page_title: Empowerment (Vajrayana)
hierarchical_section_title: Empowerment (Vajrayana)
caption_attribution_description: Vajrakilaya Empowerment, Torma Offering, deity sand mandala on a silver mandala plate, with blue cloth and silks, Tharlam Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism, Bodha, Kathmandu, Nepal 1990 boddhaa-19.jpg
context_page_description: An empowerment is a ritual in Vajrayana which initiates a student into a particular tantric deity practice. The Tibetan word for this is wang, which literally translates to power. The Sanskrit term for this is abhiseka which literally translates to sprinkling or bathing or anointing. A tantric practice is not considered effective or as effective until a qualified master has transmitted the corresponding power of the practice directly to the student. This may also refer to introducing the student to the mandala of the deity.
  There are three requirements before a student may begin a practice:
  the empowerment
  a reading of the text by an authorized holder of the practice
  instruction on how to perform the practice or rituals.
  An individual is not allowed to engage in a deity practice without the empowerment for that practice. The details of an empowerment ritual are often kept secret as are the specific rituals involved in the deity practice.
context_section_description: An empowerment is a ritual in Vajrayana which initiates a student into a particular tantric deity practice. The Tibetan word for this is wang (Skt. abhiṣeka; Tib. དབང་, wang; Wyl. dbang), which literally translates to power. The Sanskrit term for this is abhiseka which literally translates to sprinkling or bathing or anointing. A tantric practice is not considered effective or as effective until a qualified master has transmitted the corresponding power of the practice directly to the student. This may also refer to introducing the student to the mandala of the deity.
  There are three requirements before a student may begin a practice:
  the empowerment (Tibetan: wang)
  a reading of the text by an authorized holder of the practice (Tibetan: lung)
  instruction on how to perform the practice or rituals (Tibetan: tri).
  An individual is not allowed to engage in a deity practice without the empowerment for that practice. The details of an empowerment ritual are often kept secret as are the specific rituals involved in the deity practice.
caption: A torma and mandala offering for an empowerment ceremony
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