Empowerment (wang)
Traditionally, there are three requirements before a student may begin a tantric practice
The ritual empowerment (Tib. wang)
A reading of the text by an authorized holder of the practice (Tib. lung)
The oral instruction on how to perform the practice (Tib. tri)
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama holds a vajra offering mudra while preparing the Kalachakra mandala during a Kalachakra empowerment ceremony in Washington D.C., USA
A torma and mandala offering for a Vajrakilaya empowerment ceremony
To practice tantric yoga, it is considered necessary to receive a tantric empowerment (Skt. abhiṣeka; Tib. wang) from a qualified tantric master (Vajracarya, "vajra master"). The Sanskrit term abhiṣeka refers to ritual bathing or anointing. Mipham states that empowerment produces the view of mantra in one's being and that this is the basis for the practice of Vajrayana. According to Mipham,
empowerment is the indispensable initial entry point for the practice of mantra. The reason for this is that the profound empowerment ritual produces a sudden manifestation of the ground maṇḍala that dwells primordially within oneself. This refers to the indivisible truths of purity and equality, which are very difficult to realize.
Kongtrül defines empowerment as "what makes the [student's] mind fully ripened by planting the special seeds of the resultant four dimensions of awakening in the aggregates, elements, and sense fields of the recipient." It is also associated with the conferral of authority, in this case, someone is authorized to cultivate the tantric path.
Empowerment includes introducing the student to a specific mandala (which may be made from flowers, colored powders, grains, paint and a mental mandala). One is not allowed to practice tantra without having received the particular empowerment.[11] Some simpler mantra methods, such as reciting the mani mantra, are open to all however.
In Unsurpassed Yoga Tantra, the ritual procedure generally includes four "wangs" (though it may include more, depending on the system):[12][13][14]
The Vase (bumpa) empowerment, which is for purification. The vase empowerment symbolizes purification of the body, senses, and world into the emanation body (nirmanakaya) of the deity and may include a vase filled with water.
The Secret empowerment, which involves receiving the nectar of the bodhichitta [white and red vital essences] from the union of the vajra master and his consort (either real or imagined) which causes great bliss. According to Mipham, "the secret empowerment purifies the speech and energies into the enjoyment body" (sambhogakaya).
The Knowledge wisdom, (prajña-jñana) empowerment. This involves uniting with a real or imaginary consort visualized as deities, giving rise to inner heat (tummo) and
experiencing the four blisses and innate pristine awareness. Mipham states that this empowerment "purifies the mind and the essences into the dharma body."
The Fourth empowerment (the "word" empowerment) involves the pointing out of ultimate reality, emptiness, or pristine awareness based on the previous experience of the third empowerment. According to Mipham, it purifies the three bodies into the essence body.
Oral transmission (lung)
the "reading transmission" of sutrayana texts, in which the entirety of the text is read aloud from teacher to student. a similar Vajrayana empowerment that involves the transference of spiritual power from master to augment or refine that of the disciple through the recitation of scripture or song. This oral transmission defines Vajrayana and Ngagpa traditions and provides them with their nomenclature.[citation needed]
Explicit instruction (tri)
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In Dzogchen tradition, direct introduction is called the "Empowerment of Awareness" (Wylie: rig pa'i rtsal dbang, pronounced "rigpay sall wahng"), a technical term employed within the Dzogchen lineages for a particular lineage of empowerment propagated by Jigme Lingpa. This empowerment consists of the direct introduction of the student to the intrinsic nature of their own mind-essence, rigpa, by their empowering master.
In Dzogchen tradition, pointing-out instruction (Tibetan: ངོ་སྤྲོད་ཀྱི་གདམས་པ་, Wylie: ngo sprod kyi gdams pa, THL: ngo-trö kyi dam-pa) is also referred to as "pointing out the nature of mind" (Tibetan: སེམས་ཀྱི་ངོ་སྤྲོད་, Wylie: sems kyi ngo sprod, THL: sem kyi ngo-trö), "pointing out transmission", or "introduction to the nature of mind". The pointing-out instruction (ngo sprod) is an introduction to the nature of mind. A lama gives the pointing-out instruction in such a way that the disciple successfully recognizes the nature of mind.[citation needed]
An empowerment is a ceremony that vajryana Buddhist practitioners who have taken refuge vows can participate in with either of two motives: First as a Buddhist blessing or as a ceremony which gives permission for the participant to learn and do the practice. For example, if you wanted to learn to do the tantric meditation practice of Green Tara, you would first need permission to and then participate in the Empowerment ceremony. After that a lama would provide you with an oral transmission of the saddhanna, then you teacher would instruct you in how to do the practice.
But it is impossible to commit to doing every practice for the empowerments you attend so many people take Empowerments as simple blessing ceremonies. I have dozens of dozens empowers but I only practice 6 a day and that can take up to 4 hours. If I include a special morning practice it could take another hour and a half.
So, empowerments are permission ceremonies given to allow one to learn the specific meditation practice for a specific diety which represents a specific aspect of Buddha. They are not gods and empowerments don't empower you to worship anything but rather to advance your skills in Tantric meditation. They aren't really secret but practitioners must take refuge vows first to express their commitment to practice Buddhism. Their are hundreds available but generally a practitioner only takes empowerments related to their own lineage. I'm Kagyu so I don't generally take Gelug empowerments. I suppose I could but one lineage is enough for me. Their are a couple schools that combine some empowerments but that should help answer your question.
