The 17th Karmapa Visits Boulder, Seattle, New York

Boulder, Colorado -- The Karmapa is a title given to a lineage of reincarnate Buddhist masters who head the Karma Kagyu subsect of the Kagyupa school, one of four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The current Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, is seventeenth in a line extending back to the twelfth century. The first Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa, studied under Gampopa ("Karmapa"), the renowned physician and founder of the Kagyu school who in turn was part of the initial line of transmission of Indian Buddhist thought to Tibet ("Gampopa"). His Holiness (as his followers refer to the Karmapa), just 22 years old, made his first visit to the United States from his home in exile in Sidhbari, India, in May of 2008. He spoke in New York City, Boulder, Colorado, and Seattle.

Speaking with translation to a crowd of over 2,000 on the Colorado University campus May 25, the solid and self-assured Karmapa underlined the potential for positive impact on the world despite the distractions and challenges of our age. Relating how the upgrade of hunting technology in his home region in Tibet has resulted in endangering the wildlife there, the Karmapa stressed that technology is not inherently evil; it is the actions with and motivations behind it that determine its impact. In fact, when asked how one could have a successful Dharma practice (i.e., practice with the teachings of the Buddha), the Karmapa wryly replied that the first thing one might need is a good computer!

While the Karmapa hesitated to recommend preparation for a future that is still unknown to us, His Holiness emphasized acting to improve the world better from our current situation, using the metaphor of the world's citizens being like a group of painters, each painting where they live in the most beautiful way possible.

The Karmapa further suggested that one see the earth not as inanimate, but as a goddess or mother; thus, one has responsibility to give back to what has given one so much. The commonsense ecology of the Karmapa, however, was balanced with concern for one's fellow human beings, saying that the ultimate result of Dharma practice is not Buddhahood, but helping others. His Holiness presented a worldview of great hope and potential, one in which mankind is called to uplift and benefit no one segment of existence, but virtually all with which one interacts.

Works Cited

"Karmapa." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 26 May 2008.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karmapa>

"Gampopa." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 26 May 2008.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gampopa>