如何修持颇瓦法

BEFORE WE TALK about the actual practice itself, we need to look at
the history of the phowa teachings, from the Tibetan perspective.
There are two main traditions in Tibetan Buddhism: the Nyingma
(Ancient school) and Sarma (New school). Whilst phowa is practiced
in some of the Sarma schools, not all Gelugpas consider it to be an
authentic Buddhist practice. I’m not too familiar with their teachings
and therefore cannot say this for certain, I just know that one quite
famous Gelugpa master called Pabongka disputed whether phowa
was a truly authentic Buddhist practice. He said this because phowa
is usually presented as a ‘swift and direct path to enlightenment’,
even for people who have committed negative actions—this, he said,
is impossible.

讲实际修法之前，我们需要从藏传佛教的角度，看看颇瓦法教言的历史。藏传佛教有两大传统：宁玛（旧派）与萨玛（新派）。虽然部分新派传承修持颇瓦法，但并非所有格鲁派人士都认为它是正统的佛教修法。我对他们的教法不太熟悉，所以不能确切断言；我只知道，有一位相当著名的格鲁派上师帕绷喀，对颇瓦法是否真正属于正统佛教修法提出过质疑。他这样说，是因为颇瓦法通常被介绍为一条“迅速直接的成佛之道”，即使造过恶业的人也能如此——他说，这是不可能的。

The Sakyapas practice phowa, based on Vajrayoginī. However the
Sarma school that practices phowa the most is the Kagyüpa. Their
tradition originates with Marpa Lotsāwa who brought the phowa
teachings from India to Tibet based on the instructions that he
received from Nāropa. Phowa is one of the ‘Six Yogas of Nāropa’ that
are now widely practiced in the Kagyü tradition. The foundation of
these teachings is the tantric root text, Whispered Vajra Words.

萨迦派以金刚瑜伽母为所依修颇瓦法。不过，新派中修持颇瓦法最多的是噶举派。他们的传统源于玛尔巴译师；玛尔巴依据从那洛巴处领受的教授，将颇瓦法从印度传入西藏。颇瓦是如今在噶举传统中广泛修持的“那洛六法”之一。这些教法的基础，是密续根本文本《金刚耳语》。

The six yogas are the practices of tummo (inner heat), illusory
body, clear light, dream state, phowa (transference), and the bardos
(intermediate states). By practicing these six yogas, a practitioner
can reach the ultimate state of mahāmudrā (also called the supreme
siddhi or enlightenment) within a single lifetime. Firstly you practice
inner heat, then you progress onto the practices of illusory body and
clear light. These practices are skilful means that require ‘effort’
or reference point, and prepare the practitioner for the ‘effortless’
practice of Mahāmudrā, which is beyond doing and doer. To evaluate
your progress on the path, dream yoga is then practiced. Finally, in
case you were unable to accomplish all of those practices before you
die, and fall short of reaching the supreme siddhi of mahāmudrā
liberation, the practices of phowa and the bardos provide an
opportunity for you to attain buddhahood either at the moment of
death or in the intermediate states.

六法是拙火（内热）、幻身、光明、梦、颇瓦（迁识）及中阴（中间状态）等修法。行者修持六法，可于一生中达到大手印的究竟境界，亦称殊胜悉地或正觉。首先修拙火，随后进修幻身与光明。这些修法是需要“用功”或所缘的善巧方便，使行者为超越能作与所作的“无功用”大手印修持作好准备。随后修梦瑜伽，以检验道上的进展。最后，若在死前未能圆满上述修法，尚未证得大手印解脱这一殊胜悉地，颇瓦与中阴修法便提供机会，让你在临终时或中阴中成佛。

These six teachings are known as the ‘Six Yogas of Nāropa’ and
were transmitted from Nāropa to Marpa, from Marpa to Milarepa,
and so on in an unbroken one-to-one lineage for thirteen generations.
They are propagated today by some of the main sub-schools of the
Kagyü tradition such as the Drikung, Taklung, Kamtsang and
Drukpa. A few other minor Kagyü sub schools still exist in Tibet
that also follow these teachings and are very small in size, some no
bigger than a single monastery.

这六种教法称为“那洛六法”，由那洛巴传玛尔巴，玛尔巴传密勒日巴，如是以一对一、从未间断的传承，传了十三代。如今，噶举传统的几个主要支派，如直贡、达隆、噶玛噶举与竹巴，都弘扬这些教法。西藏也还有少数较小的噶举支派遵循它们；这些支派规模很小，有的不过一座寺院。

Marpa transmitted the phowa teachings to his four main
disciples. Based on the pith instructions that he received from
Marpa, Milarepa later wrote several texts on the practice of the
upper gateways through Khecharī. As a result, the Kagyüpa lineage
of phowa teachings spread widely in Tibet and has been practiced
now for several generations.

玛尔巴将颇瓦法教言传给四位主要弟子。密勒日巴后来根据从玛尔巴处领受的窍诀，写了几部通过空行金刚瑜伽母修持上门的文本。因此，噶举派颇瓦法传承在西藏广为流传，至今已有好几代人修持。

There are many different types of phowa practice including a
rare one known as, ‘the profound practice for transference of one’s
consciousness into another body’. Once, Milarepa had a vivid dream
in which a ḍākinī appeared to him, urging him to request Marpa
for the transmission of this special practice. Milarepa approached
Marpa soon afterwards and made the request. Marpa said that whilst
he had heard of the practice and had received the transmission of it
many years ago in India, he would need to check whether he had any
teachings on it. With the help of Milarepa, Marpa searched for many
days through all the ancient texts that he had brought back with
him from India, but couldn’t find any reference to it. He decided,
therefore, to return to India once more to request transmission and
instruction in the practice from his teacher, Nāropa.

颇瓦法有许多种，其中有一种罕见的修法，称为“将自己的心识迁入另一身体的甚深修法”。有一次，密勒日巴作了一个鲜明的梦，一位空行母在梦中显现，敦促他向玛尔巴请求这一特殊修法的传承。不久，密勒日巴便来到玛尔巴面前祈请。玛尔巴说，自己虽听说过此法，多年前也曾在印度领受过传承，但需要查一查是否还保有相关教言。在密勒日巴帮助下，玛尔巴花了许多天，翻检从印度带回的所有古老典籍，却找不到相关记载。因此，他决定再次返回印度，向上师那洛巴请求此法的传承与教授。

As soon as he re-joined his teacher in India, Marpa made the
request. Nāropa was very surprised and replied, “Why are you asking
me about transference into another body? Is it your own idea, did
you receive a prophecy, or did someone else tell you about it?” Marpa
then explained that it was one of his students, Töpa Ga (Milarepa),
who had wanted to receive instruction in the practice, after a ḍākinī
had visited him in a dream. Joining his hands together at his heart,
Nāropa then recited this now famous prayer:

在印度再次见到上师后，玛尔巴立即提出请求。那洛巴非常惊讶，回答说：“你为什么来问我迁识入他身之法？这是你自己的念头，你得到了授记，还是别人告诉你的？”玛尔巴便解释，是他的一个弟子闻喜（即密勒日巴），在梦中得到空行母指示后，希望领受此法教授。那洛巴在胸前合掌，念诵了如今广为人知的祈祷文：

Across the dark lands to the north,
Like the sun shining on the snow,
Is the one called Töpa Ga,
I pay homage and prostrate to him.

北方黑暗之国，
如日照耀雪山，
有名称为闻喜者，
我向彼恭敬顶礼。

According to legend, Nāropa then faced towards Tibet and
bowed down with his hands folded together at his heart; as he did
so, all the rocks and trees on the Pulahari mountain where he lived
bent that same way too.

相传，那洛巴随后面向西藏，在胸前合掌俯身顶礼；他这样做时，其住处普拉哈里山上的一切岩石与树木，也都朝同一方向弯下。

Nāropa did then transmit this teaching to Marpa but for whatever
reason, the practice never really became firmly established in Tibet.

