What is Phowa?

Phowa is the transference of consciousness. This practice is done by friends, families, or masters, and allows one to die serenely. Practice one involves first bringing the mind home through meditation. Next, in the sky in front of the self, one invokes the embodiment of truth in a form of radiant light. Then, one focuses the mind, heart, and soul on this presence, and prays for purification of karma, forgiveness, a peaceful death, and a death that is a benefit to all beings. One then imagines the light penetrating the self to heal and cleanse negative karma. Now purified, one imagines the body dissolving into light, soaring to the sky, and merging with the light of the invoked. One remains in this state as long as possible. In practice two, one's consciousness is imagined as a sphere of light flashing out from the heart and merging into the light of the invoked. In practice three, the mind is merged with the wisdom mind of the invoked.