Under gusty skies at the turn of the new century, the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje, was greeted at Dhagpo Kagyu Ling on January 9— three days after arriving in Paris on his first visit to Europe.
Addressing some two thousand practitioners under a large marquee, the 16-year-old Gyalwa Karmapa recalled his predecessor’s instructions for Buddhism to take root in the West, noting that they “have been implemented with diligence. I am happy to see that a good base was established. For the Buddhist teachings to last, these ongoing activities must continue,” he said.
During his teaching, His Holiness shared the essence of the Buddhist path.
“Whatever practice a person engages in on the Buddhist path, the key instruction is to generate compassion that knows no bounds, along with an infallible knowledge of the true nature of reality that lies beyond the dualistic grasping of the mind.”
He stated that, “the main aim of Dharma practice is to help all beings. To make this possible, we need to practice, study and reflect on all this and on the philosophical teachings.”
“My wish is that you reach the ultimate goal by continually connecting with Lama Jigme Rinpoche’s instructions and advice.” His visit concluded with the empowerment of Chenrezig, the meditation aspect embodying the compassion of all Buddhas.
During the visit, Lama Jigme Rinpoche gave a teaching on the significance of the Gyalwa Karmapa.
As a reminder, the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa cited five resources to establish for the Dharma to take root in the West:
- Access Points for Learning about the Buddha’s Teachings and Meditation
- Institutes for Acquiring Precise Knowledge of the Teachings
- A Network of Libraries to Preserve and Make Accessible Buddhist Texts in Different Formats: Traditional, Book, Digital, Etc.
- Retreat Centers for Deepening Meditative Practice
- Monastic and Secular Living Environments for Those Wishing to Experiment or Dedicate Their Lives to This Path.
These photos come from our archives or were collected as part of the research for Dhagpo Kagyu Ling’s 50th anniversary. We have not been able to identify all the authors. The use of these photos is solely for informational purposes within the context of Dhagpo Kagyu Ling’s 50th anniversary celebration. Their use is limited to this event and our website and is not for commercial purposes.
Event
To mark this date, we will gather in Dhagpo’s Institute to recite the Five Royal Sutras and the practice of Vajrasattva as requested by the 17th Karmapa, as well as the Sutra of Longevity.
The practice will also be streamed.
These photos come from our archives or were collected as part of the research for Dhagpo Kagyu Ling’s 50th anniversary. We have not been able to identify all the authors. The use of these photos is solely for informational purposes within the context of Dhagpo Kagyu Ling’s 50th anniversary celebration. Their use is limited to this event and our website and is not for commercial purposes.
