Phowa · Tibetan: 'pho ba; Skt: saṃkrānti, utkrānti

Phowa (Tibetan ‘pho ba) is, in the words of the Longchen Nyingtik translation project, “the transference or ejection of consciousness at the moment of death, a practice which may be performed for oneself or on behalf of another.” It belongs to the Vajrayāna, and in the texts described on our main page the destination is usually Sukhāvatī, the pure land of Amitābha: the seventeenth-century master Karma Chakme’s commentary, for example, is on transference “to the Land of Great Bliss”.

Phowa reached Tibetans through more than one lineage. The Drikung Kagyu order traces “Transference” to the first of the Indian master Tilopa’s four special transmissions, which were later systematised as the Six Yogas of Nāropa. The Longchen Nyingtik project adds that phowa is also found in the treasure teachings of the Nyingma school, among them a phowa revealed by Jigme Lingpa. Karma Chakme himself says there are “many traditions” of transference in both the Early Translations and the New Schools.

The texts set firm limits. Karma Chakme writes that it is wrong to perform transference “before the actual time for death arrives”, whatever the circumstances, even “chronic illness or severe pain”, and the Longchen Nyingtik project reminds readers of the restrictions and commitments that go with tantric texts. Phowa is received from a teacher who holds the lineage; our guide to phowa sets out the lineages, the rite for the dead and who may receive it, without teaching the method. It is spiritual care, never a substitute for medical or hospice care. If you are reading this with thoughts of ending your life, please contact a doctor or a crisis line in your country today; for being with someone at the end, see caring for the dying.