Below are short descriptions of the Tibetan Buddhist six practices for the dead, based on the book “The Tibetan Book Of Living And Dying” by Sogyal Rinpoche. You’re strongly encouraged to read this book, no matter of what your spiritual background or practice is. If you do, your perspective of death and dying will be enormously wider and richer.

1. Reading “The Tibetan Book of the Dead”.
After the phowa practice is done, passages from the book are read repeatedly, by spiritual masters, lamas, or even friends of the deceased. It is done during the period of 49 days after death, with particular attention to the period of the fourth week, as the common belief is that an ordinary person doesn’t stay in the bardo past four weeks.
For the dead persons language is no barrier, for the meaning of the text can be understood directly by their mind.

2. Ne Dren and Chang Chok.
The first, is the ritual for guiding the dead, the second is the ritual purification, where the master will guide the consciousness of the dead person to a better rebirth. A representation of the dead person identity, called tsenjang is created, and purified by the master. Finally, tsenjang is burned, and with it the bad karma.

3. The Purification of the Six Realms.
According to the Dzogchen Tantras, the negative emotions accumulate in the psycho-physical system, and gather in the particular energy centers in the body. They are the following:
-    The hell realm and its cause, anger are located in the soles of the feet.
-    The hungry ghost realm and its cause, avarice, rest at the base of the trunk.
-    Animal realm and its cause, ignorance, are located at the navel.
-    Doubt, associated with the human realm, rests at the heart.
-    Jealousy that causes the demigod realm, rest at the throat.
-    Pride, that causes the god realm, rest at the crown of the head.

After each realm and its negative emotion are purified, the practitioner imagines that all the karma associated with the particular emotion is now erased.

4. The practice of the Hundred Peaceful and Wrathful Deities.
To be continued…