The Aura of Wisdom By Living Buddha Sheng-yen
Lu This was translated from Grandmaster Lu's 154th book, 智慧的光環. CHAPTER 10 - The Four Levels of Empowerment The True Buddha School offers many empowerments. The meaning of empowerment is: `The Vajra Guru, representing all deities, empowers his disciples with a pure Dharma transmission.` The Four Levels of Empowerment cover empowerments ranging from simple to advanced levels, moving from the initial stage of practice to the Great Perfection, which is the highest of all empowerments. First level of empowerment - The purity of body, speech and mind. Second level of empowerment - The practice of winds, channels and drops. Third level of empowerment - Highest Yoga Tantra. Fourth level of empowerment - The Great Perfection. In general, disciples of the True Buddha School who receive the first level of empowerment are the most numerous. Their empowerments received include the empowerment of all deities, the empowerment of the preliminaries, the empowerment of Guru Yoga, and so forth. Disciples who receive the second level of empowerment are lesser in number. Their empowerments include the practice of inner fire, the practice of drops, and the method of non-leakage. The non-leakage method is only transmitted to selected students. The third level of empowerment - the Highest Yoga Tantra - has been given only to one individual. Only a certain vajra master has received it. The fourth level of empowerment - the Great Perfection - has not been given to anyone. I must state that as long as one keeps one`s body, speech and mind pure, one is certain to gain rebirth in a Buddha pure land. The achievement of practicing winds, channels and drops leads to the attainment of the Indestructible Vajra Body. The achievement of practicing the Highest Yoga Tantra is the attainment of the Pure Light of Bliss. To achieve the Great Pefection is to enter into Emptiness and become enlightened in this present lifetime, attaining the Rainbow Accomplishment. Why is it that the second, third and fourth levels of empowerment are granted to a much smaller number of disciples? I have said that the first level of empowerment leads to the purity of body, speech and mind. This purity is the cleansing of the poisons of greed, anger and ignorance. Come to think about it, the cleansing of greed, anger and ignorance poses a great challenge to people of this modern age. I (Living Buddha Lian-sheng, Sheng-yen Lu) possess the most precious Dharma treasures which are priceless and beyond comparison. Let me say this, `If you have courage and great compassion, then come along!` |
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