Rainbows
Appearing in mind,
evident, bright,
not real,
not not real,
We are that Appearance,
Transitory bending light,
Energy transmigrating,
not really there,
not not really there;
We see clearly,
upon examination,
that we cannot really be
located, found, pinpointed,
never really here,
not there, not
anything whatsoever,
even though we think
that everything is real,
substantial and solid,
and permanent and
will be there tomorrow,
even though we can see,
tomorrow has never existed;
We are that Rainbow Light,
even though, even though,
even though we have
forgotten,
forgotten our
Illusory Consciousness,
Our fictitious first confusion,
Our
Substance-less-ness.
A poem by Robert Aho © 2026
This notion that we become realized beings and are able to become rainbow light has always intrigued me. Certainly, with Spiritual Practice, eventually all things become possible; however, it is very hard to imagine someone suddenly breaking down all the components of their body into pure energy, something akin to rainbow light. I’m not so certain that this sort of thing should even be any type of goal or concern, as it does not seem to provide any practical solution to our endless confusion. This notion does, however, provide something rather intriguing for the imagination.
When we look at any rainbow or rainbow light, it appears to be real, even though there is absolutely no way to locate or verify the existence of that. It is an appearance that occurs due to various causes and conditions related to light passing through water or ice crystals in the air. When this happens, the light spreads out into various wavelengths that are sensed by our eyes. We think it’s real. We take pictures as we ooh and aah. Our behavior corresponds to this illusion, this appearance of light behaving in unexpected ways. Some people think that this is a miracle or a fulfillment of promises from divine sources.
Our life is the same as a rainbow. Various causes and conditions have made it possible for us to have a physical body, along with a mind sort of loosely inhabiting that. We think we are real, even though we may not have actually learned just what the Nature of Mind is doing here in this circumstance. If we haven’t investigated mind, then we are completely clueless.
When we look at mind, we can’t locate that. When we very carefully look at our physical body, we start to realize that it is an amalgamation of energy and particles that sort of cascade into oblivion. We don’t stay the same from one moment to the next. Nothing about us ever stays the same. We aren’t even able to pinpoint a moment where we are aware of what is happening in that moment. Even time becomes an illusion; so, we are trying to understand something in an illusory field of time, while being able to see that it never stays the same within that illusion. Our confusion is expected, because we are an illusion within an illusion, within an enigma, within an endless cycle that has neither beginning nor end.
If that little mind bender doesn’t give you reason to Awaken, nothing will!
People fall into the trap of thinking that they are nothing sometimes when they begin to meditate. This is because people think that an illusion is nothing, similar to a hallucination or a dream. What they fail to recognize is that illusions appear to mind in such a way that they seem real. By simply believing that they are nothing will not bring the slightest bit of benefit. Nihilism is an extreme view that jumps to conclusions that cannot help us in the least, just as our materialistic paradigms have never helped us. Only Awakening to reality will help us.
People might say, “well, if we’re not real, why should we bother?” That’s a very good question. Why should you bother when you think all your problems are real and everything causes angst? Your endless suffering has served you so well. By suddenly calling it nothing, maybe that will help! But who would you help? Some people find comradery with people who repeat nothingness slogans, telling each other that they don’t exist, that nothing exists. Maybe that would help!
Of course I am being sarcastic. I don’t think joining some sort of spiritual comedy troupe would help in the least! What we really need to do is see things as they really are by discovering our real nature, then Awakening. When we Awaken, we can’t make any sort of assertion about anything whatsoever. We discover that reality is inexplicable. There’s nothing that we can say about it that can be encapsulated by belief or concept. When we cling to various notions about reality, we are trying to hold onto rainbow light. It’s a fool’s errand!
Reality is not something we can ever reify, even though we do this all the time with our relative points of view and beliefs. When we look at mind, we see how everything is unlocatable. We see the impermanence of existence. We see our energetic condition that is very similar to rainbow light. In reality, we don’t turn into rainbow light, we’re already that way. We’re already an impermanent miraculous illusion. Everything is amazingly magical!
Awaken to discover!
Blessings of Source,
Rigdzin Robert Aho
Robert Aho is the author of Timeless Luminosity and The Frog: A Spiritual Autobiography, Spanning Many Lifetimes. Both books, written after his death experience, give advanced spiritual advice regarding the complete Spiritual Path, inspiration for living each day and words of encouragement, with the intention of helping people to stay committed to their Spiritual Path, as well as preparing for death. This ultimately leads to discovering your own unlimited power within, which leads to Awakening. Both books are available on Amazon, Zenith Bookstore, as well as various other sources.