We offer prayers for the deceased with the intention that any obstacles during their transition may be overcome, and with the aspiration that the being meets with a swift and auspicious rebirth.
For all notifications or questions about a person (or animal) who has died, please email us or phone 707-632-5629 with the name of the deceased (including any nickname by which they were usually known) and the day they passed. We answer the phone 24 hours, and are happy to help.
To request Tromge Jigme Rinpoche to do p’howa for someone who has just passed away, please contact us right away. Unless Rinpoche is traveling in areas without cell-phone reception, we can usually transmit your request at once or within just hours.
In our daily Red Tara practice we offer prayers for the deceased for the traditional 49 days. Just call or email us with their name.
If you wish to make butterlamp offerings for the deceased, this can be done by offering butterlamps every day for 49 days, or once a week for seven weeks on the day that the person or animal died, or however you wish. You can arrange for butterlamps here, or call us to pay by credit card.
If you have questions about practicing on behalf of someone who has died, please don’t hesitate to contact us, and Rinpoche or a senior student can offer guidance on what to do. In your email or phone call, please let us know which empowerments you already have, if any. However, it is not necessary to have empowerments or formal training in order to successfully practice on behalf of a loved one — the strength of your personal connection and a wish to help them are the most important factors.
It is also possible to arrange sponsorship of certain practices for the deceased, either at PPI or in monasteries in Asia, depending on the circumstances or needs of the deceased and their family/friends. One practice commonly sponsored is Akshobhya Buddha — for more information, please see www.mahakaruna.org