ceremony of anointment ［灌頂］ ( abhisheka;  kanjō): Also, anointment ceremony. A ceremony commonly performed in Esoteric Buddhism to invest the recipient with a certain status. The ceremony is said to have derived from the ancient Indian practice of pouring water on the heads of rulers when they ascended the throne. In Esoteric Buddhism, there are three kinds of anointment ceremonies, the respective purposes of which are (1) to establish a relationship between the individual and the Buddha, (2) to confer the status of practitioner of Esoteric Buddhism, and (3) to invest a person with the rank of āchārya, qualifying him to teach the esoteric doctrine.