Did Shakyamuni Buddha also give empowerments?

[Karma Dondrup Tashi]

It seems like a very corruptible system.

Yeah well sometimes there's a storm and a transformer shorts out. Normal service gets restored.

[heart]

We don't need one man, but we need the lineage of genuine realization. That is the heart of Vajrayana. So it doesn't matter if Buddha taught Vajrayana, he had that genuine realization and through his students he transmitted it.

/magnus

It seems like a very corruptible system.

Of course, what isn't?

/magnus

[Karma Dondrup Tashi]

Of course, what isn't?

/magnus

I hear the Pope's infallible.

[Red Faced Buddha]

Of course, what isn't?

/magnus

I hear the Pope's infallible.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Alexander_VI

[Karma Dondrup Tashi]

Yes, hehe.

Well, infallibility, impeccability, potato, potah-to. To some a distinction without a difference. To others all the difference in the world.

[heart]

Of course, what isn't?

/magnus

I hear the Pope's infallible.

I doubt that

/magnus

[tomamundsen]

Of course, what isn't?

/magnus

I hear the Pope's infallible.

I doubt that

/magnus

Well, because you're not Catholic! But it's not really supposed to mean that the pope is always right and that if he says that the sun won't rise tomorrow that it won't. The gist of it, from my understanding, is that the pope's interpretation of scriptures and decisions regarding policies and views on ethics, morals, etc. is taken to be the entire Catholic church's view while he is in the position of being the pope.