APPENDIX
B
Physical Resurrection and Incorruptibility
One of the more interesting aspects of Western esotericism is its relationship to traditional Western religious practices as born in the Middle East. While many countries and cultures have held a belief in reincarnation, it is in India, China, and Tibet where this doctrine has been most clearly elucidated and with whose teachings modern students of esotericism are familiar. Within these cultures, specific systems of philosophy developed, and along with them, practical methods of realizing the ideas presented. T h e majority of Eastern thought seems to look poorly upon the body, viewing it at best as a prison house for the soul, as something to be neglected, and even as outright evil. Despite this, there are schools of Indian, Chinese, and Tibetan esotericism that view the body as essential to personal development. These schools fall under the classification of Tantra and include practical experimentations in alchemy. T h e common thread among these schools is their belief in the realization of the diamond body, or the Body of Light, while physically incarnate or at the moment of death. This diamond body is created out of the energy that forms the very material substance of the physical body. Reports of the Body of Light have occurred in Eastern (tantric) schools until recently and state that all that remains of the physical body is some hair and nails. T h e process of "dissolving the Elements" takes several days, and upon completion bright lights or a rainbow are reported to