Settling into a Sunday routine has a way of grounding the week: a peaceful morning of Tara Puja, followed by hitting the books at home for my part-time degree. Visiting Sakya Tenphel Ling—with its striking Tibetan architectural aesthetic nestled right here in Pasir Ris, Singapore—always offers a stark, beautiful contrast to the rush of daily life.

Yet, as I stepped closer to actual practice rather than just reading about it in books, I hit a psychological and philosophical stumbling block: the distinction between devotional Tara practice and tantric practices for which an empowerment (wang) may be required.

For a newcomer, the concept of empowerment can feel profoundly strange, especially if one approaches Vajrayana through the lens of other Buddhist traditions.

Ideological Check: Comparing Different Buddhist Approaches

Before unpacking the discomfort, it is worth looking at how different Buddhist traditions establish a relationship with the Buddha, enlightened beings, ritual and practice.

• Theravada: The Pali Canon presents the historical Shakyamuni Buddha and his teachings as the foundation of the path, while also recognizing his accomplished disciples and other figures worthy of respect. Devotional practices certainly exist, but Buddhist practice is not generally structured around tantric empowerment.
• Mahayana: Mahayana teachings introduce a much broader Buddhist landscape, including celestial Buddhas and Bodhisattvas such as Amitabha, Medicine Buddha and Avalokiteshvara. Devotional practices, prayers and aspirations connected with these figures can be open to ordinary practitioners without tantric initiation.
• Vajrayana: This is where things shift. Vajrayana introduces additional tantric methods, including deity visualization, mantra and specialized forms of meditation. In many Vajrayana traditions, particular tantric practices require an empowerment (wang) from a qualified teacher. Traditionally, this isn’t simply a matter of obtaining permission to pray to a deity; empowerment is understood as a ritual transmission that prepares and authorizes the practitioner for a particular tantric practice.

And this was where my skeptical brain started asking questions.

The Cynic’s View: Authority, Intermediaries, and Logic Gaps

If Tara represents enlightened compassion, why do I need a human being to introduce me to her?

Are the deities shy? Do they require a human Lama to grant administrative permission before they are allowed to bless a devotee?

To an uninitiated and habitually cynical mind, it can look suspiciously like a hurdle designed to elevate human authority.

Does the Lama suddenly become a middleman, a shaman, or a priest gating access to the divine?

And because material or financial offerings are customary in religious ceremonies, the skeptical voice whispers:

Is this just a way to monetize spirituality?

Measured against the broader Buddhist landscape, it feels incompatible at first glance.

Is this even authentic Buddhism?

The Spirit of Ehipassiko

Fortunately, two things kept me grounded.

First was the community at Sakya Tenphel Ling—people like Brother Thomas—who are knowledgeable, grounded, and have practiced across various traditions for years.

Second was an important principle in the Buddha’s teaching: don’t simply accept something because it comes from tradition, hearsay or authority.

The famous Kalama Sutta encourages careful examination rather than unquestioning acceptance. The spirit of ehipassiko—“come and see”—captures something of this attitude.

Doubts shouldn’t simply be swept under the rug.

They should be examined.

I decided to stick it out, observe, and withhold final judgment until I understood the mechanics from the inside out.

After all, reading a menu is entirely different from tasting the meal.

Before diving in, I want to make a clear boundary: nothing mentioned in the following critique stems from my time at Sakya Tenphel Ling. These are cautionary thoughts called forth by the wider landscape of internet controversies and problematic dynamics that can sometimes arise in contemporary tantric and other religious communities.

1. From “Gatekeeper” to Lineage Key: What Empowerment Actually Is

When we view Vajrayana deities as external gods sitting on clouds, empowerment sounds like a divine VIP pass that a human bouncer—the Lama—is selling or withholding.

However, as you sink deeper into the practice, the picture becomes considerably more sophisticated.

Vajrayana does not simply treat its deities as external gods to be flattered or bribed. Tantric practice works with the deity as a manifestation of awakened qualities, within a framework that also involves emptiness, Buddha-nature and the transformation of ordinary perception.

For a modern practitioner, it can also be useful to understand these forms psychologically—as representations of qualities such as compassion, clarity and wisdom.

Empowerment, therefore, is not simply a Lama granting permission to access a hiding deity.

Rather, it can be understood through several practical dimensions:

• An Introduction to Mind-Training: An empowerment introduces the practitioner to a specific set of tantric practices and ways of working with the mind. This can involve visualization, mantra, cultivating compassion, developing the aspiration for enlightenment and working with the perception of oneself and the world. The actual practice may be highly elaborate, but the underlying purpose is transformation.
• Connecting to a Lineage: Vajrayana places considerable importance on lineage—the transmission of teachings through successive teachers. For a modern practitioner, this also provides an opportunity to investigate the people and institutions through which a practice has been transmitted. Who taught whom? What did these teachers actually teach? How did they conduct themselves? What values did they embody? And, ultimately, do I want to participate in that lineage?
• Planting the Seed of Potential: Empowerment can also give the practitioner a powerful psychological shift: the possibility that these awakened qualities are not merely something to admire from a distance. Compassion, wisdom, patience and courage can become qualities we aspire to cultivate ourselves.

