Thu, 14 Sep 2006
Phowa Retreat
Next week I go off to get the phowa empowerment and teaching in Toronto. So you will have to amuse yourselves while I am away. Phowa is a practice that is done at the time of death to ensure a better rebirth. More than that, I can't tell you, because it's a secret practice, and you couldn't pull it out of me even if you stuffed crazed gerbils in my pants. Mr. Gordo has more to say on phowa.
In the Vajrayana, the Phowa practice is the most direct and the quickest path for one to achieve enlightenment. It is said that even the heaviest of sinners has a chance for enlightenment through the practice of the Phowa. "There are teachings for one to become enlightened, but I have a teaching (Phowa) that offers enlightenment without meditation", said Marpa, the great translator and the father of the Kagyu Lineage.
Toronto is a nice place to visit. I was there last year for the Perl Conference. My biggest concern is the damage I'll be doing to my credit card. The Dalai Lama will be at KTD during the same week, but since Kheno Karthar suggested I do the phowa, that's where I'll be instead. He led a phowa retreat himself last June, but I missed it because I was concentrating on my guru yoga practice. I guess he wants all his students to get on the phowa bus.
