Request to Receive the Higher Empowerments
In order to practice the Kalachakra Completion stage, you must first receive the Four Higher Empowerments. For that, you must demonstrate that you are qualified to receive the instructions for this next phase of practice. This involves filling out a detailed report of your personal experience practicing the Outer, Inner and Unique preliminaries of the Vajra Yoga Path Once you have submitted your application, Rinpoché will evaluate your answers and indicate whether you are ready or not for receiving these teachings. After being approved, you can then register for the empowerments at the next available opportunity. Please read out getting started page before you apply. This gives the guidelines for prerequisites. https://dzokden.org/getting-started/
1. Faith in the Kalachakra Path as Your Primary Path
The Higher Empowerments are only given to those disciples who have a sincere desire to achieve enlightenment in this life or the next through the practice of the Kalachakra Path. This level of commitment must arise from a clear understanding of what the path entails and why it is capable of producing the result of enlightenment. You can develop this faith through studying the path as presented in Khentrul Rinpoché's books. At the Completion Stage level, you will need to make the Kalachakra Path your primary focus and make all other practices secondary.
2. Faith in Khentrul Rinpoché as Your Primary Vajra Master
Unlike the Generation Stage empowerments, Khentrul Rinpoché will only give the Higher Empowerments to students who have the intention of practicing the Six Vajra Yogas under his direct guidance. This level of practice requires a strong devotion towards the Vajra Master in order to really be effective; therefore, you should strengthen your faith in Rinpoché by listening to his teachings and reading his books as much as possible before requesting the Higher Empowerments. While Rinpoché does not need to be your only teacher, you will need to follow his advice above all others.
3. Understand the Nature of Tantric Samaya
While tantric samaya are important at any stage of the Vajrayana, they are particularly powerful as a support for the Completion Stage practices. In order to ensure that you are able to keep your samaya as purely as possible, it is important that you are familiar with Rinpoché’s teachings on how to work with a Vajra Master. Failure to follow his guidelines, could result in a breach of samaya which would generate enormously negative karma for you and would dramatically reduce Rinpoché’s capacity to benefit sentient beings in this life. Therefore, please read the following chapters from Rinpoché’s book Unveiling Your Sacred Truth:
Book Two: Chapter 3 — How to Follow an Authentic Dharma Teacher
Book Three: Chapter 2 — Cultivating Devotion Towards a Vajra Master
4. Strong Foundations in the Kalachakra Preliminaries
In order to authentically practice the Six Vajra Yogas, it is necessary to have established at least a basic level of realisation in both the common and uncommon preliminaries. How much time should be spent on the preliminaries will depend on each individual and the current stage of their development. To learn more about where to focus your energy, you should refer to the guidelines presented in “How to Practice the Kalachakra Path”. The more integrated the preliminaries are in your mind, the more effective you will be able to practice the Kalachakra Completion Stage.
* Required
Email address *
Have you received the seven empowerments of a growing child by Khentrul Rinpoché? *
- Yes
- No
Experience With The Outer Preliminaries - Four Convictions of Renunciation *
What materials have you used to familiarise yourself with these subjects?
Experience With The Outer Preliminaries - Four Convictions of Renunciation *
What effect has this study and reflection had on your life and behaviour?
What specifically inspires you about the Vajra Yoga lineage? *
What do you hope to achieve in this life by practicing the Vajra Yogas? *
What aspiration do you have for your next life? *
When and with whom did you first receive your refuge precepts?
Experience with The Inner Preliminaries - Refuge *
Which set of Pratimoksha Vows have you received?
- Full Monastic Ordination
- Novice Monastic Ordination
- Five Lay Vows
- other:
What effect has the practice of taking refuge had on your mind?
Which methods do you use to give rise to Bodhicitta?
When and with whom did you receive the Bodhisattva Vows?
How has your meditation on Bodhicitta changed your perspective on life?
Which materials have you used to familiarise yourself with these subjects?
What effect has studying and practicing the Bodhisattva Path had on your mind?
What effect has your practice of purification had on your mind?
What activities have you practiced in order to accumulate merit?
What effect have these practices had on your mind?
What effect has this practice had on your mind?
When, where and from whom have you received the Seven Empowerments of a Growing Child?
What specific sadhanas have you used for your practice?
What effect has this practice had on your mind?
Statement of Commitment *
If Khentrul Rinpoché accepts to bestow upon you the Four Higher Empowerments, he is committing himself to guiding and taking care of you as his student until you achieve enlightenment. This means that he will do everything in his power to make sure that you have access to whatever materials you need and spiritual support at each step of the process.
In return for this level of commitment, Rinpoché expects you to have complete faith in his capacity to guide you and that you have completely removed all doubts or reservations about following his instructions. Without this level of devotion, this path will not work and there will be no point in you receiving these teachings from him. If you do yet not have this level of commitment towards him, then you should continue to develop your relationship with him and then request these instructions again at a later time.
In addition, he also expects that you will have thoroughly studied all of his books and have developed clarity about the Kalachakra Path and how it produces the state of Buddhahood. In order to practice at the level of the completion stage, you must have 100% confidence and devotion towards this path in accordance with how it is taught in the Jonang Tradition. You do not have to have 100% confidence in the Zhentong View as this will arise naturally in the process of practice. However, you must not be fixed on the belief that self-emptiness is definitely the ultimate nature of reality. Firmly holding this view and rejecting even the possibility of Zhentong will create a direct block to accomplishing realisations in the Six Yogas.
If for any reason you feel that you are not able to make this level of commitment to Rinpoché at this time, then please do not continue in this process. To enter into this commitment under false pretenses will only generate incredibly negative karma and will result in unimaginable suffering.
Have you read the above statement and fully understand what it says?
- Yes
- No
Statement of Commitment *
Do you have 100% faith in Khentrul Rinpoché as your primary Vajra Master and guide on the Profound Path of Vajra Yoga?
- Yes
- No
Statement of Commitment *
Do you have 100% faith in the Kalachakra Path as taught in the Jonang-Shambhala Tradition?
- Yes
- No
Statement of Commitment *
Do you agree to take the Kalachakra Path as your main path for the remainder of this life?
- Yes
- No
Statement of Commitment *
Do you promise that all information you have provided in this form is truthful and sincere?
- Yes
- No
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