# Phowa > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Phowa > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Phowa.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phowa > Source revision: 1352204427 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Religious practice}} {{italic title}} {{Vajrayana}} '''''Phowa''''' ({{bo|t=འཕོ་བ་|w={{'}}pho ba}}, {{citation needed span|date=June 2019|text=[Sanskrit](/source/Sanskrit): '''saṃkrānti'''}}) is a [tantric](/source/tantra) practice found in both Hinduism and Buddhism. It may be described as "transference of consciousness at the time of death", "[mindstream](/source/mindstream) transference", "the practice of conscious dying", or "enlightenment without meditation"{{sfnp|Halkias|2019}} ({{bo|w=ma-sgom sangs-rgyas}}). In [Tibetan Buddhism](/source/Tibetan_Buddhism) phowa is one of the [Six yogas of Naropa](/source/Six_yogas_of_Naropa) and also appears in many other lineages and systems of teaching. Lama [Thubten Yeshe](/source/Thubten_Yeshe) taught on the subject of phowa that "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."{{sfnp|Yeshe|2011}} Outside of Buddhism "This controversial esoteric technique (Skt. utkrānti), by which a tantric practitioner is able to sever his connection to the physical body, goes by the Indian reference to 'yogic' or spiritual suicide.{{sfnp|Halkias|2019}} It is referred to in many [Saiva](/source/Saivism) scriptures, in one [Vaisnava](/source/Vaishnavism) [Samhita](/source/Samhita), and a handful of [Sākta](/source/Shaktism) [Tantra](/source/Tantra)s. == Application == The method can be applied at the moment of death to, according to Vajrayāna Buddhist belief, transfer one's consciousness through the top of the head directly into a [Buddha-field](/source/Pure_land) of one's choice. By so doing, one bypasses some of the typical experiences that are said to occur after death.Lingtrul Rinpoche. [http://www.kathokgonpa.ca/teachings-phowa.php Teachings on Phowa] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205133233/http://www.kathokgonpa.ca/teachings-phowa.php |date=2015-02-05 }}{{Citation needed|date=June 2019}} Example destinations are [Sukhāvatī](/source/Sukh%C4%81vat%C4%AB), [Abhirati](/source/Abhirati), Ghanavyūha, Aṭakāvatī, [Mount Potala](/source/Mount_Potalaka), the Copper-Colored Mountain ({{bo|w=Zangs-mdog dpal-ri}}), and [Tuṣita](/source/Tushita);Karma Chagmé 2000, ''Naked Awareness'', p.196 the most popular in [Chinese](/source/Chinese_Buddhism), [Japanese](/source/Buddhism_in_Japan) and Tibetan Buddhism is [Sukhavati](/source/Sukhavati).{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} ''Phowa'' is also performed by specialists ({{bo|w=’pho-’debs bla-ma}}) on the behalf of the deceased, as a post-mortem ritual.Halkias, Georgios. 2013. ''Luminous Bliss: A Religious History of Pure Land Literature in Tibet'', chapter 5. In the context of Western Buddhism, the practice of ''phowa'' has become well known in two groups widespread in Europe and the Americas: [Rigpa](/source/Rigpa_(organization)), which was founded by [Sogyal Rinpoche](/source/Sogyal_Rinpoche) in 1979; and [Diamond Way Buddhism](/source/Diamond_Way_Buddhism), founded in 1972 by [Lama Ole Nydahl](/source/Lama_Ole_Nydahl) and [Hannah Nydahl](/source/Hannah_Nydahl).{{Cite journal|url=https://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/2320/4085|title=View of Doing Religion in Phowa Courses: Studies on Praxeology and the Logic of Reflection in Courses on "Conscious Dying" in Diamond Way Buddhism | Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research|journal=Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research|year=2015|volume=16|doi=10.17169/fqs-16.3.2320|last1=Vogd|first1=Werner|last2=Harth|first2=Jonathan|last3=Ofner|first3=Ulrike Selma|issue=3}} == Signs of success == The mark of a successful ''phowa'' practice is a small drop of blood directly from the center of the vertex at the top of the head. To demonstrate a successful practice traditionally a Kusha-grass was pushed into the small opening created in the fontanel.{{Cite web |date=October 30, 2012 |url=http://www.gloje.org/en/phowa_dharma_auspicious_signs |title=Auspicious Signs of Perfect Completion of the Phowa Conducted by His Eminence Rinchen Dorjee Rinpoche |website=Gloje.org |publisher=Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center}}{{rs?|date=September 2022}}{{sfnp|Yu|1991|p={{pn|date=September 2022}}}} According to Khenpo Tsultrim Lodrö, the “mark of a successful ''phowa'' is that after death, there is visible hair loss, a bump or some yellow liquid seeping around the vertex” at the crown of the head.