TLC Transitional Life Care
A Vajrayana Buddhist education and support program offering spiritual resources for the end of life transition.
P'HOWA
The Practice of Ejecting the Consciousness at Death
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Scroll down to find a link for ordering phowa teachings by Chagdud Khadro on DVD.
About P'howa (Tibetan: འཕོ་བ་)
The profound practice of phowa is found in both Buddhism and Hinduism. In Buddhism, this method is traditionally learned and accomplished following the preliminary practices or “ngondro” accumulations that one completes after committing to the path. An empowerment transmission and teachings from a qualified lama are necessary to practice this, known as a way to eject the conscious from the crown chakra at death in order to take rebirth in a “pure realm”, such as Amitabha’s. Such a rebirth will allow the positive circumstances needed to continue one’s practice and attain realization with the motivation to benefit all sentient beings.
Phowa practice is understood to assist those who have not been able to accomplish the full trajectory of traditional methods to reach realization, or “rainbow body”, the aspiration requiring intensive, dedicated practice throughout a lifetime. It is never intended or utilized to shorten one’s life. "We have to choose the right time to transfer our consciousness; we’re not allowed to do it at the wrong time because that becomes suicide," taught Lama Yeshe Thubten Rinpoche. Phowa is taught and practiced in many lineages and systems in Vajrayana Buddhism. This method of transferring the consciousness through the top of one’s head directly into a “Buddha-field” bypasses some of the experiences said to occur during the “bardo of dying” and “bardo of becoming”.
The 42 Peaceful Deities in the Bardo
The Method
Of the five types of phowa, “The Phowa with the Three Perceptions” is the most common and is associated with the buddha realm of Amitabha. Examples of various pure land destinations are Abhirati, GhanavyÅ«ha, Mount Potala, the Copper-Colored Mountain, Tuá¹£ita, and Sukhavati, most aspired to in Japanese, Chinese, and Tibetan (Vajrayana) Buddhism. Some types of phowa do not display any “signs” of a successful practice, but typically, an accomplished practice is indicated when a drop of blood appears from the center of the crown at the top of the head.
The 58 Wrathful Deities in the Bardo
The highest form of this method is known as the phowa of the dharmakaya associated with the practice of “The Great Perfection” or Dzogchen. When you are qualified to practice in this way, one’s meditation has developed enough to recognize pure, or "pristine awareness'. At that point, realization occurs and phowa is no longer needed.
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Most often, Buddhists hope that their personal lama or teacher can perform phowa for them at the moment of death or shortly afterward. This can be arranged beforehand and is an aspect of preparing end of life documentation, such as writing a “Spiritual Directive”. For teachings about phowa from Venerable Lingtrul Rinpoche, go to TLC's "Audio Archive". Authorized senior students may also perform phowa for others. Phowa can be performed for anyone whether they are Buddhist, religious, or not, and will be a great benefit to them. For information about sponsoring this practice, go to TLC’s “Prayer Sponsorship” page.