后来，那洛巴确实将此教法传给玛尔巴，但不知何故，这项修法始终没有真正在西藏稳固建立起来。

The lamas say that teachings on phowa can also be found in
the sūtras, for example, the Prajñāpāramitā sūtra. These teachings
were transmitted by masters such as Padampa Sangye and Machik
Labdrön, who practiced phowa based on chö.

上师们说，经中也能找到颇瓦法教授，例如《般若波罗蜜多经》。这些教法由帕当巴桑杰与玛吉拉准等大师传承，他们以断法为基础修持颇瓦法。

In the Nyingma tradition the phowa teachings are mostly found
in the termas and not so much in the kama lineage. The source of
these terma teachings is Guru Rinpoche, the second buddha, who
was invited to Tibet by the Dharma-King Trisong Detsen, in order
to turn the wheel of the inconceivably profound and vast teachings.
Guru Rinpoche attained the highest level of realization, the
wisdom body of great transference. His powers were inconceivable—
he could turn a kalpa into a second, and a second into a kalpa. When
he turned the wheel of dharma, the number of teachings that he
gave, and the way in which he gave them, are impossible for minds
like ours to fathom.

宁玛传统的颇瓦法教言，主要见于伏藏，教传中相对较少。这些伏藏教法源于第二佛莲花生大师；赤松德赞法王迎请他入藏，转不可思议的甚深广大法轮。莲花生大师证得了最高证悟层次——大迁转智慧身。他的力量不可思议，能将一劫变成一刹那，也能将一刹那变成一劫。他转法轮时所传教法的数量，以及传授的方式，都不是我们这样的心所能测度的。

The main students of Guru Rinpoche, those who had merged
their minds with his wisdom mind, later appeared as the one hundred
great tertöns in order to benefit sentient beings of future times.
There’s not a single one of those tertöns who did not reveal some
form of phowa practice amongst their revelations. These teachings
are propagated by the tertön and within them, the ‘six lineages’ and
‘nine lineages’^[12] are perfectly complete, making them a tremendous
source of blessings.

莲花生大师的主要弟子，那些心已与他的智慧心融为一体的人，后来显现为一百位大伏藏师，以利益未来时代的众生。这些伏藏师所取出的伏藏中，没有一位不包含某种颇瓦法。这些教法由伏藏师弘扬，其中“六种传承”与“九种传承”^[12]圆满具足，因此成为极大的加持源泉。

This is a brief presentation of how the phowa teachings came to
Tibet and the different lineages that subsequently emerged. Lamas
always stress the importance of knowing the history of a particular
teaching. Why? Because if you know where a teaching comes from,
you will have more faith and trust in it, and your diligence and wish
to practice it will become stronger.

以上简要介绍了颇瓦法教言如何传入西藏，以及后来出现的各种传承。上师们总是强调，了解某一教法的历史很重要。为什么？因为知道教法从何而来，就会对它生起更多信心与信赖，精进和修持的愿望也会更强。

Let’s now look at why we need to practice phowa. Generally speaking,
the Sarmapas believe that the basis upon which we can achieve
enlightenment is the view. According to the Gelugpas, enlightenment
can only be achieved through a perfect understanding of the genuine
view of Madhyamika. The great charioteer and founder of the
Gelugpa school, Je Tsongkhapa, gave special instructions on this
path. He arrived at a perfect realization of the view after Mañjuśrī
appeared to him in a vision during one of his meditation sessions;
from that moment onwards, he was able to benefit sentient beings on
a vast scale through his dharma teachings and activities.

现在看看，我们为什么需要修持颇瓦法。一般而言，新派认为，成佛的基础是见地。依格鲁派的观点，唯有圆满理解真实中观见，才能成佛。格鲁派的大开宗祖师宗喀巴大师，曾对此道给予特别教授。在一次禅修中，文殊菩萨显现于他面前，此后他圆满证悟了见地；从那一刻起，他便能以佛法教导与事业，广大利益众生。

The ultimate point of the Sakyapa’s Lamdré (the path with the
result) is the indivisibility of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa. In the Kagyüpa
tradition, the highest teaching is Mahāmudrā (the great seal), while
for the Nyingmapas, it is Dzogpachenpo (the great perfection). The
ultimate view of Dzogpachenpo has two aspects—trekchö, the
practice of primordial purity, and tögal, the practice of spontaneous
presence.

萨迦派道果（道与果）的究竟要点，是轮回与涅槃无别。噶举传统最高的教法是大手印；宁玛派则是大圆满。大圆满的究竟见地有两方面：本初清净的彻却修法，以及任运自成的顿超修法。

If you arrive at a genuine realization of the view through any one
of these approaches, you will have reached buddhahood and there’s
no need for you to practice phowa. But if that’s not the case, then
you definitely need to. What’s more, if you want to help someone
who’s not a Buddhist, who hasn’t heard a single word of the Buddha’s
teaching, this practice can really be of benefit to them. It will also
benefit Buddhist practitioners who pass away before they’ve had a
chance to complete their path.

若依上述任何一种途径，真正证悟了见地，就已经成佛，无须再修颇瓦法。若非如此，就肯定需要修。此外，若想帮助一个并非佛教徒、从未听过一句佛法的人，这项修法也确实能利益他。对于那些未及圆满道业便已去世的佛法行者，此法同样有益。

Through the practice of phowa, we can purify all of our negativity
and reach the state of liberation instantaneously. Milarepa used the
following example to explain how this works: imagine there’s a valley
from which many rivers flow—if you block all the rivers except one,
the water will have no choice but to flow through that one channel.
The same principle applies to the samādhi of phowa—if you fully
direct your consciousness into the central channel and from there
eject it into a pure buddha field, you will be liberated, transference
will happen.

依颇瓦法修持，能够净除一切恶业，刹那到达解脱境界。密勒日巴用以下譬喻说明其原理：设想一个山谷，许多河流从中流出；若只留一条，把其余河道全堵住，水就别无选择，只能沿着那一条河道流出。颇瓦法的三摩地也是同一道理：若将心识完全导入中脉，再由那里射入清净佛土，便能解脱，迁识就会发生。

There are many stories about phowa. Once Milarepa was traveling
through the countryside with a group of cotton-clad yogis and they
decided to break their journey by resting in a small village along their
way. As they were arriving, a man from that village had just tried to
slaughter a sheep by stabbing it in the heart, but because he had
lost one of his hands, he failed to kill it in one strike. The wounded
sheep staggered towards the yogis bleeding profusely and collapsed
at Milarepa’s feet, where it promptly passed away. Milarepa was so
moved by the sheep’s suffering, he immediately practised phowa and
sent its consciousness directly to the pure buddha field of Abhirati.^[13]
He also felt tremendous compassion for the man who had just killed
the sheep and set about instructing him in the path of dharma. Later
this man was to become a genuine yogi.

关于颇瓦法，有许多故事。有一次，密勒日巴与一群身着棉衣的瑜伽士在乡间行脚，决定途中在一个小村落歇息。他们刚到时，村中一人正试图用刀刺羊心来宰羊，但因失去了一只手，没能一刀将羊杀死。受伤的羊流着大量鲜血，踉跄着走向瑜伽士们，倒在密勒日巴脚下，很快便死了。密勒日巴对羊的痛苦深感悲悯，立即修颇瓦法，将它的心识直接送往妙喜清净佛土。^[13]他对刚杀羊的那个人，也生起极大的悲心，于是开始引导他修学佛法。后来，那个人成了一位真正的瑜伽士。

In short, phowa is an extremely beneficial way to help people who
are unable to exhaust all their karma during their lifetime. It is a very
powerful and immediate way to help them.

总之，对于一生中未能穷尽一切业的人，颇瓦法是一种极有利益的帮助方式，力量强大而且直接。

Whenever someone died in Tibet, regardless of whether or not
they were a dharma practitioner, a lama would always be summoned
to practice phowa for them. Everyone would feel deeply reassured
if a lama was able to perform phowa; they firmly believed this was
the best possible way to take care of the dead person. The people in
Golok have tremendous faith in Dodrupchen Rinpoche—if he is able
to practice phowa for someone, they haven’t the slightest doubt this
person will be reborn in a pure buddha field. We once had a monk
called Lama Khorlo who stayed at our monastery, who came from
the Golok region. He told us that where he lived, people believed
that if Dodrupchen Rinpoche practiced phowa for someone, they
would immediately be reborn in the pure land of Khecharī.^[14] They
had not the slightest doubt about this. They said it was like being
granted a visa, once you get the visa, you can go there immediately,
without any difficulty.

