Transference (phowa)

Phowa (འཕོ་བ་, saṃkrānti/utkrānti) is 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 is one of Nāropa’s six yogas, but can also be found in many other lineages and systems of teaching, such as the treasure teachings of the Nyingma school. One of those treasures was revealed by Jigme Lingpa as part of the Longchen Nyingtik cycle, and is called Transference: Enlightenment Without Meditation. The practice needs to be done in conjunction with the guru yoga section of the preliminary practices (ngöndro).

The teachings advise that phowa for others should only be undertaken by someone who has reached the path of seeing. Nonetheless, as Patrul Rinpoche says "anyone who really knows the right moment to perform [phowa for the dead] can perform it at that very moment if they have a little experience of the instructions on transference. It is extremely helpful for the dying person and, like a traveller being put on the right path by a friend, has the power to prevent rebirth in the lower realms."[1][2]

Transference: Enlightenment Without Meditation, from The Heart-Essence of the Vast Expanse
Courtesy of Dodrupchen Monastery

 

The main practice is found in the treasure text by Jigme Ligpa, Transference: Enlightenment Without Meditation. Jigme Lingpa himself also wrote a short text with supplementary instructions that need to be recited when practicing phowa for someone else. Later on, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo wrote supplementary instructions that explain 1) how to practice the phowa for oneself , 2) how to practice phowa when within the framework of a guidance practice (nedren or jang chok) and 3) how to do phowa for someone who is still alive.

Patrul Rinpoche has given detailed teachings on the Longchen Nyingtik phowa in his famous Words of My Perfect Teacher. There is also a compilation or liturgy based directly on the instructions found there. Besides that, the two masters who have written actual arrangements or liturgies that can easily be put into practice are Adzom Drukpa and the Fourth Dodrupchen Rinpoche.

Tantric text warning

Readers are reminded that according to Vajrayāna Buddhist tradition there are restrictions and commitments concerning tantra. Practitioners who are not sure if they should read translations in this section are advised to consult the authorities of their lineage. The responsibility for reading these texts or for sharing them with others—and hence the consequences—lies in the hands of readers.

Practice Texts

Treasure text (ter zhung, གཏེར་གཞུང་)

Supplementary Instructions (tsam jor, མཚམས་སྦྱོར་)

Arrangements & Liturgies (chok-trik, ཆོག་ཁྲིགས)

Commentaries

  • Patrul Rinpoche, The Words of My Perfect Teacher, Part Three: The Swift Path of Transference, Chapter One, Transference of consciousness, the instructions for the dying: Buddhahood without meditation

    • English translation: The Words of My Perfect Teacher, Padmakara Translations (Yale University Press, Revised edition, 2010).

  • Khenpo Ngawang Palzang, A Guide to the Words of My Perfect Teacher, Part Three: The Swift Path of Transference

    • English translation: A Guide to the Words of My Perfect Teacher, translated by Padmakara Translation Group (Boston & London: Shambhala, 2004)

  • Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche, Longchen Nyingtik Phowa

    • While visiting the Sukhavati care centre in Germany, Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche presented extensive teachings on the practice of phowa according to the Longchen Nyingtik tradition, drawing upon the root terma text itself, as well as supporting texts by Jigme Lingpa and Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo.

Footnotes

[1] Adapted from https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Phowa

[2] Patrul Rinpoche, The Words of My Perfect Teacher (Boston: Shambhala, Revised edition, 1998), page 363.