Hair empowerment

[kashmir]

What is it? What is a hair empowerment? Would love to learn more... put this hair to good use

[Lingpupa]

Some Nyingma empowerments have a large number of subsidiary parts: the dorje empowerment, the bell empowerment, the shawl empowerment, the earring empowerment and so on. There can be dozens of them. One possibility is the "hair" empowerment in which the disciple is "empowered" and committed to never cut their hair again. Just like monks and nuns shave their heads as a sign of renunciation, so the long hair of the dzogchen yogi is worn as a sign of the disciple's commitment to leaving their mind in its natural state.

My tip would be to avoid it unless you are very sure, as you may find, perhaps some years down the line, that you want or need to look more conventional again.

[Malcolm]

Some Nyingma empowerments have a large number of subsidiary parts: the dorje empowerment, the bell empowerment, the shawl empowerment, the earring empowerment and so on. There can be dozens of them. One possibility is the "hair" empowerment in which the disciple is "empowered" and committed to never cut their hair again. Just like monks and nuns shave their heads as a sign of renunciation, so the long hair of the dzogchen yogi is worn as a sign of the disciple's commitment to leaving their mind in its natural state.

My tip would be to avoid it unless you are very sure, as you may find, perhaps some years down the line, that you want or need to look more conventional again.

Seconded. You have to be very sure you can follow this samaya before you take it.

However, it is not so much about looks. Long hair can be conventional, but here you are not allowed to trim you hair or cut it, so if you get knots in your hair that you cannot comb out, well, you have to leave them.

[Tsultrim T.]

Many people make exceptions to this rule for modern daily life. Shenpen Rinpoche said one may cut their hair if they later do confession and Dorje Sempa and dispose of it properly, while Garab Dorje Rinpoche said asking permission in front of an image of a Buddha prior is acceptable.

[ClearblueSky]

Many people make exceptions to this rule for modern daily life. Shenpen Rinpoche said one may cut their hair if they later do confession and Dorje Sempa and dispose of it properly, while Garab Dorje Rinpoche said asking permission in front of an image of a Buddha prior is acceptable.

Interesting, I was wondering under what circumstances there were exceptions, because I was remembering Drubwang Rinpoche cut his hair (in preparation of death, or at least rumored so). Not that I know what vows he had specifically, just that he was a yogi with very, very long hair.

[ngodrup]

My teacher definitively allowed for exceptions, saying
"it's not the length of the hair that matters."
Generally, whatever exceptions, come from one's
teacher.

[Kunga]

Many people make exceptions to this rule for modern daily life. Shenpen Rinpoche said one may cut their hair if they later do confession and Dorje Sempa and dispose of it properly, while Garab Dorje Rinpoche said asking permission in front of an image of a Buddha prior is acceptable.

I was given the same advice when I took the Throma Wangchen, and to offer the hair at a stupa when I passed near one.

[Malcolm]

When I received the Troma Wang from Ngapa Yeshe Dorje, when he came to the hair wang, he said those who could not take the commitment were allowed to apologize.

When I received requested Ngapga vows from KDL, he made it very clear to those of us present that we were not to cut our hair for any reason. However, the hair empowerment connected with the KDL's Krodhakali cycle is much different than the one found in Dudjom Tersar.

[Malcolm]

My teacher definitively allowed for exceptions, saying
"it's not the length of the hair that matters."

Unless it does.

[Tsultrim T.]

Many people make exceptions to this rule for modern daily life. Shenpen Rinpoche said one may cut their hair if they later do confession and Dorje Sempa and dispose of it properly, while Garab Dorje Rinpoche said asking permission in front of an image of a Buddha prior is acceptable.

Interesting, I was wondering under what circumstances there were exceptions, because I was remembering Drubwang Rinpoche cut his hair (in preparation of death, or at least rumored so). Not that I know what vows he had specifically, just that he was a yogi with very, very long hair.

I doubt that Drugwang Rinpoche kept long hair based on a Dudjom Tersar commitment. Many practitioners take vows when entering retreat, such as not to bath, see people, talk, or cut hair to name a few. I would guess it had more to do with those commitments. He finally ended up cutting his hair when he left retreat permanently which to me meant he would not be going back into retreat. There is not much cross over between Tibetan practitioners of Drikung Kagyu and Dudjom Tersar generally speaking.

[Adder]

Again, with me and my energy circuits lol you'll have to ignore me if you disagree and I don't mean to sound like a nutter or contradict literal intepretations, but IMO the empowerments are nodes of energy circuits... and as such growing the head hair is conducive to its maintenance and practice. You 'get' them, when your practice reveals them, and the path tries to do this in my experiences.

[Karma Dorje]

Resurrecting this thread for a clarification. Not to be pedantic but does this specifically refer to the hair on one's head or facial and body hair as well?

[DewachenVagabond]

Resurrecting this thread for a clarification. Not to be pedantic but does this specifically refer to the hair on one's head or facial and body hair as well?

I'm pretty sure it is only head hair.

[Könchok Thrinley]

For sure only for head hair and if somebody gave you pube hair empowerment I'd file a complaint.

Resurrecting this thread for a clarification. Not to be pedantic but does this specifically refer to the hair on one's head or facial and body hair as well?

[humble.student]

I recently received one such empowerment during the course of a transmission of a cycle of teachings which included all the proverbial “bells and whistles”.

The presiding lama, a Nyingma monk with a shaved head (or very closely cropped hair), received the terma directly from the terton himself, who judging from the photographs I’ve seen, was a balding short-haired layman.

The commitments did not include never cutting one’s hair, nor did they include wearing the white robe or carrying all the accoutrements either.

The logic given was that having received the hair empowerment [or perhaps I should say that particular empowerment], it is not necessary to keep that hair, no more than having received a bumpa empowerment, one does not go around with a jug on one’s head. That was the specific example quoted.

Judging from the responses in this and other threads, this very much seems be a minority position. But I thought I’d put it out there. In any case, the lama did specify that that in no way meant that others should not or did not need to wear the white robes or keep their hair in dreadlocks etc etc, on the contrary, more power to them. That was my takeaway at any rate.