Karmapa Visited Ontario Legislative Assembly and Met with Canadian Politicians
“Karmapa, Welcome to Canada” read a banner held by devotees at Toronto airport, welcoming the 17th Karmapa on his first ever visit to Canada. Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the head of the Karma Kagyu, a notable sub-school of the Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism, has so far met members of the Ontario Legislative Assembly to thank them for their support for Tibetans living in the Ontario area, and to tour the legislative assembly building.
The Karmapa headed from the airport to an official reception at his hotel with over one hundred guests, where traditional Tibetan cuisine such as saffron tea and rice was served. In attendance were members of the local Tibetan community, including President of the Toronto Tibetan Association Mr Sonam Langkar. The Karmapa expressed his appreciation to the organisers of his visit.
His visit to Canada is scheduled to last for a month, and will see the Karmapa visit Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver. It follows a successful visit to the United Kingdom, where he was met by Prince Charles. His predecessor, the 16th Karmapa, travelled extensively throughout Canada and was instrumental in introducing Canadians to Buddhism in the 1970s.
Photo : kagyuoffice.org
The 16th Karmapa is often regarded as the third highest Tibetan lama, and enjoys worldwide popularity. He escaped from Tibet to India in December 1999, after Chinese authorities refused to grant him permission to travel to India. His escape was an embarrassment to Beijing, who claimed he had left a message explaining that he was going to India to visit the Rumtek Monastery and recover a sacred hat which had belonged to the 16th Karmapa. According to the Guardian, the 16th Karmapa dismissed these reports as nonsense.
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