Vajrayana

Accessing the Vajrayana Section of the Zam Shop

If you have received an empowerment into the higher tantras and you fulfil the required prerequisites, you may request access to the Vajrayana section of the Zam Shop.

Prerequisites

To gain access, it is necessary to:

• have a solid understanding and personal experience of the Foundations of the Buddhist Path* (at least two years of regular study and practice);

• have begun studying the Mahayana stage of the path* (at least one year of sustained study and practice);

• have formally taken Refuge, the official entrance to the Buddhist path;

• have taken the Bodhisattva Vow;

• have received teachings on all the ngöndro practices (Vajrayana preliminaries), including guru yoga, from a qualified teacher;

• have started the accumulation of the ngöndro;

• have received an empowerment into the higher tantras from an authentic lineage master;

• understand the specific commitments of the Vajrayana and have the genuine wish to follow this path.

For Rigpa students: being part of the Ngöndro mandala.

Please note: Certain teachings available on the Zam Shop may require additional prerequisites, such as a specific empowerment, a reading transmission (lung), or other commitments set by the master who transmitted the teaching. Please take care to respect these requirements faithfully.

How to Request Access

1. If you do not yet have an account on the Zam Shop website, please create one [here].

2. If you already have an account (or have just created one), please contact Zam  and request access to Vajrayana materials, confirming that you have read the prerequisites and that you fulfil them.

Why Are Some Teachings Restricted?

For a better understanding of why certain teachings and materials are restricted, you may watch this video by Sangye Khandro, teacher and translator (Shambhala Publications).

👉 Empowerment given at Rigpa [here]