在西藏，每逢有人去世，无论他是不是佛法行者，总会请一位上师来为他修颇瓦法。只要能有上师修法，大家就会十分安心，深信这是照顾亡者最好的方式。果洛人对多竹钦仁波切有极大的信心；若他能为某人修颇瓦法，大家就丝毫不怀疑，此人会往生清净佛土。我们寺院曾住过一位名叫喇嘛科洛的僧人，来自果洛地区。他告诉我们，在他的家乡，人们相信，只要多竹钦仁波切为某人修颇瓦法，那个人就会立即往生空行金刚瑜伽母的净土。^[14]他们对此毫不怀疑。他们说，这就像获得签证；一拿到签证，就能马上去，毫无困难。

The following story appears in the biography of Do Khyentse
Yeshe Dorje. Once Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje was traveling through
Tibet on his horse when he passed by two young boys who were
herding cattle in a field. When the two boys saw Do Khyentse pass
by, one of them said to the other, “Hey, that’s a really powerful
lama who just rode by. People say that if he practices phowa for
you, you’ll immediately be reborn in a pure land, without a shadow
of doubt. Shall we check him out?” One of the boys lay down on
the ground and pretended to be dead, while his friend covered him
with a blanket. The friend then ran after Do Khyentse and shouted
to him: “It’s terrible, you’ve got to come quickly, my friend has just
died! Can you come? Can you do phowa for him?” Without even
bothering to dismount from his horse, Do Khyentse let out a loud
and forceful ‘Phaṭ!’ and continued to ride on. The boy then ran
back to his friend and shook him saying, “It’s okay, you can get up
now. He’s just left.” But his friend didn’t move and his body was
cold—his consciousness had left his body, the phowa had worked.
The boy rushed back to Do Khyentse and confessed that they’d just
been playing, that his friend hadn’t really been dead. He pleaded,
“Can you bring him back?” But Do Khyentse shook his head and
said, “I’m sorry, I can’t help you there. I don’t know how to bring a
person back from a pure buddha field to the lower realms. I’ve never
received any teachings like that!”

多钦哲·益西多杰的传记中有这样一个故事。有一次，他骑马行经西藏，经过田野里放牛的两个男孩。男孩们看见多钦哲路过，其中一人对另一人说：“嘿，刚骑马过去的，是个很有力量的喇嘛。人们说，只要他给你修颇瓦法，你就一定会立即往生净土，毫无疑问。我们试试他，好吗？”一个男孩躺到地上装死，朋友给他盖上一条毯子。随后，那朋友追上多钦哲，大声喊：“不好了，请您快来，我朋友刚死了！您能来吗？能为他修颇瓦法吗？”多钦哲连马都没下，猛然大喝一声“Phaṭ！”，便继续骑马前行。男孩跑回朋友身边，摇着他说：“好了，你可以起来了。他已经走了。”可是，朋友一动不动，身体已经冰冷——心识离开了身体，颇瓦法生效了。男孩急忙追上多钦哲，坦白说他们只是闹着玩，朋友本来并没有死。他哀求：“您能把他带回来吗？”多钦哲摇头说：“对不起，这个我帮不了你。我不知道如何把一个人从清净佛土带回下界。我从来没有领受过那样的教法！”

I have been requested to teach you the practice of phowa according to
the terma lineage of Longchen Nyingtik. I think you’re all familiar
with the Longchen Nyingtik teachings, so I don’t need to say more
about them now.
In general, the terma teachings say that the root of all blessings is
the lama, the root of all accomplishment is the yidam, and the root
of all activities is the ḍākinī. In short, the three roots. Of these three
roots, phowa is mainly connected to the practice of ḍākinī. That is
why before you begin the practice of phowa, the deity that you are
instructed to visualise yourself as is that of a ḍākinī.

有人请我依龙钦心髓伏藏传承，为你们讲授颇瓦法。我想你们对龙钦心髓教法都很熟悉，现在就无须多说。一般而言，伏藏教法说，一切加持之根本是上师，一切成就之根本是本尊，一切事业之根本是空行母，简称三根本。在三根本中，颇瓦法主要与空行母修持有关。因此，开始修颇瓦法之前，教授要求你将自身观为一位空行母。

The text has been translated for you so please follow it closely as
I explain the practice to you. It begins with the title:

文本已经译给你们；我解释修法时，请仔细对照。开头是题名：

Transference: Enlightenment without Meditation from the
Longchen Nyingtik (The Heart-Essence of the Vast Expanse)^[15]

《龙钦心髓》（广大界之心髓）之迁识不修成佛^[15]

There’s a lot that can be said about the Longchen Nyingtik
cycle of teachings but in short they contain practices without
elaboration (the completion phase practices of trekchö and tögal) as
well as numerous types of generation phase practice that need to be
accomplished.

龙钦心髓法集有许多内容可讲。简言之，其中既有离戏修法，即彻却与顿超的圆满次第修持，也有许多种需要成办的生起次第修法。

It is clearly stated that by practicing phowa, you can reach the
state of enlightenment within just seven days. And should you
be unable to practice phowa yourself, an accomplished lama can
practice it for you and succeed in transferring your consciousness to
a pure land. This is why phowa is described as a practice that brings
‘enlightenment without meditation’.

文中明确说，修持颇瓦法，仅七天便能达到正觉境界。如果你自己不能修，一位有成就的上师也能为你修，并成功地将你的心识迁往净土。因此，颇瓦法被说成是能够“不修成佛”的修法。

It’s actually not so easy to reach full buddhahood! The sūtras say
that we need to purify our obscurations and accumulate oceans of
merit for three countless aeons before we can attain enlightenment.
According to the Secret Mantrayāna, we can reach the ‘unified state
of Vajradhara’, the ultimate fruition, in eight or sixteen lifetimes.
Whereas the utmost profound teachings of Dzogpachenpo tell us
that we can reach liberation within this very life, in the bardo of
the moment of death, or at least in the bardo of dharmatā—there’s
no talk of a next life in those teachings. In the pith instructions
of the Clear Light Great Perfection teachings related to tögal, it is
even said that a supreme practitioner can attain liberation from the
defiled aggregates within just three years, a mediocre practitioner
in six years, and a lower capacity practitioner in nine years. This is
how long it takes to reach buddhahood, according to those different
approaches.

其实，圆满成佛并不那么容易！经中说，需要在三无数劫中净除障垢、积集如海功德，才能成佛。依秘密真言乘，八世或十六世便能达到究竟果位——“金刚持双运位”。而最甚深的大圆满教法说，能够在此生、临终中阴，或至少在法性中阴中解脱；这些教法不谈来世。光明大圆满中与顿超相关的窍诀甚至说，上根行者三年就能从有漏蕴中解脱，中根六年，下根九年。依这些不同途径，成佛所需的时间就是如此。

Different explanations are given as to why phowa is referred to
as ‘enlightenment without meditation’ and I myself don’t know
which one of them is correct. Some lamas say that when you
practice phowa, your consciousness is instantly transferred to the
‘ground of liberation’, the dharmakāya, where you attain complete
enlightenment. Others say that your consciousness is transferred to
a pure buddha field from which you cannot fall back into one of the
lower realms—instead you slowly progress through all the different
stages of the path, like climbing the steps of a ladder, until you reach
the state of full enlightenment. Ultimately it’s the same, you also
reach buddhahood this way. These two explanations are given and
some lamas even say that both are true.

