gzhung chen bcu gsum gyi mchan ’grel

Rainbow Body of Great Transformation ('ja' lus 'pho ba chen po).

• When, through having performed the ultimate practices of the Great Perfection, a yogin is on the verge of dissolving his or her body into rainbow light, he may concentrate awareness on the tips of the finger nails (which are considered dead parts of the body). As with Vimalamitra and Guru Padmasambhava, doing so results in a body of light remaining visible for the sake of all sentient beings. This is the wisdom form called the Rainbow Body of Great Transformation ('ja' lus 'pho ba chen po). If the yogin chooses not to do this concentration, as with Chetsun Senge Wangchuk (lce btsun seng ge dbang phyug) (10th-11th cent.), his body will dissolve entirely into light. [MRKT-ShabkarNotes]