To receive an empowerment there is a commitment that cannot be taken lightly, so please think carefully before receiving the empowerment's. Cultivating and practicing loving kindness is key. Below is a message from Chhoje Rinpoche on the commitment of receiving an empowerment:

"Sacred Vajrayana empowerments have a commitment — this is fundamentally the promise and willingness to work with oneself. This is a promise that is required of us by the teacher in exchange for their offering the sacred empowerments. The teacher demands this promise because heeding the promise itself is the only way we can free ourselves from the suffering of samsaric existence. There is no other way we can free ourselves other than recognizing afflictive emotions and working with them.

The samaya is that you make a commitment to yourself and to the teacher. The teacher does their part of offering the empowerment and instructions, and the student does their part by committing to daily practice. If we break that commitment, we put ourselves in danger. Not only that, since we entered the Bodhisattva path, we accepted the principle of Mahayana, which is to free every being from the suffering of cyclic existence. If we hold on to negative habits and self-centeredness and do not practice with bodhicitta, our mind will continue to be the source of being trapped in samsara and we can clearly understand that there is no way our mind will achieve liberation.

Understanding that, we can see why the commitment is serious and important—so we don’t stray from the path of liberation; it is common sense.

Further, in practicing the Buddha’s Three Vehicles, we talk about liberation in one lifetime—without question this will require total concentration and commitment to work with oneself starting with pratimoksha, (the vows of individual liberation, not to harm and to hold discipline, etc.), then to Bodhisattva or Mahayana and Secret Mantra vows which require deeper, wider, total commitment of full bodhicitta mind.

Therefore, if a person receives the sacred empowerments and is not willing to work with oneself, or is being distracted or lazy, or takes the vows casually, then there is danger in receiving the empowerments. It will support self-centered ego and the practice of afflictive emotion in day-to-day life. If one is not willing to transform oneself, there is a breach of commitment to the teacher, the teachings, and finally to oneself—you can bring chaos to the entire community, to the sangha, and to the world.

Therefore, please reflect carefully: once you receive the empowerment, you create a bond on the deepest level with the teacher. At the same time when you receive the empowerments, you’re declaring to yourself that you will work with yourself and transform your mind. “I will never stop the practice of bodhicitta mind, to awakening for the benefit of all beings” is a good way to think.

I request that everyone please reflect on this. If you’re willing to work with yourself, then the path is very clear. If you are not willing to work with yourself, receiving this sacred empowerment is not a good idea.”