为什么颇瓦法被称为“不修成佛”，有不同解释，我自己也不知道哪一种正确。有些上师说，修颇瓦法时，心识刹那迁入“解脱之地”——法身，并在那里圆满成佛。另一些上师说，心识会迁往清净佛土，从那里不会再堕入恶趣；随后逐渐经历道的各个阶段，犹如一级一级登梯，直至圆满成佛。究竟而言，两者相同，因为这样也会成佛。有这两种解释，有些上师甚至说，两者都对。

If a powerful master practices phowa for you whilst he/she
remains in the state of the dharmakāya, your consciousness will be
transferred there too, and you will be liberated. In the Yeshe Lama
text it says that if you rest in the meditation of ‘the vision of rigpa
reaching its full maturity’ and direct your wisdom mind from that
state, you will have the power to liberate a few thousand beings.

若一位有力量的上师安住法身境界，为你修颇瓦法，你的心识也会迁入那里，因而解脱。《智慧上师》中说，若安住于“觉性量满之相”的禅定，并从这一状态中运转智慧心，就有能力解脱几千个众生。

When Penor Rinpoche offered the realization of his meditation
practice to Nyoshul Khenpo, he said that whilst he was not able
to benefit every single sentient being in existence, if someone died
whom he had a connection to, he was able to liberate them into
the primordial ground by resting in meditation and directing his
mind from that state. They wouldn’t have to wander in saṃsāra any
longer. Those were his actual words.
Even if your realization is not quite at that level, you can at least
ensure that somebody will take a higher rebirth in their next life by
practicing phowa for them. You can prevent that person from taking
rebirth in one of the lower realms. After he had practiced phowa for
someone, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo once said that even though he
was not able to send them to a pure buddha field, they had at least
taken rebirth as a monk in Tsang, and this would be a step in the
right direction on their path to enlightenment.

贝诺仁波切向纽舒堪布呈报禅修证悟时说，虽然自己不能利益所有众生，但若有一个与他结缘的人去世，他能安住禅定，从该状态中运转自心，使那个人解脱于本初基中，不再流转轮回。这就是他实际说过的话。即使证悟尚未达到那样的层次，至少也可以通过为他人修颇瓦法，确保他来世投生善趣，避免堕入恶趣。有一次，蒋扬钦哲旺波为某人修完颇瓦法后说，虽然没能将此人送往清净佛土，但他至少已在藏地的后藏投生为僧，这也算是在成佛之道上朝正确方向迈出了一步。

In the practice text of the Longchen Nyingtik phowa, it says:

龙钦心髓颇瓦法修法文本中说：

Homage to the expanse of the view!

敬礼见地之界！

Here, the ‘expanse of the view’ refers to the buddha dharmakāya.

这里的“见地之界”，指佛的法身。

This is followed by:

接着是：

The path of the clear light Great Perfection
Is the natural freedom of the dharmakāya, beyond objective.
Someone who captures this stronghold
Is beyond that which is transferred and the act of transference.

光明大圆满之道，
乃无所缘法身之本然解脱。
若能占据此坚固地，
即超越所迁与迁移之行。

If you follow the clear light path of Great Perfection, you have the
possibility to attain liberation in the dharmakāya, the ultimate state
that is free of any reference or focus; all thoughts and concepts will
be liberated and you will no longer need to wander in saṃsāra. If you
can seize this stronghold, your realization will be beyond any need
for transference. All of you here are students of a Dzogchen master
so I’m wondering whether I really need to teach you phowa—you’re
probably well beyond that! You only need to stare at the sun, with
your mouth gaping open…
Once the Fifth Dzogchen Rinpoche, Thubten Chökyi Dorje,
was visiting Golok and was invited to the home of a family whose
father had just died. The son thought that his father must have had
incredible merit since he passed away just as Dzogchen Rinpoche
arrived in their town. He offered Dzogchen Rinpoche half of all the
cattle and other animals that he owned and requested him to make
sure that his father would not be reborn in a lower realm. Dzogchen
Rinpoche nodded and said to the son, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care
of it.” The monk who was attending Dzogchen Rinpoche was very
impressed with the large offering the son had made and thought
that at the very least, Dzogchen Rinpoche should do some formal
practice for the father. But Dzogchen Rinpoche didn’t appear to do
any practice at all—he just sat down, drank some tea, ate the meat
and other delicacies offered to him, and chatted with the people who
had gathered there. After a while, he rose to his feet and announced,
“It’s time for me to leave”. The monk, however, couldn’t believe that
Dzogchen Rinpoche would leave without doing any practice, so he
went to check on the father. He looked closely at the corpse and sure
enough, could clearly see that hairs were falling out from the crown
of its head, a definite sign that phowa had been effected. If, like
Dzogchen Rinpoche, you know how to direct your mind through
the power of your meditation, you don’t need to practice formally.
But that’s not the case for most of us, is it?

若遵循光明大圆满之道，就有可能解脱于法身，达到无任何所缘或焦点的究竟境界；一切念头与概念都会解脱，不必再流转轮回。若能占据这一坚固地，你的证悟就超越了任何迁识的需要。在座都是一位大圆满上师的弟子，所以我在想，是否真的需要教你们颇瓦法——你们大概早已超越它了！你们只需张大嘴巴，凝视太阳……有一次，第五世佐钦仁波切土登确吉多杰到访果洛，受邀来到一户父亲刚去世的人家。儿子想，父亲去世时正逢佐钦仁波切来到镇上，必定有不可思议的福德。他将自己所有牛及其他牲畜的一半供养给佐钦仁波切，请求务必使父亲不堕恶趣。佐钦仁波切点头，对儿子说：“别担心，我会照料的。”随侍仁波切的僧人对这份大供养印象深刻，心想仁波切至少该为亡父正式修个法。可是，佐钦仁波切似乎什么法都没有修，只是坐下喝茶，吃供来的肉与其他美食，和聚集的人闲聊。过了一会儿，他起身说：“我该走了。”那位僧人无法相信仁波切什么法都没修就离开，于是去察看亡父。他仔细看尸体，果然清楚看见头顶的头发正在脱落，这是颇瓦法已经奏效的明确征相。如果像佐钦仁波切一样，懂得以禅定之力运转自心，就不需要正式作仪轨修持。但我们大多数人并非如此，对吧？

The text continues:

文本接着说：

Yet for those who prefer elaborate means of attaining nirvāṇa,
The ‘Transference: Enlightenment without Meditation’ is taught.

然而，为喜好广设方便而求涅槃者，
宣说此“迁识不修成佛”。

The first instruction is to practice the preliminaries (refuge and
bodhicitta), which are the foundation of all Buddhist practice.
The preliminaries, refuge and bodhicitta are done in the general
way.

第一个指示是修前行，即皈依与菩提心；这是一切佛法修持的基础。
前行皈依与菩提心，依通常方式修持。

Here we are following the text exactly as it appears in the terma.
Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo wrote an arrangement for the practice
which includes all the other prayers that need to be inserted in
order to practice the phowa more fully.^[16] In this arrangement,
Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo recommends that we recite the refuge
and bodhicitta prayers from the Longchen Nyingtik Ngöndro, or
alternatively, the common refuge formula, “In the Buddha, the
dharma…”^[17]

这里完全依伏藏原文讲解。蒋扬钦哲旺波编排了一份修持次第，收入为更完整地修颇瓦法而需要插入的其他祈祷文。^[16]在这份次第中，蒋扬钦哲旺波建议，念诵龙钦心髓前行中的皈依发心偈，或者通用的皈依偈：“诸佛、正法……”^[17]

The text continues:

文本接着说：

Whether practising for yourself or for another,
It is crucial to incorporate the four immeasurables.

无论为自己或为他人修持，
摄入四无量心至为重要。

Next, whether we are practicing for ourselves or for others, we are
told to meditate on the four immeasurables so that our practice is
held by a selfless motivation. That’s easy, right? You just need to wish
that all sentient beings enjoy happiness and the causes of happiness,
are free from suffering and the causes of suffering, and so on.

接着，无论为自己还是为他人修持，都要禅修四无量心，让修持为无私的发心所摄持。这很容易，对吧？只需愿一切众生具足乐与乐因、远离苦与苦因，等等。

These are the preliminaries that we need to accomplish before
beginning the actual practice itself.

