Rite of Vajrayāna
Empowerment (abhisheka).
The tantric methods are locked by design: a lama transmits the practice, deity, and mantra in ceremony, because this vehicle holds that realization travels person to person, not page to person.
⏱ bestowed by a qualified lama◌ teacher and student, formally bound
Understanding it — context, not catechism: how this rite is held
An empowerment (wang, abhisheka) is the ceremony that authorizes a specific practice: the lama introduces the student to a deity, mantra, and visualization, and the student takes on commitments to maintain it. Without it, the practice is held not to work — the transmission is what activates it. Large public empowerments given by senior lamas can draw tens of thousands, while the more advanced ones remain small and restricted.
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