A vital caution here, however: if a practitioner doesn’t understand the perfection of the paramitas—the Buddhist perfections—they might mistake Buddhist deities for powerful supernatural entities who can be manipulated, appeased or used for personal advantage.

I’ve unfortunately seen practitioners behave as if they possess special spiritual powers and shouldn’t be trifled with—completely missing the mark of Buddhism and falling back into ego, greed and pride.

True empowerment should be about transforming the mind, not inflating the ego into a “God-man.”

2. Decoding the Offerings: Culture, Subsistence, and the Harsh Himalayas

One of the thorniest hurdles for modern, critically minded practitioners is the expectation of financial or material offerings during these ceremonies. To a cynical mind, it looks suspiciously like monetization—and it certainly doesn’t help when you are constantly reminded of how precious the teaching is, implying that your offerings should somehow match the intrinsic value of ultimate enlightenment.

However, looking at the historical, geographical, and ethical context changes the picture completely:

• From Alms Rounds to Himalayan Survival: In the warm plains of ancient India, early Buddhist monastics practiced the traditional daily alms round (pindapata) with a begging bowl. But as Vajrayana deeply rooted itself in the harsh, remote terrains of the Himalayas (Tibet, Bhutan, Ladakh), with their own unique culture and economy, daily alms rounds became less practiced or practical.
  • Modern Realities and True Renunciation: Having said that, most of us now live in cities, and many contemporary lamas no longer live in the remote Himalayan environments in which these historical systems developed.
  • The Buddha’s lineage is fundamentally a sramana—renunciate—tradition.
  • A noble disciple of the Buddha should not be driven by hoarding and greed. Material resources have their practical purpose, but Buddhist ethics also repeatedly point us toward generosity and letting go.
  • Good teachers may therefore have little personal wealth precisely because resources entrusted to them are being used to support monasteries, charitable projects, education, hospitals or other causes.
  • But this is also where the responsibility of the lay community becomes important.
  • We should not assume that someone is worthy of veneration simply because they wear robes, carry a prestigious title, sit on a high throne or arrive surrounded by ceremony.
  • We have to exercise discernment.
• The Bodhisattva Ideal vs. Pageantry:
  • Within Mahayana-oriented Vajrayana traditions, tantric practice is generally embedded within the Bodhisattva ideal: practice is ultimately directed toward the benefit of others rather than simply enhancing the practitioner’s own status. That gives us a useful standard.
  • If someone presents themselves as an advanced spiritual teacher, their conduct should be examined against the compassion, restraint and ethical discipline that Buddhist teachings themselves demand. Are they actually compassionate? Are they generous? Do they demonstrate humility? How do they treat people who have nothing to offer them? What happens when someone disagrees with them? These questions matter.
  • It is easy for people to be fooled by pageantry—beautiful robes, elaborate rituals, grand titles, large entourages and impressive ceremonies. A lama arrives with great fanfare and, before long, people can become conditioned to treat the person almost like a god. That is where discernment becomes essential.
  • There have also been cases in contemporary Buddhist communities where abusive behaviour has been rationalized through ideas such as “crazy wisdom” or unquestioning guru devotion. Whatever the teacher’s status, abuse should not be romanticized as advanced spirituality. Claims that physical or emotional abuse can somehow purify another person’s karma should be treated with extreme caution. A teacher’s spiritual authority should never become a licence to abandon basic human dignity and ethical conduct.
• The Only Offering That Truly Matters: As my practice matured, I realized that while material support has a practical place for institutional survival, the true offering demanded by the practice is internal. The real “fee” of empowerment is your commitment: a serious pledge to practice, such as daily mantra recitation, meditation, and transforming your own mind. Without inner commitment, a thousand physical offerings mean nothing; with true commitment, the ritual becomes alive.

Looking Back, Moving Forward

My initial hesitation wasn’t a flaw; it was a healthy shield. A critical mind keeps us from falling blindly into cultish behavior, financial exploitation, or superstitious traps. But wisdom requires us to look past our surface biases and examine the mechanics of what a tradition is actually trying to achieve.

Empowerment isn’t a tollbooth; it’s an ignition key. And once you turn it, the real transformation begins on the cushion from your own effort and practice.

May all be well and happy.

• My First Encounter with Vajrayana – Part 1
• My First Encounter with Vajrayana – Part 2
• My First Encounter with Vajrayana – Part 3
• My First Encounter with Vajrayana – Part 4