Empowerment , Commitment & Samaya

Question: If we have taken different empowerments of different deities and there are commitments to recite a certain number of their mantra, if we miss out any of them, would it be the same if we in our mind know that there is actually no difference in reciting any of them? Or is it compulsory that we have to recite each and every one of them?

Garchen Rinpoche Answered: "Even though you have received many empowerments, if you understand the nature of the deity, you understand that it is sufficient to only practice a single deity. By practicing a single deity genuinely, you are accomplishing the essence of all deities. 

In fact, it is better to focus on the practice of just one deity, because then it will be easier to habituate to the deity to the point where you will not forget about the deity. To accomplish the deity means to never forget about the deity, it means that the deity always remains in your mind, it never separates from you. As it is always in your mind, you become the deity. 

If you never separate from the deity, you will also remember the deity in the Bardo after death, upon which you will attain enlightenment into the samboghakaya form of the deity. 

Sometimes people worry about receiving too many empowerments because they think that they cannot keep all the samayas. Actually if you practice the root samaya of love, compassion and mindfulness, you are keeping all samayas of all deities, even if you only recite the mantra of one deity. In order to understand this you must understand the essence of the deity. If you think that the deities are all separate, there will be a conflict. Actually the power of one wisdom deity is contained within all deities. 

Various deities appear in order to suit the various thoughts and inclinations of sentient beings, but actually their nature is one and the same. The nature of all deities is bodhichitta. Therefore, if you practice bodhichitta and mindfulness, and only recite the mantra of one deity, you are keeping all your samayas. If you do not practice bodhichitta and mindfulness, no matter how many different mantras you recite, you are not keeping your samayas. 

That is because bodhichitta is the very life-energy of the deity. Without bodhichitta the deity is like a dead body. However, it is necessary to practice at least one deity on a daily basis. 

In the various empowerment texts it is mentioned in the section of repeating the samaya that one must recite the mantra of that deity, but this must be mentioned in each sadhana because in old days the masters would only receive this one empowerment and then practice this for the rest of their lives. For this reason it must be mentioned in each empowerment text. But for us, since we receive so many empowerments nowadays, it is crucial to understand the meaning and essence of the empowerment: It is said: "In the expanse of primordial wisdom, all the Buddhas are one."

问题：我们领受过不同本尊的灌顶，因此有誓言必须念诵一定数量的咒语。如果我们没有完全照做，因为了解念诵任何一个咒语都没有分别，但是否是这样？或者是每天一定要念诵每一种本尊的咒语？

噶千仁波切回答：尽管你领受了许多灌顶，如果你明白本尊的本质，你就能明白其实修持一个本尊就足够了。以至诚修持一个本尊，你将能获得一切本尊的精要。

实际上，最好是能专注修持一个本尊，因为这将让我们易于熟习本尊，以至不会忘失本尊。要获得本尊成就，必须永不忘失本尊，本尊一直常驻在你心中，从不与你分离。因为本尊一直在心中，你就成了本尊。如果你从不与本尊分离，你将能在死亡后的中阴阶段忆起本尊，并在当下以本尊的报身佛形象证悟佛果位。

如果你认为本尊都是不同的，将会产生冲突。一个智慧尊的力量都包含在所有本尊当中。

不同的本尊的显现是为了适应不同众生的思想和倾向，但他们的本质是相同如一的。

一切本尊的本质就是菩提心。因此，如果你修持菩提心和正念，仅仅是持诵一个本尊的咒语，你已经持守所有的三昧耶戒。如果没有修持菩提心和正念，不论你持诵多少不同的咒语，也是等于没有持守三昧耶戒。因为菩提心是本尊的关键生命力。缺少菩提心的本尊，就犹如死尸一般。不过，每天至少观修一个本尊是有必要的。

不同的灌顶仪轨都会重复念诵三昧耶戒律文，其中一条是你必须持诵本尊咒语。这个誓言会出现在每一个灌顶仪轨中，因为过去的年代，大师都只领受一个灌顶，并终身修持。因此，所有灌顶仪轨都有这条戒律。如今，我们都领受许多的灌顶，因此重要的
是要明白灌顶的意义和精要：颂曰：“在广阔的本初智之中，诸佛是一体的。”

(Text source:
http://www.amidewa-retreat.com/web/question-answer?start=28
Picture source: Internet)