In Buddhist philosophy, enlightenment (Dzogkha: jangchub; Sanskrit: bodhi) is the ultimate realization of truth — the complete awakening of the mind from ignorance. It is the state in which one perceives all phenomena as they truly are: empty of inherent existence, luminous, and interdependent. In this awakened state, the individual transcends the dualities of self and other, birth and death, pain and pleasure.

The path to enlightenment begins with the cultivation of wisdom (sherab) and compassion (nyingje) — the two wings of spiritual awakening. Through meditation, discipline, and selfless action, the practitioner gradually purifies negative karma and dissolves the layers of delusion that obscure the mind’s natural clarity.

When realization ripens fully, the enlightened being experiences the union of emptiness and awareness, seeing the outer world and inner mind as one radiant, undivided continuum. This is the moment of liberation — when the individual is freed from the endless cycle of rebirth (samsara) and abides in the state of perfect peace (nirvana).

In the highest teachings of Dzogchen, practiced within the Nyingma and Kagyu traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, enlightenment can manifest in an extraordinary way known as the Rainbow Body (Jalu).

According to these teachings, when a highly realized practitioner attains complete mastery over the mind and dissolves all attachment to the physical form, the five elements (earth, water, fire, wind, and space) composing the body begin to transform back into their pure luminous essence.

• The gross body gradually dissolves, leaving behind only hair and nails.

• The body itself shrinks and radiates light of rainbow hues, symbolizing the merging of the physical with the spiritual.

• This process is not death in the ordinary sense, but the transcendence of matter into pure energy and consciousness.

While Buddhism does not posit a permanent “soul” (atman) in the conventional sense, it teaches that consciousness continues beyond the dissolution of the body. In the case of enlightenment or the rainbow body, the individual consciousness merges completely with the Dharmakaya — the all-pervading, luminous nature of reality itself.

Thus, one who attains this state does not “leave the body” as a soul would depart a vessel; rather, the body and mind dissolve together into light, revealing their true inseparability. The body remains only as a symbol of impermanence and transformation — the residue of matter after consciousness has returned to its natural, boundless state.

The rainbow in this context symbolizes the union of wisdom and compassion, the merging of all colors (aspects of reality) into one pure, radiant light. It also represents the subtle body of light that transcends form and yet manifests as beauty and harmony.

In Bhutanese and Tibetan traditions, the rainbow body is considered the highest sign of realization, attained by saints, yogis, and realized masters — beings who have completely purified their mindstream and realized the true nature of existence.

Enlightenment is not the end of life but the fulfillment of it — the awakening to one’s own innate, luminous nature. The rainbow body is a profound expression of this realization, where matter transforms into light and the individual merges with the infinite expanse of awareness.

In the Bhutanese spiritual worldview, such stories are not myths but living testaments to the depth of human potential — reminders that through pure devotion, meditation, and realization, even the physical can transcend into the spiritual, and the fleeting can become timeless.