{{Cite web |first=Khenpo Tsultrim |last=Lodrö |date=12 October 2016 |url=https://www.luminouswisdom.org/index.php/publications/the-handbook-for-life-s-journey/2096-on-death-and-rebirth-how-to-face-death?readmode=1&tmpl=component |title=On Death And Rebirth-How to Face Death |website=www.luminouswisdom.org}} == Lineages == The main lineage of ''phowa'' is one of the [Six yogas of Naropa](/source/Six_Dharmas_of_Naropa), although other transmissions also exist.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} The [chöd](/source/ch%C3%B6d) subsumes within its auspices aspects of phowa [sadhana](/source/sadhana).Dudjom Lingpa, via Chagdud Tulku. 1985. ''Tröma: Treasury of Dharmata. (Chöd Text)''. Cottage Grove: Padma Publishing. p. 12, 17, 24, 29, 38, 48. The [Kagyu](/source/Kagyu) ''phowa'' lineage is from the Six yogas of Naropa. [Nāropa](/source/Naropa) received it from the Indian mahāsiddha [Tilopa](/source/Tilopa) and later passed it to his Tibetan disciple [Marpa](/source/Marpa_Lotsawa). Nāropa's teachings describe a second method of ''’pho-ba'' that entails the transference of one’s consciousness to another body ({{bo|w=’pho-ba grong-’jug}}). [Milarepa](/source/Milarepa)'s query regarding these teachings forced Marpa to search for explanatory treatises on the subject among his Indian manuscripts, and, having found none, to return to India to obtain more scriptures.Douglas, Nik and Meryl White. 1976. ''Karmapa: The Black Hat Lama of Tibet''. London: Luzac. p. 15. The [Drikung Kagyu](/source/Drikung_Kagyu) school of [Tibetan Buddhism](/source/Tibetan_Buddhism) is known for their phowa teachings. A major pilgrimage and cultural celebration is known in the Tibetan world as the ''Great Drikung Phowa'' ({{bo|w=’Bri-gung ’pho-ba chen-mo}}). This festival was traditionally held once in every twelve-year calendrical cycle, and its last observance took place in August 1992 in gTer-sgrom, Central Tibet, after a hiatus of 36 years due to a ban enforced by the Chinese authorities.Kapstein, Matthew. 1998. “A Pilgrimage of Rebirth Reborn: the 1992 Celebration of the Drigung Powa Chenmo”. In ''Buddhism in Contemporary Tibet'', ed. M. Goldstein and M. Kapstein, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 95-119. [Choeje Ayang Rinpoche](/source/Choeje_Ayang_Rinpoche) from Eastern Tibet belongs to the Drikung school and is an authority on Buddhist [afterlife](/source/afterlife) rituals; he gives teachings and initiations to the practice of ''phowa'' annually in [Bodh Gaya](/source/Bodh_Gaya), India.{{Cite web |first=Choeje |last=Ayang Rinpoche |date=February 7, 2007 |url=http://ayangrinpoche.org/an-introduction-to-phowa/ |title=An Introduction to Phowa |website=Ayangrinpoche.org |access-date=July 18, 2009 |archive-date=July 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725025422/http://ayangrinpoche.org/an-introduction-to-phowa/ |url-status=dead }} Some lineages of ''phowa'' include a rite of incision, or opening of the [sahasrara](/source/sahasrara) at the [cranial](/source/Human_cranium) [zenith](/source/zenith), to assist with transferral.{{sfnp|Yu|1991|p=249}} According to the Vajrayana teachings, the tantric phowa method is beneficial whether the being was spiritual or not, and can be practised anonymously. The ritual will be powerful if a Buddhist shows concern for the well being of the being.{{cite book |last1=Khyentse |first1=Dzongsar Jamyang |title=Living Is Dying |publisher=CC BYNC-ND |page=164 |edition=13 |url=https://www.toaikhanh.com/resources/en/Living%20is%20Dying%20Dzongsar%20Khyentse.pdf |access-date=23 August 2022}} == In Dzogchen == [[File:Buddha Amitayus in His Pure Land - Google Art Project.jpg|right|thumb|Buddha Amitayus in his Pure Land [Sukhavati](/source/Sukhavati)]] Those beings of lesser faculties and limited potential will not attain awakening during the [bardo](/source/bardo) but may transfer their consciousness (a practice called ''phowa'') to a [pure land](/source/pure_land) once they have arrived at the "bardo of existence". Once they reach this bardo, they will recognize they have died and then they will recall the guru with faith and remember the instructions.{{sfnp|Lingpa|2008|p=199}} Then they will think of the pure land and its qualities and they will be reborn there. In a pure land, beings can listen to the Dharma taught directly by Vajrasattva or some other Buddha. [Jigme Lingpa](/source/Jigme_Lingpa) recommends that one practice this in daily life as well. One way to do this is as follows: {{blockquote|when falling asleep at night, with intense concentration one must think: 'I am dying so I must recognize the stages of dissolution and go to the natural [nirmanakaya](/source/Nirm%C4%81%E1%B9%87ak%C4%81ya) pure realm!' Then, one will fall asleep envisioning the arrangement and qualities of the nirmanakaya realm. Between [practice] sessions, as mentioned earlier, it is essential to have developed the skill of training the consciousness that rides the winds.