Phowa

Phowa is a Tibetan Buddhist practice that trains or directs consciousness to leave the body at death and reach a pure realm or favorable rebirth.

Amitābha: Amitābha is a Buddha associated with the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī and the aspiration for rebirth there. Many phowa instructions direct consciousness toward Amitābha’s pure realm.
Subtle body: The subtle body is a tantric model of channels, winds, and essences that underlies certain contemplative practices. Phowa’s visualizations often use subtle-body anatomy to describe consciousness leaving the body.
Nāropa: Nāropa was an Indian Buddhist master whose teachings became central to several Tibetan lineages. Tibetan traditions connect important phowa transmissions with Nāropa’s tantric teachings.
Death meditation: Death meditation is contemplative practice that reflects on mortality to prepare the mind for dying and impermanence. Phowa practitioners train before death so the visualization can be recalled under its pressure.
Sukhāvatī: Sukhāvatī is the pure realm of Amitābha, described as an ideal setting for attaining awakening. It is a principal destination envisioned in Amitābha-oriented phowa.
Prāṇa: Prāṇa is vital breath or energy in Indian religious and contemplative systems; Tibetan traditions commonly discuss related winds. The movement of subtle winds is connected with consciousness in tantric explanations of phowa.
Six Dharmas of Nāropa: The Six Dharmas of Nāropa are a group of advanced tantric practices transmitted in Tibetan Buddhism. Phowa is commonly taught among these practices or in their associated transmission cycles.
Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Tibetan Book of the Dead is a Western title for a Tibetan ritual text concerning guidance through postmortem states. Both phowa and the text address guidance at death, though they are distinct practices and teachings.
Central channel: The central channel is a subtle-body pathway in tantric Buddhist systems, often visualized along the body's midline. Some phowa methods picture consciousness rising through this channel and leaving through the crown.
Karma: Karma is the principle that intentional actions shape future experiences and forms of existence. Phowa’s promised favorable destination is understood within the consequences of karma.

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