We hear that Vajrayana is superior to other vehicles, but for what

reason? Its superiority lies entirely in receiving the ripening em­ powerments and liberating instructions in an authentic way, and in applying them correctly. By doing so we can reach enlightenment, ideally in this very life, or next best at the moment of death. At the very least, as long as we haven't created severe negative karma

through acts such as turning against the Three Jewels, breaking our samayas, or abandoning our bodhisattva vows by forsaking other sentient beings, our mothers from past lives, there is still the opportunity to realize the innate nature of dharmata in the after-death state of the bardo, and thus to reach liberation. The key instructions that enable us to accomplish this depend upon empowerment, meaning upon our experience of original wakefulness that is the nature of em­powerment.