Recordings of tantric empowerments?

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maxaroni13
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Recordings of tantric empowerments?

Post by maxaroni13 »

Hello my name is max and I am buddhist. I would like to properly be initiated to tantric practice. I live in Tulsa Oklahoma and I am very poor... What that means is that there is no way to receive proper empowerment where I live and that I don't have the means to travel... What can I do? Are there any recordings of tantric empowerment or is this unheard of? I don't see a problem with it but I am no expert on the topic... Would that be regarded as improper to receive empowerment with a DVD or online or what? Thank you :namaste:
mahabuddha
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Re: Recordings of tantric empowerments?

Post by mahabuddha »

There are a number of Buddhist centers in Tulsa and Oklahoma. I suggest attending classes and receiving teachings. When one is dedicated and motivated, all things are possible. Attending classes and teachings will connect you with a lineage and proper path for future empowerments.
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Grigoris
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Re: Recordings of tantric empowerments?

Post by Grigoris »

There are some teachers that give empowerments over the web but they are not Gelugpas.

"Mahabuddhas" advice is sound. Find some local centres, explain your circumstances to them they will (in most cases) be more than happy to find a mutually beneficial solution.
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"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
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Spirituality
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Re: Recordings of tantric empowerments?

Post by Spirituality »

The Gelugpa teachers I've come in contact with all place tremendous importance on the relationship with the teacher (can't just be one-way) and personal presence during any type of teaching. On a sutra level you can of course take teachings any way you want, but you would not have the lung (transmission of the text) even in that case unless you were there present when the teacher taught the text.

From that perspective a tantric empowerment simply can not happen without the presence of a teacher. You may get some blessings and of course if you were to get access to something like this you may make it work for you, but that's about it.

However, I don't think you need tantra to be serious in your path. If you can't afford even the drive across town to that Tulsa centre, just focus on the teachings you CAN practice and be serious about them. Or call them and see if you can get a lift.
emptydreams
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Re: Recordings of tantric empowerments?

Post by emptydreams »

In the Gelug system, you dont get to do Tantra until you have mastered sutra and also gained a Guru, so to start with you could study the Lamrim on your own. Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand is a great way to start.

If there is a will, there is a way. Just dont jump into the tantric teachings too fast, because when tantra is misunderstood or misused, your chance to attain it will be lost, better to start with the basics than to lose your chance. Skip the tantric teachings for now and go for the more basic ones.
JKhedrup
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Re: Recordings of tantric empowerments?

Post by JKhedrup »

You could also study the Lam Rim Chenmo by Tsongkhapa, which is an excellent translation, or the many books by HHDL.

My Gelug teachers are also less cautious about giving initiations into the Kriya/Action class of tantra as these do not for the most part carry tantric vows or daily
recitation commitments (though some teachers may impose a mantra commitment or retreat in rare cases). Practices such as Medicine Buddha, Tara and Chenrezig are accessible to
those who are ready to generate the Bodhicitta attitude and embark on the Mahayana path.

Practices of the Anuttarayoga/Highest Yoga class of tantra are more restricted (the common ones in the Gelug tradition are Yamantaka, Guyasamaja, Chakrasamvara, Vajrayogini and Chittamani Tara though there are others). All of my teachers are quite cautious about these, as they involve daily recitation commitments in many cases of both 6 Session Guru Yoga and the practice of a deity sadhana. I have also attended initiations where the lama imposed a retreat commitment. Having taken the tantric vows one has a very strong and binding relationship with a guru as well. So I always advise caution before taking these types of initiations. (With the exception of Kalachakra, which can be taken as a blessing).

I remember His Holiness the Dalai Lama indicating during a Kalachakra initiation in India that those who could access live streaming in Tibet could consider that they had received the initiation, but I don't know if this is a special case because of the open nature of the Kalachakra teachings. I also know the issue of transmission over the net, even live streaming, is one that many lamas have varying opinions on.
Rikpa108
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Re: Recordings of tantric empowerments?

Post by Rikpa108 »

Looks like the Dalai Lama actually gave the Avalokiteshvara empowerment over internet in 2020:
https://langritangpa.org.au/event/hh-da ... 020-05-29/
and
https://www.dalailama.com/videos/avalok ... mpowerment
The problem with such empowerments (and this one is from the "lower" tantras) is that usually physical substances are used: blessed water, tormas, crowns, etc. But there might be some justification for that. In the Highest Yoga Tantra in contrast, traditionally one would use sexual fluids, etc., and later in Tibet, people would use substitutes for those fluids in the form of yogurt, etc. I doubt whether those empowerments could ever be given online. That said, we hear stories about some lamas in traditional tibet giving empowerments in one location and people receiving them in another.
As for Dzokchen empowerments, Mahamudra mind introductions, etc., they can work just find because they are all mental or using symbols without the need for physical contact. I heard about Namkhai Norbu giving Dzokchen empowerments online.
Cheers!
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