In order to practice Vajrayana Buddhism, one has to receive
Wang, Lung and Tri (or
empowerment, oral transmission and instructions) from a qualified
Lama (Guru or
Master). The term "Wang" in Tibetan, or "Abhishekha" in Sanskrit,
literally means
"Empowerment". It refers to a ceremony in which a qualified
Lama places a disciple
in touch with a particular Tantric Deity and empowers him
to recite the Deity's mantra
and meditate on the non-duality between his own mind and the
Deity's mind. Much
happens during the Empowerment Ceremony and everything that
happens has its
special meanings, not just for ceremonial decoration or ritualistic
purposes.
What Happens During An Empowerment Ceremony
An Empowerment always involves several different initiations.
A major Empowerment
may have four initiations, some of which are sub-divided into
several Sub-Initiations.
A minor Empowerment generally has three Initiations - for
the body, speech and mind.
These are the "three doors" through which we act and create
karmas. The goal of
Tantra is to purify all our karmas of body, speech and mind
by removing our afflictions
and obstacles to our liberation and omniscience, so that our
actions become no difference
from those of a Buddha.
Receiving an Empowerment is like planting of a seed. With the
right conditions later,
this seed will sprout and grow into Buddhahood. During the
Empowerment, each of
these three doors is blessed individually, thus, there is
a Body Initiation, a Speech
Initiation and a Mind Initiation. In this way, the defilements
of each of the three doors
are purified and you are empowered to visualise yourself in
the form of the Deity, to
recite the Deity's mantra and to meditate on the mind of the
Deity.
The Sanskrit term "Guru" refers to a person of great spiritual
attainment and authority;
it was translated into Tiberan as "Lama". Tibetan monks who
do not have any special
attainments are not considered as lamas. Also, a lama need
not be a monk. Vajrayana
is open to all, and married persons are not barred from receiving
or giving any of the
Tantric teachings. Devotion to the Lama who is your Guru is
most important, and it is
necessary for spiritual attainment. The purpose of Tantric
practices is to realize the
Buddha nature in each of us, and you should seek as your Guru,
a lama who has himself
realised this. Having found such a lama, you should cultivate
devotion towards him so
that you can recognise more clearly the Buddha nature as it
is manifest in him. In this
way, you are led to realise the pure nature of your mind as
the mind of the Buddha also.
What To Do When Attending An Empowerment Ceremony
You should prepare yourself for an Empowerment as if you were
going to receive
Initiation from the Buddha Himself. An Empowerment always
has three stages:
the Preparation, the Main Part and the Conclusion.
Preparation Stage
During the Preparation Stage, you should do the following:
1. Wash your mouth before you enter the hall.
2. On entering the hall, make three prostrations towards the
Lama and/or the Shrine.
3. Take your seat on the floor. Do not lie down or sit with
your legs stretched towards
the Lama or Shrine.
4. While waiting for the Empowerment to begin, cultivate the
right attitude by reflecting
the reason why you want to receive the
Empowerment. The right reason should be that
you wish to liberate all sentient beings
from their sufferings caused by the afflictions
of desire, hatred and ignorance.
5. Make a Mandala Offering by imagining that you are offering
the universe,
containing all the good things, to the
Lama.
6. Think and believe that you are receiving the Empowerment
from the Deity,
represented by the Lama.
7. Recite the Seven-fold Prayer, which is to confess all sins,
rejoice all virtues, take
refuge in the Triple Gems, promise to hold
the Absolute Bodhicitta, to maintain and
apply the Relative Bodhicitta and to dedicate
the merits produced by these good
actions for the welfare of all sentient
beings.
Main Part
Usually, the main part of the Empowerment consists of the Body,
Speech and
Mind Initiations
Body Initiation - Visualise yourself in the form of the Deity,
according
to the instructions of the Lama. This Body Initiation is made
firm in you
when incense is wafted about by the assistant monk.
Speech Initiation - Visualise the Mantra of the Deity emerging
from the
heart of the Lama through his mouth and entering your own
heart, through
your mouth. The Lama then recites the Mantra 3 times, which
you repeat
after him.
Mind Initiation - Visualise the Seed-Syllable (a radiant Tibetan
letter standing on a moon-disc or sun-disc) of the Deity in
your
heart. Concentrate on this Seed-Syllable (which is the Essence
of
the Deity's Mind) and try to realise the non-duality of your
own
mind and that of the Lama's or the Deity's.
Conclusion
During the concluding stage of the Empowerment, you do the following:
1) Chant the concluding prayer.
2) Perform the final Mandala Offering to thank the Lama.
3) Queue up to receive any special blessing, such as the placing
of the
Vase, Torma, Vajra, etc on top of one's
head.
4) If the Mandala of the Deity had been constructed, then
you should look
into it and pay homage to the Deity at
its centre.
5) Make appropriate offerings (withtin your capability) to
the Lama.
6) Dedicate the merits you have accumulated to benefit all
sentient beings.