In the first type of phowa, one sits, generates bodhicitta and visualizes a letter Hum in the heart chakra. Light radiates out from the Hum and transforms the world into a pure palace and all beings into deities. This all dissolves into a light that merges with oneself. One's own deity form dissolves into the Hum syllable, which gradually fades away. Then one rests in the state of Mahamudra. This meditation is to be done repeatedly. At the time of death, one then follows the same process, which can lead to Buddhahood.