Monday, March 9, 2009

Karmapa Lama

This afternoon we had an audience with the 17th Karmapa Lama, Trinley Thaye Dorje. At 26, he is the head of one of the major sects within Buddhism and is seen by some as a potential successor to the Dalai Lama's leadership roles in the Tibetan communities. He was named as the reincarnation of the 16th Karmapa by the Dalai Lama in 1992 at the age of seven and escaped from Tibet in 2000. The Karmapa reincarnations are the oldest of the Tibetan lines and stretch back to the 13th century.

Tibetans in exile fear that when the Dalai Lama dies, the Chinese will 'find' the 15th reincaration and name him. The Dalai Lama himself says that since reincarnations happen because there is still work on earth to be done before Nirvana, any reincarnation should happen in exile, because the cause of a Tibetan Autonomous State has not yet been achieved.

The Karmapa Lama granted our group an hour audience in which we could ask questions and receive his blessings. He is very wise for his years, and fielded questions about finding peace within oneself in order to create peace in the world and about the current status of Tibet skillfully. I think that it was powerful for the students to see someone so close to their own age in such an important position within both the religious life of Buddhism and political life of Tibetans in exile.

1 comment:

Janaki said...

Marie,
We feel so honored to virtually "travel" with you, learning as you are about the cultures, education and stories of the people of Thailand, India and Tibet.

What an honor to have a personal visit with the Karmapa and to see the ceremonies with the Dalai Lama on this auspicious occasion. And the heroic work of so many is inspiring us more than you can know.

Thank you so much for your eloquent blog and beautiful candid photos. For parents, it has made this experience very close and personal.

Kathy and Chris Howard (Terra's parents)