Lama Jigme Dakini Empowerments...blessing or for practice?

[Shemmy]

I was wondering if anyone knows if these are going to be "just" blessing empowerments or are they empowerments for practicing sadhanas of any or all of these. Seems like a tall order for all of these in two days.

http://chagdudgonpa.org/empowerments-wi ... -rinpoche/

[heart]

All empowerment's are for practice, but it isn't always easy to get the the "lung" and the "tri" as well as a translation of the sadhana and the commentaries. But in this case I think it is quite possible. You don't need to practice all of them, right?

/magnus

[Shemmy]

I'm not even sure it would be appropriate for me to practice any of these...as I am already committed to ngondro and another mahayoga practice both of which I am light years from being finished with. I suppose I'd have to contact my lama and I guess talk to Lama Jigme himself.

I just feel interested to go and I seem to always end up at these events confused about the purpose. This time if I go I want to know what the purpose of the empowerment is before I have gotten initiated into something I am not ready for.

I've heard other practitioners say you can't just gather empowerments like money off of trees and save them for later when you are ready, you have to make them part of your practice. I asked one Lama about practicing different sadhanas together and he said no that's not good, you're just backing up out of one and starting your whole process over with another.

[Yudron]

I'm not even sure it would be appropriate for me to practice any of these...as I am already committed to ngondro and another mahayoga practice both of which I am light years from being finished with. I suppose I'd have to contact my lama and I guess talk to Lama Jigme himself.

I just feel interested to go and I seem to always end up at these events confused about the purpose. This time if I go I want to know what the purpose of the empowerment is before I have gotten initiated into something I am not ready for.

I've heard other practitioners say you can't just gather empowerments like money off of trees and save them for later when you are ready, you have to make them part of your practice. I asked one Lama about practicing different sadhanas together and he said no that's not good, you're just backing up out of one and starting your whole process over with another.

It's okay to ask the lama beforehand whether there will be a practice commitment or not. Sometimes lamas do ask you to do a some of the practice daily after giving you an empowerment. Although it is unusual, it does happen. The Vajrasattva practice in your ngondro (or the equivalent) on a busy day is sufficient to cover any lapses in failing to meet our practice commitments, still I agree with you that it is good to take them seriously. I did receive a tiny practice commitment another of Chagdud Tulku's lamas for one of these practices.

[Shemmy]

Thanks Yudron and Magnus!

I've emailed them to ask directly. I'll let everyone know what I find out, if anything. The program mentions teachings so it could be they are planning to give some empowerments for things we may be expected to practice...which is probably good. I think that I'd like to do a dakini practice if only on the 25th or as a side practice for when it seems I need and feel up to practicing longer than usual. Tho' I really have no idea what I'm saying, whether it makes any difference to do an additional practice. Is it not just another distraction and it is probably more than enough to be doing ngondro and a yidam practice? Probably should ask my lama.

[etinin]

One of my main practice centers has been one associated with Chagdud Gonpa here in Brazil. There is a frequent practice of the extensive Red Tara, for example, and you definitely do not need to have completed the Ngöndro. In fact before recommending one undertook Ngöndro, Chagdud Rinpoche himself often asked his students to accumulate 100,000 recitations of the Jetsun prayer of his Red Tara saddhana (also available as a concise version which requires no empowerment).

This Green Tara and Seven-Eyed Red Tara are treasures revealed by Chagdud Tulku himself, whose last emanation was Jigme's father. I'd not miss this opportunity if I were you. Next year, I'm going down to Khadro Ling myself for an opportunity to receive the terma empowerments from Jigme Rinpoche.

The Chagdud Gonpa saddhanas usually come with a translation and are well commented. You will also have no trouble getting help from one of the many centers around the US if needed.

[Pema Rigdzin]

I've heard other practitioners say you can't just gather empowerments like money off of trees and save them for later when you are ready, you have to make them part of your practice. I asked one Lama about practicing different sadhanas together and he said no that's not good, you're just backing up out of one and starting your whole process over with another.

Maybe other traditions view it this way, but I've never heard of or met a Nyingma lama that didn't encourage us to receive as many empowerments as we can from qualified lamas. Why? Because the very process of empowerment purifies karma and obscurations and generates merit. And in the Nyingma school, all practice commitments are subsumed under guru yoga since our Dzogchen perspective views the lama as the embodiment of all our lamas and all wisdom beings. This same principle applies to Vajrasattva practice as Yudron mentioned. We Nyingmapas generally don't have the custom of considering that one must practice every sadhana one ever received empowerment for; imagine receiving the entire Rinchen Terdzod, or the Nyingma Kama, or whole terms cycles like Dudjom Tersar, Longchen Nyingthig, Chokling Tersar, etc. That would be hundreds of empowerments. Nobody could practice them all! And all Buddhas and your guru have the same essential nature (qualitatively) and are inseparable with your guru and yourself anyway. So you practice one and you practice all. So unless your lama says you shouldn't go or there is a practice commitment you aren't ready for (which would be atypical), I'd recommend going to these empowerments.

[Shemmy]

Thanks for the encouragement and clarifications. I'll see if it is possible for me to come out from Thailand for these. posting.php?mode=reply&f=49&t=11896#

[Shemmy]

In case anyone is interested, I got an email back from one of the people organizing the event and they said that all of the empowerments will be done for the purposes of enabling folks to practice all/any of the dakini practices mentioned in the notice (Throma, Seven Eyed Red Tara, Lion Faced Dakini and Green Tara).

[dakini_boi]

Thanks, Shemmy, I am interested. Did you happen to ask whether or not there would be a practice commitment for any of the practices?

[Shemmy]

No, Mr. Dakini Boy, I didn't ask specifically about it and they didn't mention anything other than the empowerments were for practice. It would be good to know...but I suppose we are just gonna hafta go and find out.

[etinin]

Doubt these come with a practice requirement.
Many practicioners at Chagdud Gonpa have dozens of empowerments, including these, and there are some saddhanas which are much more widely practiced.

[Shemmy]

Thanks for the input, Ethnin! Much appreciated!

[etinin]

Thanks for the input, Ethnin! Much appreciated!

You're welcome
Be sure to tell us your experience if you actually manage to go