Theos-Talk Archives (October 2001 Message tt00439)

In Sogyal Rinpoches mainstream Tibetan Bookof Living and Dying he also
suggests that the Phowa can be performed for those who have recently
died. Sogyal is dzogchen though no? He connects the phowa to the rainvow
seen at death as well...

Namaste

Nos



|-----Original Message-----
|From: Jerry S [mailto:gschueler@earthlink.net] 
|Sent: Sunday, 28 October 2001 1:35 AM
|To: Theos Talk; Theosophy List
|Subject: Theos-World Phowa
|
|
|<<<Jerry do you consider the Phowa of the Dzogchen a useful 
|practice? Cheers
|Nos>>>
|
|NOS, phowa (consciously projecting the mind to another 
|location and thus resulting in one's own physical death) is 
|from Naropa's Six Yogas (a Kagyu teaching), and is not part of 
|Dzogchen (a branch of Ningmapa).
|
|Phowa has two aspects: (1) directing your mind to a heaven 
|world as your body dies, and (2) directing your mind to 
|another physical body as your own body dies.
|
|I agree that aspect 1 is useful because the last thoughts at 
|death tend to influence experiences afterwards, just like the 
|last thoughts before falling asleep tend to influence dreams. 
|I don't subscribe to the second, although Judge is said to 
|have done this himself (Lobsang Rampa is probably the most 
|famous self-proclaimed phowa subject). Both, however, seem to 
|me to be a tad selfish, but thinking good thoughts and trying 
|to concentrate on love and compassion just before going to 
|sleep and just before your own death just seems like common 
|sense to me.
|
|Jerry S.
|
|
|
| 
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