这些就是开始实际正行之前，需要完成的前行。

The main section begins with:

正行部分始于：

For the main practice, visualise yourself as Vajrayoginī,
According to the outer practice of Guru Yoga
There are two traditions of outer guru yoga practice in the
Longchen Nyingtik. In one tradition, Vajrayoginī holds a ḍāmaru in
her right hand and a curved blade in her left hand, while in the other,
Vajrayoginī holds a curved blade in her right hand and a kapāla in
her left hand. You can choose either one. In one tradition she appears
as Yeshe Tsogyal, in the other as Vajrayoginī.

正行观想自身为金刚瑜伽母，
依上师瑜伽外修之法。
龙钦心髓的外上师瑜伽修法有两种传统。一种是金刚瑜伽母右手持达玛茹鼓，左手持弯刀；另一种则右手持弯刀，左手持嘎巴拉。两种都可以选。一种传统中，她现为益西措嘉；另一种中，则现为金刚瑜伽母。

In Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo’s arrangement of the practice,
there’s a note which tells us to visualize Vajrayoginī holding a curved
blade in her right hand and a kapāla in her left hand. We are also told
to visualize her body as being completely empty inside. In the past,
the lamas would say, “like an inflated bladder”, but nowadays they
prefer to say, “like an empty bottle”. Vajrayoginī is red in colour and
emanates tremendous rays of light in all directions. She wears all the
ornaments as described in the ngöndro practice. At the centre of her
body is the central channel standing upright like a pillar, as wide as a
hollow reed arrow. You need to visualize this very clearly.

蒋扬钦哲旺波编排的修持次第中有一条说明，要观想金刚瑜伽母右手持弯刀、左手持嘎巴拉。又说，要观想她体内完全空旷。过去，上师们会说“像一个吹胀的膀胱”，如今则更喜欢说“像一只空瓶”。金刚瑜伽母身为红色，向四面八方放出极强光芒，佩戴前行修法所述的一切庄严。她体内中央有中脉，像柱子一样直立，粗细如中空的芦苇箭杆。必须将其观想得十分清楚。

In the middle of her body runs the central channel
As thick as a hollow reed arrow,

其身中央贯通中脉，
粗如中空芦苇箭杆。

The tube is called the ‘central channel’ since it runs directly through
the centre of our body. There’s a lot that can be said about this
channel, but here what you need to know is that it is straight and
narrow. It is what we call a ‘wisdom channel’, not to be confused
with the gross physical channels of our body.

这条管道称为“中脉”，因为它直接贯穿身体中央。关于中脉，有许多可以讲，但此处需要知道的是：它笔直而细。这是我们所说的“智慧脉”，不能与身体粗大的物质性脉道混淆。

The text continues:

文本接着说：

Empty and clear like a tube of light.
Its upper end is open at the brahma-aperture,
And its lower end touches the navel centre.
The channel is open at the top (the crown of the head) and closed at
the bottom (the navel centre).

空而明澈，犹如光管。
上端开于梵穴，
下端触及脐中。
脉道上端在头顶开放，下端在脐中封闭。

Upon the notch at the heart-centre,

于心间脉节之上，

The notch mentioned here corresponds to our heart cakra. Firstly,
you visualize yourself as the ḍākinī, Vajrayoginī. Then you visualize
that a hollow tube of light runs through the centre of your body,
from your navel to the crown of your head. After that, you visualize
a notch or cakra in the tube, at the level of your heart.

这里所说的脉节，对应心轮。首先观想自身为空行母金刚瑜伽母；随后观想一条中空光管，自脐至头顶，贯穿身体中央；再观想光管内心间处有一个脉节或脉轮。

In the centre of a light green sphere of inner air (lung)
Awareness clearly appears as a red syllable Hrīḥ.

于浅绿色内风明球中央，
觉性清晰显为红色 Hrīḥ 字。

The green sphere of inner air is very light, so light that it slightly
quivers, like a bubble. In the middle of the sphere, your mind (or
awareness) appears as a brilliant red syllable Hrīḥ. The brilliance of
this syllable is like a lamp that fully illuminates a darkened room—
at least that’s the example the lamas used to give, Dilgo Khyentse
Rinpoche later compared it to switching on an electric light.

绿色内风明球非常轻，轻得会微微颤动，如同气泡。球中央，你的心或觉性，显为一个明亮的红色 Hrīḥ 字。它的光辉，就像一盏将暗室完全照亮的灯——至少过去上师们用的是这个譬喻；顶果钦哲仁波切后来则把它比作打开电灯。

According to Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, if would be perfectly
acceptable for Tibetans to visualize the Hrīḥ syllable in Tibetan script
rather than in Sanskrit. General tantric theory maintains that local
conditions—the place and culture into which we are born—have a
strong bearing on the way that the syllables form within our body.
Hence, if you are an Indian practitioner, you should visualize the
syllables in Indian script, since that is your native language. This point
has been considerably debated between the different Tibetan Buddhist
schools. Some schools insist that the syllables should be visualized in
their original Sanskrit form, since this is the sacred language of India.
Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, however, maintained that it was entirely
consistent with the Secret Essence Tantra teachings for Tibetans to
visualise the syllables in their own language. The Secret Essence
teachings explain in great detail how the clouds of syllables form
within the cakras and channels of the maṇḍala of the vajra body. For
Tibetans, the way that these syllables take shape is influenced by their
culture and language. By the same reasoning, therefore, I think all of
you here should visualize the syllable in your own western language.

按照蒋扬钦哲旺波的说法，藏人观想藏文字形的 Hrīḥ，而非梵文字形，完全可以。一般密续理论认为，当地条件——我们出生之地及其文化——会深深影响体内字母形成的方式。因此，若是印度行者，就应观想印度文字的字形，因为那是他的母语。这一点在藏传佛教不同宗派间有过很多辩论。有些宗派坚持，应当观想原来的梵文字形，因为那是印度的神圣语言。可是，蒋扬钦哲旺波认为，藏人以自己的文字观想种子字，完全符合《秘密藏续》的教法。《秘密藏》的教授极为详尽地解释了，字云如何在金刚身坛城的脉与脉轮中形成。对藏人而言，这些字的形态受其文化与语言影响。因此，依同样的道理，我认为在座各位应当以自己的西方语言文字观想这个字。

The Hrīḥ syllable is red in colour and should be visualized clearly
and distinctly. It doesn’t need to be particularly large—about the
size of the upper segment of your thumb is usually advised. Your
consciousness, the combination of your wind energy and awareness,
is gathered into and manifests as the Hrīḥ syllable. Since the Nyingtik
teachings are intended for Dzogchen practitioners such as yourselves,
the term awareness (rigpa) is used here to denote consciousness. You
need to focus your mind single-pointedly on the Hrīḥ syllable, which
is the manifestation of your rigpa or awareness, the embodiment of
all your wind-energy, thoughts and consciousnesses.

Hrīḥ 字为红色，应观得清晰分明。不必特别大；通常建议，大约有拇指上节那么大。你的心识，也就是风与觉性的结合，聚集于其中，显为 Hrīḥ 字。因为心髓教法是为你们这样的大圆满行者而设，这里用“觉性”来指心识。必须专一将心安住于 Hrīḥ 字；它是自身觉性的显现，是一切风、念头与识的总集。

The visualization needs to be built up step by step. Firstly,
visualize yourself as the ḍākinī Vajrayoginī whose body is made of
light and is empty inside. Then concentrate on the central channel
that runs from under your navel, where it is closed, to the crown
of your head (the aperture of brahma), where it is open. Once this
has been stabilised, focus on the green sphere of light at your heart,
which is the manifestation of your wind energy, and the red syllable
Hrīḥ. Your visualization needs to be stable, as explained in the
generation phase (kyerim) teachings. Of course, you won’t be able
to master the visualization straight away, just like that. It’s not that
easy. But if you practice over and over again, you will soon get used
to it and eventually it will become clear.

