Karmapa means “the one who carries out Buddha activity” and the Karmapa’s role is to guide the millions of Buddhists around the world. Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the 17th Karmapa, sees himself as “a voice representing a source of ancient wisdom from the East in an intercultural dialogue with the modern world”.
Apo Gaga
Like the Dalai Lama, the Karmapa is its own reincarnate title and so each new Karmapa is a reincarnation of a previous. Apo Gaga [“happy brother”] was born to nomadic parents in the village of Bakor, in Lhatok, Tibet. As a small boy, he identified himself as the Karmapa, but life continued as normal until the age of 7 when he was recognised by a search party following the instructions of the 16th Karmapa to find him, “Where divine thunder spontaneously blazes, in a beautiful nomad’s place with the sign of a cow. The method is Döndrub and the wisdom is Lolaga.” His parents names were Döndrub and Lolaga and his village and province names contained the words for “cow”, “divine” and “thunder”. When his status as the 17th Karmapa was confirmed by the Dalai Lama he took the name Ogyen Trinley Dorje, and became of spiritual head of the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism.
Döndrub and Lolaga
He started his studies at the Tsurphu Monastery in Tibet, the traditional residence of the Karmapa, but aged 14 he left Tibet and made the difficult journey across the Himalayas to India. Travelling by foot and horseback he describes the journey as, “extremely difficult and exhausting due to the poor and often dangerous condition of the paths and the freezing cold weather. During this time, I was tired and not very well physically, yet despite the difficulties, I was completely determined to reach my goal.” Why did he have to leave Tibet? He explains, “No one told me to go and no one asked me to come. I left my country to impart the Buddha’s teachings in general and, in particular, to receive the excellent empowerments, transmissions, and instructions of …the main disciples of the previous Karmapa, Situ Rinpoche and Gyaltsap Rinpoche, who were predicted to be my teachers and who reside in India.”
Hailing from a humble nomadic community, the 17th Karmapa is now held to be the third most significant representative of Tibetan Buddhism after the Dalai Lama and the missing Panchen Lama.
The Karmapa reflects, “His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, is my spiritual and temporal leader and has been like a father figure for me in Dharamsala.” Equally, the Dalai Lama likes to have the Karmapa at his side, often including him in his public audiences or recommending his visitors seek him out.
The Karmapa’s constant focus is how Buddhist principles such as wisdom, compassion and interconnectedness can help guide us through the modern world. “Especially in the twenty-first century we are so busy and so distracted by our lifestyles and our present technology that we seem to have come farther than ever from the stance of seeing our own nature,” he tells us via facebook. Viewing techology as a distraction but also a tool, the 17th Karmapa is actively using social media to enhance Buddhist study and practice and to speak out against contemporary problems. He condemns environmental destruction, climate change, consumerism and inequality and asks us to be kind, have compassion, take personal responsibility and actively engage in problems to find solutions.
At 28, the Karmapa is young and well respected, and is regarded by many as the future hope of the Tibetan people. He is seen as a strong, dynamic character in the religious, spiritual and political lives of Tibetans, particularly among the younger generation who relate well to someone their age. The 17th Karmapa is keen to connect with his own generation, specifically seeking out the youth of the world to communicate with them, learn from them and try to instil in them faith and hope for the future. In today’s youth he sees hope for a better tomorrow.
His Holiness the 17th Karmapa is set to be a key advisor or leader in the future of Tibetan Buddhism and lead the current generation of young Buddhists into the next.
You can hear the Karmapa’s TED talk at: http://www.ted.com/talks/his_holiness_the_karmapa_the_technology_of_the_heart
All photos: kyaguoffice.org, facebook
Print
Email
