What is an empowerment?
Gurunath is a Master who in addition to initiating a student into a practice or Sadhana, also jump-starts him/her through the infusion of his spiritual energy. This empowerment helps the student to leap ahead and make rapid progress, far beyond what he/she would be able to do alone. Teachers can initiate and teach in the name of a Master, but only a Master can empower.
Empowerments are further developments of what is started by taking refuge. These are ‘initiations’ that help clear away obstacles to our seeing things as they truly are. The Tibetan word is ‘wangkur’ (dbang-skur), ‘wang’ is something like ‘power’. The power is in the sense that the person is allowing greater scope to more fundamentally wholesome aspects operating within. Empowerments usually involve a ritual where the lama purifies the aspirant and introduces him/her to a mandala, which is described fully and the associated mantra (a chant). The aspirant is encouraged to consider the mandala as a representation of his/her true nature. The Empowerment of a deity helps to develop the particular psychological aspect s/he represents.