观想需要逐步建立。首先观想自身为空行母金刚瑜伽母，身由光成，内里空旷。随后专注中脉：下端在脐下封闭，上端在头顶梵穴开放。观想稳定后，专注心间绿色光球，那是风的显现，以及红色 Hrīḥ 字。如生起次第教法所说，观想必须稳定。当然，不可能一下子就掌握观想；这并不容易。但若一再修习，很快就会熟悉，最终观想会清晰起来。

It’s easy to listen to instructions like this, isn’t it? But it’s
much more difficult to apply them. Why? Because when you try
to concentrate on the visualization, all kinds of thoughts will pop
up in your mind and distract you. If you persist in the training,
however, if you practice the visualization over and over again, you
will eventually be able to master it.

听这样的教授很容易，不是吗？可是，运用起来就困难得多。为什么？因为试着专注观想时，心中会冒出各种念头，让你分心。但若坚持训练，反复修习观想，最后就能掌握。

Once you’ve stabilised the visualization, meditate as follows:

观想稳定后，作如下禅修：

A forearm’s length above the crown of one’s head
Appears the Buddha Amitābha, ‘Limitless Light’,
Complete with all the major and minor marks.

自身顶上一肘许，
现佛阿弥陀，意即“无量光”，
一切相好悉具足。

At this point you need to visualize the pure realm where you will
transfer your consciousness to. I explained this to you yesterday, very
clearly.

这时，需要观想你将要迁识前往的净土。昨天我已经为你们讲解得非常清楚。

I can’t remember what all the major and minor marks of a buddha
are, but you can look them up in the texts if you are interested.
According to the special pith instructions passed on by Dilgo
Khyentse Rinpoche, the crucial point here is to perceive everything as
being utterly perfect and complete, free of any defects. If you cannot
visualize every detail of Buddha Amitābha clearly, simply consider
that he appears to you in dazzling splendour and magnificence.

佛的一切相好，我记不全了；有兴趣的话，你们可以查阅经论。按照顶果钦哲仁波切传授的特别窍诀，这里的关键，是见一切完全圆满、没有任何缺陷。如果不能清楚观想阿弥陀佛的每一个细节，只要想着他以耀眼、庄严而伟大的身相，显现在你面前即可。

Having visualized the pure land, you then need to pray to Buddha
Amitābha with fervent devotion. To develop such devotion, the texts
advise us to reflect on Buddha Amitābha’s many great qualities—for
example, how he manifested the pure realm of Sukhāvatī as a result
of the aspirations that he made to free all beings from suffering.

观想净土之后，要以炽热虔敬向阿弥陀佛祈祷。为培养这样的虔敬，文本劝我们思惟阿弥陀佛的诸多伟大功德，例如：他为使一切众生离苦而发愿，并由此显现极乐净土。

We admire all sorts of qualities in people, but what sets Buddha
Amitābha apart, his supreme quality, is the way in which he only
thinks of benefitting others. If you reflect properly on his qualities,
you cannot help but feel devotion towards him. Even when someone
helps us in a mundane way, like lending us money or taking care
of us when we’re sick, we feel huge appreciation towards them.
Everyone admires Mother Theresa, for example, because of the way
in which she has helped the poor and the sick. Her contribution
has been wonderful, of course, but does not compare to the way in
which Buddha Amitābha has benefitted beings. If you really reflect
properly on these points, your devotion towards Buddha Amitābha
will naturally develop.
It is said that unless you have some knowledge and understanding
of the Buddha’s teachings, it is impossible for you to have genuine
faith and devotion towards him. Devotion doesn’t come out of thin
air, just like that. It is also said that the qualities of the Buddha are
inconceivable, which means it is very difficult to communicate them
in words. It’s really not easy, therefore, for people like you and me
to comprehend them fully. If you understand the Buddha’s qualities
even just a little, your devotion and respect will naturally grow.
When you think that someone has great qualities and appreciate
deeply what they have accomplished, that is what we call devotion.

我们会赞赏人身上的各种优点，但阿弥陀佛与众不同的殊胜功德，是他一心只想着利益他人。若如实思惟他的功德，就会不由自主地对他生起虔敬。即使有人只是在世俗事务上帮助我们，例如借钱给我们，或在我们生病时照顾我们，我们也会非常感激。例如，大家敬佩特蕾莎修女，就是因为她帮助穷人和病人。她的贡献当然很好，但无法与阿弥陀佛利益众生的方式相比。若真正善加思惟这些要点，对阿弥陀佛的虔敬就会自然生起。据说，除非对佛陀的教法有所了解和认识，否则不可能对他有真实信心与虔敬。虔敬不会就这样凭空出现。又说，佛的功德不可思议，意思是很难以语言传达。因此，像你我这样的人，要完全理解确实不易。即使只稍微理解佛的功德，虔敬与恭敬也会自然增长。认为某人具足伟大功德，并深深欣赏他的成就，这就是我们所说的虔敬。

The text tells us not to rush our prayer, but to generate fervent
devotion:

文本告诉我们，祈祷不要匆忙，而要生起炽热虔敬：

Pray with fervent devotion.

以炽热虔敬而祈祷。

The prayer that we need to say here comes later in the practice text. It
is very important that you reflect on the meaning of the prayer, line
by line, whilst you recite it since the whole point of reciting prayers
is to actualize their meaning.

这里所念的祈祷文，在修法文本后面才出现。诵念时，逐句思惟祈祷文的含义，非常重要，因为诵念祈祷文的全部目的，就是使其中意义成为现实。

The text continues:

文本接着说：

Not allowing the mind to wander elsewhere,
And with single-pointed aspiration.

不令心散往他处，
以专一愿求而修。

If you simply mouth the words of the prayer while your mind
wanders off, lost in distraction, it will be of little benefit. You need
to dwell on the meaning of the prayer as you recite it—that’s the
whole point of reciting prayers. There are probably many terms in
the prayer that you are not familiar with—if you don’t know their
meaning, how can you actualize them? It simply doesn’t work to
recite the prayer mindlessly, with your thoughts running wild. You
need to focus your mind on what you’re saying, and to bring alive
its meaning.

如果只是嘴里念祈祷文，心却散往别处，迷失于散乱之中，利益就很少。念诵时必须安住于祈祷文的含义，这正是诵念祈祷文的目的。文中大概有许多你不熟悉的术语；若不知道意思，又怎能令其实现？心不在焉地念，任思绪狂奔，是行不通的。必须将心专注在所念的内容上，使它的意义鲜活起来。

The most important point in Vajrayāna practice in general, and
especially in phowa practice, is to invoke the power and compassion
of the lama. The sole reason for this is to help you in your practice.
From the point of view of the buddhas and bodhisattvas, it doesn’t
make the slightest bit of difference to them whether you pray to
them or not—it makes a difference to you, to your mind. When you
invoke the compassion of the lama, it changes the state of your mind,
and that is why prayer is so important.

一般金刚乘修持，尤其颇瓦法修持中，最重要的一点，是祈请上师的力量与悲心。唯一的目的，就是帮助你修行。从佛菩萨的角度，你向不向他们祈祷，对他们丝毫没有区别；有区别的是你，是你的心。祈请上师悲心时，你的心境会改变，因此祈祷才如此重要。

If you concentrate your mind single-pointedly, without
distraction, and pray to the lama and the buddhas and bodhisattvas
from deep within, you will experience signs in your practice. You can
develop goosebumps, tears might suddenly well up in your eyes—
when the mind is inspired, you can see for yourself the effect it has
on your body.

若能专一摄心、毫不散乱，从内心深处向上师、佛菩萨祈祷，就会在修持中体验到征相。可能汗毛竖立，可能忽然热泪盈眶；心受到感动时，对身体有什么影响，你自己就能看见。

If, on the other hand, you don’t concentrate on arousing devotion
whilst you recite the prayer,^[18] there will be no benefit whatsoever. It
will be a total waste of time. The teachings say that it is far better to
recite a prayer once with full concentration of mind, than to recite
the prayer a hundred thousand times, in a state of distraction. I’m
making an effort to explain this to you very clearly since I hope
that some of you here might actually apply yourself diligently and
wholeheartedly to this practice.
Next comes the actual practice of phowa:

反之，念诵祈祷文时^[18]，若不专注生起虔敬，就没有任何利益，完全是在浪费时间。教法说，摄心专注地念一遍祈祷文，远胜于在散乱中念十万遍。我努力把这一点讲得清楚，是希望在座有些人真的会全心全意、精进地投入此修法。接下来就是实际的颇瓦修持：

Recite ‘Hrīḥ Hrīḥ’ from the upper palate,
Recite them five times together,
While holding upper body tight and focusing on the head.
Awareness is in the form of a red syllable Hrīḥ,
Lifted like paper carried on the wind,
Rising ever higher and higher.
With a loud ‘Phaṭ!’ it shoots up like an arrow
And dissolves into Amitābha’s heart.

