Wearing the Body of Visions

by Ngakpa Chögyam

Ngakpa Chogyam Rinpoche describes the path of Inner Tantra in fresh, creative, contemporary language. We are offered a direct revelation of visionary transformation from the radical perspective of Dzogchen, in which the practice of envisionment is illuminated. The three spheres of being are brought to life as the dance of spacious passion and passionate space, as he exposes the heart-essence of the most dramatic the vajra relationship with the Lama; the iridescent nature of transmission and the non-dual fire of empowerment.

Genres: Spirituality, Buddhism

Paperback

First published September 1, 1995

Reviews

[Jig-zèd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ngakpa Chögyam so tenderly and magically reveals the heart of Tantra in the devotion and intimacies of the Vajra relationship. This book is a startlingly beautiful description and instruction of how envisioning, and wearing the Body of Visions is to wake up into a world of electrifying vividness, the reality to which we cast a blind eye with our confusion and make believe; an occluded safety net. More sincerely, it is a powerful transmission of the indestructible and radically transformative nature of devotion to the Vajra Master. Ngakpa Chögyam’s anecdotes, stories and profound clarification in these chapters breathes with the love and devotion he has for his own Lamas, speaking wild fire kindness into the Mind of any reader who is courageous enough to open.As the author says:
To receive empowerment is to be struck by lightning in the gentlest possible manner.
To be burnt by searing kindness, into nothing but what you actually are.
To be spontaneously immersed in a blazing world of light play for fractions of a second; or, for an eternity.
To be ferociously, yet delicately and tenderly, ripped open at the level of energy.
To be gutted like a fish, refurbished with a diamond heart, and set to swim in the clear stream of lineage.
To be perceptually dismembered, and sewn back together with the fabulous threads of commitment.
To wake up, softly startled, at one vivid moment in time.
To realise that you have been asleep; and, that suddenly you are both older than the earth, and younger than you can remember.

[Yatharth Agarwal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book doesn’t talk about tantra; it _does_ tantra to you.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even without ever meeting someone from the Aro gTér, it is fascinating and inspiring to read, having a sense that such practices have actually been lived by a community somewhere. Really strong writing too, very clear and enjoyable.

[SE Järekari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a mindblower. I am a quick reader but it took me some time - I wanted to keep breaks to let everything sink in. And it was worth it.

[Avana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am consistently touched by the quality of Ngakpa Chögyam's writing, and this book is no exception. Lucid, poetic, funny, and immediately practical, all at the same time.

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent elucidation of the reasoning and some practice behind the fundamental tantra practice of deity envisionment, written by a westerner with long experience and a large number of credentials in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism.

It starts out identifying tantra as requiring the perception of emptiness (though not non dual realization, by my understanding).

There is a great deal of stuff about emptiness and form that I found very helpful in application to my experience and practice as I approached and passed my first perception of emptiness, so from a "can I just do it with the book" standpoint it succeeds very well with these elements.

Practice elements relating to envisionment itself are not as complete, and in this case I agree (though I don't always) that transmission is a critical part of that practice. But taken in tandem with transmission and in the general sense of understanding why one would want to find a Lama and what might happen if you had one, this book is indispensable.