"Ripening" empowerment = ?

[Palzang Jangchub]

What precisely is being referred to when an initiation is listed as a "ripening" empowerment?

Would this be rendered back into Sanskrit properly as vipāka abhiśeka? The term in Tibetan seems to be smin byed kyi dbang (see attachment ).

Screenshot_20180510-005447.jpg (242.25 KiB) Viewed 2019 times

By that definition, aren't all initiations considered ripening empowerments, or am i missing something? Are there empowerments that don't ripen as such, but perform some other function?

Incidentally, doesn't this mean that Mindrolling monastery is literally "the Island of Ripening and Liberating" or "the Island of Maturation and Liberation"?

[ratna]

What precisely is being referred to when an initiation is listed as a "ripening" empowerment?

A ripening empowerment is just the complete four empowerments of an abhiṣeka, which mature one's continuum and confer the samaya that protect that maturation. Simpler initiatory rites like permission-rites (rjes gnang, anujñā) or blessing (byin rlabs, adhiṣṭhāna) are not ripening empowerments.

Incidentally, doesn't this mean that Mindrolling monastery is literally "the Island of Ripening and Liberating" or "the Island of Maturation and Liberation"?

Yes, "the Island of ripening [empowerments] and libertating [instructions]".

R

[heart]

What precisely is being referred to when an initiation is listed as a "ripening" empowerment?

Would this be rendered back into Sanskrit properly as vipāka abhiśeka? The term in Tibetan seems to be smin byed kyi dbang (see attachment ).

By that definition, aren't all initiations considered ripening empowerments, or am i missing something? Are there empowerments that don't ripen as such, but perform some other function?

Incidentally, doesn't this mean that Mindrolling monastery is literally "the Island of Ripening and Liberating" or "the Island of Maturation and Liberation"?

Yes, all empowerments, except maybe "blessing" empowerments, are ripening empowerments. You need the ripening empowerments and the liberating instructions in Vajrayana.

/magnus

[Palzang Jangchub]

So a shorter length empowerment like a torwang could be a ripening empowerment, yes?

I ask because the particular initiation being called a ripening empowerment on the event schedule was previously given as torwang at another venue and was scheduled for a similar amount of time.

Maybe someone could detail why or why not?

[ratna]

So a shorter length empowerment like a torwang could be a ripening empowerment, yes?

I believe so.

R

[Palzang Jangchub]

Thank you for your replies, Ratna. I just stumbled upon a quote by Magnus in another thread that settles the issue for me.

A torwang is a torma empowerment, a brief but complete form that includes all of the four empowerments.

He was taking the time to correct me for having erroneously translated torwang as "vase empowerment" further up the thread, as can be seen in the original post (just click the little up arrow in the quote).

Seems I've come full circle (mandala?)...

[Malcolm]

What precisely is being referred to when an initiation is listed as a "ripening" empowerment?

Would this be rendered back into Sanskrit properly as vipāka abhiśeka? The term in Tibetan seems to be smin byed kyi dbang (see attachment ).


Screenshot_20180510-005447.jpg


By that definition, aren't all initiations considered ripening empowerments, or am i missing something? Are there empowerments that don't ripen as such, but perform some other function?

Incidentally, doesn't this mean that Mindrolling monastery is literally "the Island of Ripening and Liberating" or "the Island of Maturation and Liberation"?

Depends on school, but no school considers a jenang a ripening empowerment.