(group empowerments last up to two hours)
Empowerments are ceremonies designed to assist people so that they can embody more fully the virtuous qualities of a particular Tantric deity. They are performed by a lama with the proper spiritual attainments and mastery of the rituals of his lineage.
Four-Armed Chenrezig (Buddha of Compassion)
Chenrezig (also known as Avalokiteshvara) has many aspects and embodies the Universal Compassion of all the Buddhas. Receiving the empowerment of this Buddha provides protection from an unfortunate lower rebirth, expands the heart of the participant to hold greater compassion for all beings, and initiates the participant into the mantra of Avalokiteshvara: OM MANI PADME HUM, which contains the essence of all 84,000 volumes of Buddha’s teaching.
Buddha Maitreya (Buddha of Boundless Love)
Buddha Maitreya is the Buddha of Loving Kindness and the fifth Buddha out of 1,000, who will appear 2,500 years from now. This empowerment opens the participant’s heart to boundless love and assists the practitioner in maintaining this happiness and the wish for the happiness of all beings.
Menla (Medicine Buddha)
Menla is the embodiment of the healing power of all the Buddhas. For millennia our ancestors have been aware of the effect of spiritual practice upon healing, and have used it as a necessary supplement to medication. The Medicine Buddha empowerment helps the participant become more open to receiving the benefits of the healing powers of all the Buddhas, which improves the health of the participant and the effectiveness of any medications or healing practices the participant is engaged in.
Manjushri (Buddha of Wisdom)
Manjushri is the embodiment of the wisdom of all the Buddhas. Wisdom is crucial for enlightenment, in that it is both the antidote of ignorance, and at the same time is itself the true meaning of selflessness/emptiness. Performing the practice of the deity Manjushri accelerates the attainment of the knowledge that eliminates suffering and opens the hear to liberating wisdom. This empowerment will include the transmission of the mantra OM AH RA PA TSA NADHI.
White Tara (Buddha of Long Life)
White Tara is the goddess of long life, good fortune and wisdom. Performing the practice of White Tara brings protection for a long life and increases good fortune and wisdom. This empowerment will include the transmission of the mantra OM TARE TUTARE TURE SOHA.
Vajrasattva (Buddha of Purification)
Vajrasattva is the Buddhist deity of Purification. The practice of the Vajrasattva deity purifies all negative actions we have committed with our body, our speech, and in our minds. The Vajrasattva practice is also capable of uprooting and purifying the negative imprints that we have carried over from our previous lives. This empowerment will include the transmission of the One-Hundred-Syllable Mantra.
