The Dalai Lama’s Advice to Christians, Buddhist Meditation, and the Mystery of the Rainbow Body
Father Francis Tiso on Buddhism's appeal in the West, Christian contemplation, religious consciousness, Tibetan mysticism, and one of the most controversial phenomena in modern spirituality
Why are so many Westerners drawn to Buddhism? What has modern Christianity lost that contemplative traditions once cultivated? And what can Buddhist meditation teach Christians about attention, recollection, and the nature of consciousness?
Father Francis Tiso has spent decades exploring these questions. A Catholic priest, scholar of Tibetan Buddhism, and former advisor on interreligious dialogue for both the Vatican and the U.S. bishops, Tiso has studied in monasteries and retreat centers throughout Asia and met privately with the Dalai Lama.
In this conversation, he reflects on the growing attraction of Buddhism in the modern West, the decline of religious consciousness in secular culture, and the surprising similarities between Buddhist meditation and Christian contemplative prayer.
The discussion also explores one of the most controversial subjects in Tibetan spirituality: the phenomenon known as the “rainbow body,” reports of advanced practitioners whose physical remains appear to transform at death. Tiso explains why he believes the phenomenon deserves serious study and how it relates to broader questions surrounding mysticism, resurrection, and human consciousness.
In this conversation, we discuss:
Why Buddhism has become so attractive to many Western seekers
What the Dalai Lama told Father Tiso about Christian meditation
The similarities and differences between Buddhist and Christian spiritual practice
The phenomenon of the rainbow body and why it remains controversial
Whether mystical experiences point toward deeper dimensions of human consciousness
How interreligious dialogue can deepen rather than weaken Christian faith
This is a conversation about Buddhism, Christianity, contemplation, consciousness, mysticism, mindfulness, secularism, the Dalai Lama, religious experience, and the enduring search for transcendence.