从上腭诵“Hrīḥ Hrīḥ”，
五声连诵，
上身收紧，专注头部。
觉性现为红色 Hrīḥ 字，
如纸随风而起，
不断向上升腾。
大声“Phaṭ！”如箭上射，
融入阿弥陀佛心间。

The text says to recite the syllable Hrīḥ from the upper palate
of your mouth, not from the lips. The sound is produced by the
tongue moving against the upper palate. You recite Hrīḥ five
times, corresponding to the five buddha wisdoms, and repeat this
cycle many times over. As you recite Hrīḥ, you should focus on the
visualization that I explained to you earlier. You should also keep
your back straight and your head erect, as instructed in the text.

文本说，从口腔上腭而非嘴唇念出 Hrīḥ 字，声音由舌头抵动上腭而发。念 Hrīḥ 五次，对应五佛智，再把这一组重复许多次。念 Hrīḥ 时，要专注于先前讲解的观想，也应依文本所示，背部挺直，头端正。

As you recite Hrīḥ, your consciousness ascends the central channel
like a piece of paper carried on the wind. You need to focus on this
visualization very clearly. There is no definite point in the upper part
of your central channel that the Hrīḥ syllable should reach, but once
your mind is clearly focused on the visualization, you should utter
a loud forceful ‘Phaṭ!’ to eject it. The point of shouting ‘Phaṭ!’ is to
make a clear and definite cut—through its power the Hrīḥ syllable
shoots up like an arrow and dissolves into Amitābha’s heart. Your
consciousness, visualized as the Hrīḥ syllable, dissolves into Buddha
Amitābha and becomes one with him, ‘one taste’.

念 Hrīḥ 时，你的心识沿中脉上升，如同纸片随风飘起。要非常清楚地专注这一观想。中脉上部并没有一个指定的位置，要求 Hrīḥ 字必须到达；但一旦心已清楚专注于观想，便应大声、有力地发出“Phaṭ！”将它射出。喊“Phaṭ！”的要点，是作出清楚、决然的断截；依其力量，Hrīḥ 字如箭上射，融入阿弥陀佛心间。观为 Hrīḥ 字的心识融入阿弥陀佛，与他合一，成为“一味”。

Through training like this repeatedly,

如是反复训练，

We need to practice this visualization over and over again and to
do that, you will need to bring your consciousness back into your
body. Ideally, you repeat this cycle one hundred times every practice
session—basically, you should train in the practice as much as you
can.

需要一再修习这一观想；为此，必须将心识带回身体。理想而言，每座重复这一循环一百次；总之，应尽量多加训练。

Signs of proficiency will arise: the brahma-aperture will tremble;
The head will ache; a drop of serum, shining like dew, will
appear;
And it will be possible to slowly insert a grass stalk.

熟练之相将生起：梵穴颤动，
头痛，出现如露珠般晶莹的一滴浆液，
并可缓缓插入草茎。

If you train consistently in this way, signs of proficiency in the
practice will appear: the crown of your head can become a little
swollen, drops of white fluid might seep out from your fontanelle, or
you develop headaches—it might even be possible for you to insert
a blade of grass through your fontanelle. These are all signs that you
have trained well in the practice. I have seen them many, many times
and they really do happen, just as the text describes.

若持续这样训练，就会出现修持熟练的征相：头顶可能略有肿起，囟门可能渗出白色液滴，或者出现头痛；甚至可能从囟门插入一根草。这些都是修持训练良好的征相。我见过许许多多次，它们确实会发生，正如文本所述。

The text then says:

文本接着说：

Then, the form of Amitābha
Melts into light and dissolves into me.
Through that, I too become Amitāyus,
Perfect in the very instant of recollection.

随后，阿弥陀佛身相
化光融入自身。
由此，我亦成为无量寿佛，
忆念刹那即圆满。

Recite the amaraṇi mantra one hundred times.
Dedicate the virtue and make prayers of aspiration.
This will not damage your life.
In fact, due to the truth of interdependence, it will pacify
obstacles to life.

诵 amaraṇi 咒一百遍，
回向善根，发诸祈愿。
如此不会损及寿命；
反而依缘起谛实，
能平息寿命障碍。

Since you are all Dzogchen practitioners here and don’t really need
to practice phowa, you don’t need to get worked up and have a lot
of discursive thoughts about whether or not the practice will shorten
your life-span. There are some people, however, who firmly believe
that phowa practice shortens your life and for this reason, a practice
of long life is included in the text. This is to assuage any fear you
might have that phowa practice will limit your life-span.

既然在座都是大圆满行者，其实不需要修颇瓦法，就不用为了此法会不会减损寿命而紧张，生出许多分别念。不过，确实有些人深信，修颇瓦法会缩短寿命，因此文本收入了一项长寿修法。这是为了消除你可能怀有的恐惧，担心修颇瓦法会限制寿命。

Amitābha and Amitāyus are fundamentally the same. We began
the phowa practice by thinking of and visualizing Amitābha; when
we reach this stage of the practice, we visualize that Amitābha
dissolves into light and instantly transforms into Amitāyus, who
appears in the form of a saṃbhogakāya deity. His two hands rest
in the mudrā of meditation and support a long life vase. He wears
all the ornaments of a peaceful deity. With this visualization clearly
established in your mind, you then recite the mantra ‘oṃ amāraṇi
jīvantiye svāhā’ one hundred times. This is the short version, the
essence, of the dhāraṇī of Amitāyus (‘oṃ namo bhagavate…’) which
has the power to lengthen your life and prevent untimely death.

阿弥陀佛与无量寿佛，根本上是相同的。颇瓦法开始时，我们忆念、观想阿弥陀佛；到此阶段，观想阿弥陀佛化光，刹那转为无量寿佛，以报身本尊之相显现。他双手结禅定印，承托长寿宝瓶，佩戴寂静本尊的一切庄严。在心中清晰建立这一观想后，念“oṃ amāraṇi jīvantiye svāhā”一百遍。这是无量寿佛陀罗尼“oṃ namo bhagavate…”的短版、心要，有延长寿命、防止非时死亡的力量。

After reciting the mantra, you conclude by dedicating the merit
of your practice for the benefit of all sentient beings. You can say,
for example, “May all sentient beings be free from the suffering of
the lower realms, may they enjoy the liberation of the higher realms,
etc.”

念咒之后，最后将修持功德回向利益一切众生。例如可以说：“愿一切众生远离恶趣之苦，愿其享有善趣的解脱，等等。”

Some people believe that if you practice phowa, it will shorten
your life-span, but—as it says in the text—due to the truth of
interdependence, if you practice in this way it will only cause your
life to flourish.

有些人相信修颇瓦法会缩短寿命，但正如文本所说，依缘起谛实，如是修持，只会使寿命增盛。

This secret mantra path is superior in its methods,

此秘密真言之道，方便殊胜，

The Secret Mantrayāna teachings are exceptional in many ways,
making them far greater than other teachings. They are said to be
rich in skilful means and enable you to reach your goal swiftly and
easily. Concretely, this means they offer many different methods for
attaining enlightenment which you can choose from. And because
they offer many different methods, you can achieve the desired result
with little effort or toil. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche used the following
example: suppose you want to go to India—you can choose to go
by horseback, which will certainly get you there, or you can decide
to fly by plane, which will be much faster and easier. The choice is
yours. The Vajrayāna teachings which take the fruition as the path
enable a practitioner to reach enlightenment swiftly and without too
much difficulty.

