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For the Moment of Death
Yeshe Tsogyal Phowa, the Path of Transference
Seven-Day Retreat with Lama Yeshe Wangmo
March 20-27, 1999 at Peace Valley Retreat Center
on 70 acres of forest at Caddo Gap, Arkansas
The art of dying is of great importance in the Buddhist tradition which views death as a valuable opportunity for gaining enlightenment. Phowa literally means "to move from one place to another" and in this context refers to the meditative practice of directing our immediate awareness at the moment of death towards a favorable level of consciousness. Guru Rinpoche described phowa as "buddhahood without meditation" because unlike other practices, it does not require a long training period. Signs of proficiency are achieved within seven days, and sometimes in just one session.
There are many traditions of phowa with their own methods and standards of practice. The Yeshe Tsogyal phowa cannot be learned from a book. It must be taught by a qualified spiritual teacher and practiced under supervision until the signs of attainment are visible. Once mastered, it is repeated twice a year for the practitioner's benefit and can also be practiced limitlessly for others who have died, with no danger to the practitioner.
Eager students await the arrival of Lama Wangmo.
The retreat began with a Yeshe Tsogyal empowerment.
The wisdom dakini Yeshe Tsogyal is the great consort of dynamic space, the mother of all buddhas.
Each day began with a morning teaching session on the phowa instructions and the bardo teachings that explain the preparation for death, the process of dying, and the experiences after leaving the body.
Our beautiful altar.
Morning teachings were taken quite seriously by all, but Lama Yeshe Wangmo always knew when a little humor was needed.
At the conclusion of morning teachings, there were two practice sessions of ninety minutes each, with a lunch break in
between. The practice sessions were done privately in a secluded outdoor location on Peace
Valley's beautiful grounds.
Susan Waters, the owner of Peace Valley, and Lama
Yeshe Wangmo hold the statue of Yeshe Tsogyal.
The group spent evenings studying "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying" by Sogyal Rinpoche
and "Natural Liberation," Padmasambhava's teachings on the Six Bardos. Retreatents also
read and discussed a Phowa teaching by Lama Tharchin Rinpoche.
When our retreat came to an end, Lama Wangmo conducted a fire puja to bless
retreatents and the land. It brought to conclusion the first week-long
retreat sponsored by EBS.
One of Peace Valley's most colorful (and loudest) residents always put on a show for us
and was there to bid us farewell at the end of our retreat weekend.