfume-like aroma. Dozens of rainbows appeared in the sky after His passing. “And that went on for eight days. And then when they lifted the cloth, there was nothing there. Nothing.”

Father Tiso noted that one intriguing interview was with Lama Achö, who emphasized that the Rainbow Body can be realized during one’s lifetime as a living attainment, not only at the moment of death. It reflects a state of realization in which the body’s physical elements are already transformed into Light while the Master remains active in the world.