{{sfnp|Lingpa|2008|p=201}} }} Shugchang, ''et al.'', in an exegesis of the [Zhitro](/source/Zhitro), discuss phowa in [Dzogchen](/source/Dzogchen):
Phowa has many different meanings; in Tibetan it means "transferring consciousness." The highest form is known as the phowa of the [dharmakaya](/source/dharmakaya) which is meditation on the great perfection. When you do Dzogchen meditation, there's no need to transfer anything, because there's nothing to transfer, no place to transfer it, nor anyone to do it. That's the highest, and greatest phowa practice.Shugchang, Padma (editor); Sherab, Khenchen Palden & Dongyal, Khenpo Tse Wang (2000). ''A Modern Commentary on Karma Lingpa's Zhi-Khro: teachings on the peaceful and wrathful deities''. Padma Gochen Ling. Source: [http://www.turtlehill.org/khen/zhikhro.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080229105933/http://www.turtlehill.org/khen/zhikhro.pdf|date=2008-02-29}} (accessed: December 27, 2007)
== In early Indian yoga and tantra == The Sanskrit tantric text ''Mālinīvijayottaratantra'', a [non-dual Shaivistic text](/source/Kashmir_Shaivism) of the late first millennium CE{{Cite book |title=Hindu tantric and Śākta literature|last1=Goudriaan|first1=Teun|last2=Gupta|first2=Sanjukta|date=1981|publisher=O. Harrassowitz|isbn=9783447020916|location=Wiesbaden|pages=32|language=en|oclc=611685807}} includes a chapter on yogic suicide.{{Cite book |title=The yoga of the Mālinīvijayottaratantra: chapters 1-4, 7, 11-17|last1=Vasudeva|first1=Somadeva|last2=Institut français de Pondichéry|last3=École française d'Extrême-Orient|date=2004|publisher=Institut français de Pondichéry : École française d'Extrême-Orient|location=Pondichery|pages=437–445|oclc=57732856}} The yogic practice may be as old at the ''[Pātañjalayogaśāstra](/source/Yoga_Sutras_of_Patanjali)'' of Patañjali (325–425 CE{{Cite book|last=Maas|first=Philipp A.|chapter=A Concise Historiography of Classical Yoga Philosophy|url=https://www.academia.edu/3520571|editor-first=Eli |editor-last=Franco |title=Periodization and Historiography of Indian Philosophy |series=Publications of the De Nobili Research Library |date=January 2013|volume=37 |location=Vienna |publisher=Sammlung de Nobili|language=en|pages=66}}), where it appears to be mentioned in sūtra 3.39.{{Cite book |title=Roots of Yoga |last1=Mallinson |first1=James |author1-link=James Mallinson (author) |last2=Singleton |first2=Mark |author2-link=Mark Singleton (yoga scholar) |date=2017 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-0241253045 |page=373 |oclc=928480104}} == See also == * [Human skull symbolism](/source/Human_skull_symbolism) * [Mahāsamādhi](/source/Mah%C4%81sam%C4%81dhi) * [Tibetan Pure Land Buddhism](/source/Pure_Land_Buddhism) * [Tukdam](/source/Tukdam) ==References== === Notes === {{reflist}} ===Works cited=== * {{cite journal |first=Georgios |last=Halkias |author-link=Georgios Halkias |title=Ascending to Heaven after Death: Karma Chags med's Commentary on Mind Transference |journal=Revue d'Études Tibétaines |issue=52 |date=October 2019 |pages=70–89 |url=http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/ret/pdf/ret_52_03.pdf }} * {{cite book |last=Lingpa |first=Jigme |author-link=Jigme Lingpa |translator=Lama Chonam and Sangye Khandro |year=2008 |title=Yeshe Lama |publisher=Snow Lion Publications |isbn=978-1611807318}} * {{cite book | last=Yeshe | first=Lama Thubten |title=Life, Death and After Death |chapter=Chapter 6. Transference of Consciousness |publisher=Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive |year=2011 |chapter-url=https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/chapter/chapter-6-transference-consciousness | access-date=28 March 2021 |isbn=978-1891868252}} * {{cite book |last=Yu |first=Lu K'uan |year=1991 |orig-year=1969 |title=Secrets of Chinese Meditation: Self-Cultivation by Mind Control As Taught in the Ch'An, Mahayana and Taoist Schools in China |publisher=Weiser Books |isbn=978-0877280668}} ==Further reading== * {{cite book |last=Chagdud Khadro |year=1998 |title=P'howa Commentary: Instructions for the Practice of Consciousness Transference as Revealed by Rigdzin Longsal Nyingpo |publisher=Padma Publishing |place=Junction City, CA |isbn=978-1881847106}} ==External links== * [https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/powa-transference-consciousness-time-death Powa: Transference of Consciousness at the Time of Death] {{Yoga}} Category:Dzogchen practices Category:Tantric practices Category:Tibetan Buddhist practices Category:Tibetan words and phrases --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Phowa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phowa) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phowa?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.