秘密真言乘教法在许多方面都很独特，因此远胜其他教法。据说，它富于善巧方便，能使人迅速轻易地达到目标。具体来说，它提供许多不同的成佛方法，可供选择。因为方法众多，无须太大努力或辛劳，就能获得所求结果。顶果钦哲仁波切用过这样的譬喻：假如要去印度，可以选择骑马，这当然能让你到达；也可以选择搭飞机，那会更快、更容易。选择在你。以果为道的金刚乘教法，能让行者迅速成佛，不必经历太多困难。

So guard the crucial points of Transference: Buddhahood without
Meditation
As dearer than your own heart or eyes!
Samaya!

故应珍护《迁识不修成佛》之要点，
更胜自己的心与眼！
Samaya！

The text concludes by telling us to value these key points of the
phowa instruction as being more precious than our own heart or
eyes.

文本最后告诉我们，应当珍视这些颇瓦法教授的要点，视之比自己的心与眼更珍贵。

There are many explanations as to why ‘samaya’ appears at the
end, but basically it means that the text should only be shared with
those who have the right attitude towards these teachings; it should
be concealed from those who have wrong views.

为什么末尾出现“samaya”，有许多解释；基本上，其意是：文本只应与对这些教法具有正确态度的人分享，对持邪见者则应保密。

Next comes the prayer that I mentioned earlier, that you should
recite when you invoke Amitābha, before training with Hrīḥ and
Phaṭ:

接下来是前面提到的祈祷文，应该在祈请阿弥陀佛时、以 Hrīḥ 与 Phaṭ 训练之前念诵：

Emaho!
In the self-appearing realm, the ultimate Akaniṣṭha,
Is an expanse of interweaving rainbow light of intense
devotion.
Here, the embodiment of all objects of refuge, one’s own root
guru,
In an extraordinary form and with a radiant body,
Abides as the essence of Buddha Amitābha.

Emaho！
于自显刹土、究竟色究竟天，
强烈虔敬化作虹光交织之界。
于此，一切皈依处总集、自身根本上师，
现殊胜身相、光辉灿烂之身，
安住为阿弥陀佛之体性。

With intense devotion, we pray:
Inspire us to accomplish the path of transference!
Inspire us to reach the realm of Akaniṣṭha!
May we capture the domain of dharmakāya expanse!

我等以强烈虔敬祈祷：
加持我等成办迁识之道！
加持我等到达色究竟刹！
愿我等占据法身之界！

Phaṭ! (Nirmāṇakāya) Phaṭ! (Sambhogakāya]) Phaṭ!
(Dharmakāya) Phaṭ! (Unchanging Vajrakāya) Phaṭ!
(Abhisambodhikāya)

Phaṭ！（化身）Phaṭ！（报身）Phaṭ！（法身）
Phaṭ！（不变金刚身）Phaṭ！（现前菩提身）

This completes the terma text of phowa practice from the Longchen
Nyingtik.

龙钦心髓颇瓦修法的伏藏文本至此圆满。

How do you apply this? You have to practice! If you don’t practice
yourself, how can you expect to be able to practice for others? And
you should practice now, while you’re still alive, then it will be easier
for you to apply at the moment of death. It’s not a difficult practice
to do, there’s barely anything to recite. There’s a prayer that comes at
the end, followed by five times Phaṭ, but that’s about all. That isn’t
difficult, is it? This is an extremely powerful practice that can bring
very great benefit.

如何运用它？必须修持！自己都不修，又怎能指望为别人修？而且应当趁现在还活着时修，这样在临终那一刻运用起来才容易。此法并不难修，几乎没什么要念的。后面有一篇祈祷文，再念五声 Phaṭ，大致就是这些。不难吧？这是极有力量、能带来极大利益的修法。

If you were to ask someone whether they wanted to transfer their
consciousness to a pure realm right now, they’d probably say no.
Even if that person was a 100 years old, they’d probably still say
no. Somehow, we all want to remain here, in this life, for as long
as we can. Why? Because we have so much attachment. If we were
to look deeply into the three realms of saṃsāra, we would see that
every moment that we spend here only results in our accumulating
huge amounts of negative karma, which will be the cause for our
rebirth in the lower realms. Who accumulates this negativity? Our
mind—but we are not aware of it. And when death strikes, it’s too
late, there’s nothing we can do. Even if you summoned a great army
to protect you, you wouldn’t be able to avoid your death. Even if you
called a thousand doctors to take care of you, they wouldn’t be able
to prevent you from dying. However wealthy you might be, it will
be of no use when you die. You will cling onto your life when death
comes, even though there’s nothing for you to hold onto. Young
children are probably attached to their parents, adults cling to their
children even more. We have all kind of attachments… so many. But
they are all absolutely useless.

若问一个人，现在要不要把心识迁往净土，他大概会说不要。即使此人已一百岁，大概仍会说不要。不知为何，我们都想尽可能久地留在这里，留在这一生。为什么？因为贪著太多。若深入观察轮回三界，就会看见，在此度过的每一刻，只是在积集大量恶业，成为投生恶趣的因。是谁在积集这些恶业？是我们的心——但我们却没有觉察。死亡一来，就太迟了，什么也做不了。即使召来一支大军保护你，也无法避免死亡；即使请一千名医生照料你，也无法阻止你死去。无论多富有，死时都派不上用场。死亡来临时，纵然没有任何东西可抓住，你还是会紧抓生命。小孩子大概贪恋父母，成年人对孩子的执著更甚。我们有各种各样的贪著，多得很；可它们全都毫无用处。

Phowa offers us some hope, there’s a path that we can follow.
There’s nothing else that can really help us when we die. That’s why
if you train in the phowa practice now, there will be hope for you
at the moment of death. And it’s not an empty hope—this practice
really works. Therefore train in the practice now. It’s not difficult,
it’s not as if you have to study lots of texts and learn a whole new
set of skills. You just need to go over what I’ve explained to you
today and try to actualize it. Go through all the different steps of the
practice, from the beginning to the end. Try to perfect the different
visualizations, and recite the Hrīḥ and Phaṭ at the right time. Once
you get used to the practice, it will be easier for you. Then we will be
able to insert a blade of grass through the crown of your head, or see
some fluid ooze out of your fontanelle. These teachings are extremely
powerful and carry great blessings—signs like this can appear quite
quickly, you don’t need to be particularly diligent.

颇瓦法给了我们一些希望，提供一条可以遵循的道路。死亡时，没有别的东西能真正帮助我们。因此，若现在训练颇瓦法，临终时就会有希望。这并非空洞的希望，此法确实有效。所以，现在就加以训练。它并不困难，不是要你研读许多典籍、学习一整套新技能；只需复习今天讲过的内容，设法使其落实。从头到尾，走过修法的各个步骤，努力使各项观想圆满，在适当时刻念 Hrīḥ 与 Phaṭ。熟悉之后，就会更容易。届时，就能在你的头顶插入一根草，或看见囟门渗出一些液体。这些教法力量极强，具有广大加持；这样的征相会很快出现，并不需要特别精进。

If you don’t go over these instructions, if you don’t try to put
them into practice, they’ll be of no use to you. Some of you are
writing down every word that I say—if you’re making notes to go
over later on, that’s fine, but if they just end up on your bookshelf,
never to be read, it’s a total waste of time. This is what we call
‘practice becoming lost in the scriptures.’

如果不复习这些教授、不尝试付诸修持，它们对你就没有用。有些人把我说的每句话都记下来；如果作笔记是为了以后复习，那很好，但若最后只是放上书架，从不阅读，就是完全浪费时间。这就叫“修行迷失于文字”。

So, start tonight. Practice this evening and tomorrow morning.
We can clarify anything that comes up for you tomorrow. You don’t
have to ask questions, of course. Just if you need to. If you think this
practice isn’t useful for you, don’t worry—you can go to bed early
tonight and have a long lie in tomorrow. You’re free to do whatever
you like, no one is going to scold you for not practicing.

所以，今晚就开始吧，今晚和明早都修一修。明天可以澄清修持中出现的任何问题。当然，不一定非得提问；有需要才问。如果觉得此法对自己没用，也不必担心，今晚可以早点上床，明天睡个懒觉。你有自由做自己喜欢的事，没有人会因你不修而责骂你。