In Vajrayāna Buddhism, an initiation (Tibetan: *wang*, Sanskrit: *abhiṣeka*) is a formal ritual empowerment through which a qualified master introduces a disciple to a specific tantric deity, mandala, and cycle of practices, and authorizes engagement with them. This ceremony is not merely symbolic; it is regarded as a transmission of blessing and power (*adhiṣṭhāna*) from an unbroken lineage of practitioners, linking the disciple to that living stream of realization. Through this connection, the practitioner is ritually brought into the mandala, learning to see the environment, the deity, and one’s own body, speech, and mind as expressions of awakened reality. In this sense, initiation functions as both a gateway and a reorientation of perception, shifting the practitioner from an ordinary frame of reference into the sacred context of tantra.

At a deeper level, initiation is described as planting seeds of realization in the mindstream and revealing, in a symbolic and experiential way, the practitioner’s innate buddha‑nature. The various stages or aspects of empowerment are said to empower body, speech, and mind, purifying negative karmic imprints and establishing the conditions for the emergence of the enlightened qualities associated with the deity. This is why initiation is often spoken of as both purification and empowerment: it clears obscurations while bestowing the capacity to engage in powerful methods such as deity yoga, mantra recitation, and subtle visualizations. Without these seeds and this purification, tantric techniques would lack the inner support needed for genuine transformation.

Initiation is also the formal act of authorization and commitment. During the ritual, the disciple receives explicit permission to practice a particular tantra and its methods, and at the same time undertakes vows and commitments (samaya) that define the ethical and relational framework of the path. These vows bind the practitioner to maintain appropriate conduct, to uphold the sacred relationship with the teacher, and to sustain the practice itself; they form the container that holds and stabilizes the intense energies that tantra seeks to transform. Classical tantric sources emphasize that engaging in higher tantric practices without such empowerment is forbidden, ineffective, and potentially harmful, because the methods work directly with powerful aspects of mind and experience that require careful guidance and protection.

For these reasons, initiation is regarded as indispensable within Vajrayāna. It preserves the authenticity of the lineage, provides the protective blessings necessary for safely engaging tantric methods, and activates the latent potential for awakening that those methods are designed to unfold. Without initiation, practice may resemble tantric forms outwardly, but from the traditional perspective it lacks the living transmission, the sacred commitments, and the empowered context that make it truly Vajrayāna.