Mipham's Shower of Blessings

[dzoki]

There is no guru yoga in lower tantra.

Well, nobody was arguing about that. Though I think this is rather formalist view, as it stands now Tibetans have mixed guruyoga even into stura practices such as lojong. So who cares?

Of course one needs an empowerment in order to practice Vajrayana in general, even Kriya tantra practice, but since the core element of guruyoga is faith I believe this practice can be done by anyone, who is interested as long as they have intention to receive the actual empowerment later on and have already received lung and instructions. Also if one has sufficient faith, they can receive the actual empowerment directly from Guru Padmasambhava while doing the practice (though that is probably pretty rare I guess).

[Malcolm]

There is no guru yoga in lower tantra.

Well, nobody was arguing about that. Though I think this is rather formalist view, as it stands now Tibetans have mixed guruyoga even into stura practices such as lojong. So who cares?

Lojong used to be very secret, and it is an error to consider it merely "sūtra."

Of course one needs an empowerment in order to practice Vajrayana in general, even Kriya tantra practice, but since the core element of guruyoga is faith I believe this practice can be done by anyone, who is interested as long as they have intention to receive the actual empowerment later on and have already received lung and instructions.

Remember, there is no one in Tibet who has not received some kind of empowerment.

My observation derives from looking at the practice in the text itself. It begins with A, and ends with two A's.

Also if one has sufficient faith, they can receive the actual empowerment directly from Guru Padmasambhava while doing the practice (though that is probably pretty rare I guess).

My point really is that if you carefully examine the text, it is the opposite of what most people imagine it to be. Most people imagine it to be some kind of outer Guru Padmasambhava practice that does not require an empowerment. I think it's real import is that it is a guru yoga practice for practicing Atiyoga: after all, the feast portion is in fact a separate text.

[pemachophel]

Lama Dawa Chodrak gives an empowerment for this sadhana. However, He and many other Lamas allow students to practice this sadhana without empowerment (at least in a group setting, such as for 10th-day tshog). Like many Lamas, if one wants this empowerment from Lama Dawa, one has to formally ask that it be given and be willing to be the jin-dag/patron. Lama Dawa is also quite clear that, if one receives the empowerment, lung, and commentary for this practice and then preserves the samaya correctly, the effects of doing this sadhana are much quicker, better, and assured. Having "received" this sadhana many times from different Lamas over the years as part of group practice and then finally receiving the empowerment, lung, and tri from Lama Dawa and doing the accumulations in retreat, that's also my experience.

Thank You, Loppon-la for your explanations above.

[naljor]

https://vimeo.com/43315753

Do you know some nice picture as support for Shower of Blessings?

[Charlie123]

Lama Dawa Chodrak gives an empowerment for this sadhana. However, He and many other Lamas allow students to practice this sadhana without empowerment (at least in a group setting, such as for 10th-day tshog). Like many Lamas, if one wants this empowerment from Lama Dawa, one has to formally ask that it be given and be willing to be the jin-dag/patron. Lama Dawa is also quite clear that, if one receives the empowerment, lung, and commentary for this practice and then preserves the samaya correctly, the effects of doing this sadhana are much quicker, better, and assured. Having "received" this sadhana many times from different Lamas over the years as part of group practice and then finally receiving the empowerment, lung, and tri from Lama Dawa and doing the accumulations in retreat, that's also my experience.

Thank You, Loppon-la for your explanations above.

Lama Pema,

Was the empowerment given by Lama Dawa a terma/composition of Mipham Rinpoche? Maybe this is too much to reveal online, but was it in the form of Orgyen Dorje Chang? Would a guru rinpoche empowerment from any existent lineage serve to better the effects of the sadhana?

[pemachophel]

Mandog,

Lama Dawa gave this empowerment back in 2015. I've looked at my list of empowerments and oral transmissions and see that I didn't write down any of the things you've asked. Nor can I remember any details from that event. Sorry. What I can say was that the empowerment was specific to Shower of Blessings. It wasn't just any Guru Rinpoche empowerment. But who wrote the empowerment, don't know.

[Pema Rigdzin]

Question about the tsok written for Shower of Blessings: typically one self-generates as a deity when doing tsok, but nothing is mentioned in The Excellent Vase of Splendor about this, and there's no self-generation in Shower of Blessings. Anyone else know if this tsok is just unique in that respect and doesn't involve self-generation, or is it just assumed one knows generating oneself as a yidam is protocol?