Gyalwang Karmapa arrives at the Kamalashila Buddhist Institute, Langenfeld in western Germany.
Photo: kagyuoffice.org
The 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje left for his European tour on May 28. His programmes and activities included Buddhist teachings, addressing current social issues and the significance of compassion in today’s world.
His tour started at the Kamalashila Buddhist Institute in Langenfeld, West Germany where he met representatives from all the European Karma Kagyu centres and organisations, and spoke very informally to his disciples with warmth and humour. “The mission of the 17th Karmapa in this 21st century is mainly Dharma activities. However the Dharma must change in order to suit the time and need of society and its people. Its essences will still be the Buddha Dharma but I may give it a new external shape” said Gyalwa Karmapa. On his second day, in Nuerburgring, he made the Tibetan Traditional Buddhism teaching accessible to the 2,000 people present.
He followed this with the “Empowerment of the eighty four Mahasiddhas” and the “Empowerment of the Medicine Buddha” on the following days, and thanked all the supporters who made his journey possible, especially friends in Indian Government. He also thanked Central Tibetan Administration and His Holiness the Dalai Lama for supporting him. He mentioned that he was happy to have made this trip and to establish a meaningful relationship with his European followers.
Giving the Empowerment of the eighty-four Mahasiddhas
Photo: kagyuoffice.org
The Karmapa inaugurated a stupa at the Kamalashila Institute, and spoke about stupas and their representation of the physical body, speech and mind of the Buddha. He then planted a tree to demonstrate personal responsibility in protecting and preserving the fragile environment.
In Cologne, he visited the Cathedral and spoke at the Catholic University, saying “there is no copy right on compassion, it is certainly not owned by Tibetan Buddhism but is shared commonly by all religions”.
Travelling to Berlin, Gyalwa Karmapa met Rabbi Ben-Chorin and Rabbi Gesa Ederberg, the leaders of Berlin Jewish community and visited the Holocaust Museum and the Berlin Wall. He later gave teachings at the Estrel Convention Centre in Sonnenallee in Berlin and spoke on the social and environmental responsibility of young people. He also gave a religious transmission from the 13th century to his followers.
The Karmapa delivered his first ever public talk in Europe on June 5, speaking on “ancient wisdom for the modern world; heart advice for a meaningful life”. During the talk, he explained: “A meaningful life requires being able to fulfill the role you have in your life, my activity is to accomplish benefit for the lives of other beings.”
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