Lama Tsang Tsing Empowerments 2026 - Registration

We are pleased to announce that Venerable Lama Tsang Tsing has accepted our invitation to grant three empowerments at KCC as part of our yearlong celebration of our dharma center’s 50th anniversary. He will be bestowing the three initiations that are most essential to KCC’s programming: Vajrasattva, Green Tara, and Chenrezi.

Empowerment is a key feature of Vajrayana Buddhism and can be understood as a formal initiation for a particular yidam practice. A yidam is a manifestation of awakened mind—wisdom, compassion, and ability—in form. There is a practice for each yidam where we imagine that yidam (often regarding ourselves in that form) and recite a mantra. By imagining our being manifested as awakened body, speech, and mind, these types of meditation are said to hasten our awakening. 

Vajrasattva is associated with purification and is part of the ngondro, or preliminary practices, of the Mahamudra tradition. Green Tara is considered the embodiment of the activity of all the buddhas, and Chenrezi is seen as an emanation of the compassion of all the buddhas. Even if you do not plan to begin such practices right away, it is considered very positive to take such empowerments. By receiving empowerments, auspicious seeds are planted in our being and these rituals are said to have a “ripening effect” on our spiritual path to awakening. We are thus encouraged to take such empowerments again and again.

The only prerequisite is to first take the vow of refuge, which is a formal way to enter the Buddhist path. This will be offered before each initiation. There are no mandatory practice commitments for receiving any of these and attendance can be for one, two, or three of the empowerments.

Dates and times

Vajrasattva Empowerment: Friday, July 10th, 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Green Tara Empowerment: Saturday, July 11th, at 10:00am – 12:00pm
Chenrezi Empowerment: Sunday, July 12th, 10:00am – 12:00pm