Here, we shall introduce about Karmapa which I mentioned in our article no.6. He is the head of Karma Kagyu Lineage in Tibetan Buddhism which we are following.Tibetans revere Guru Rinpoche as the 2nd Buddha after Buddha Sakyamuni. And they believe that Karmapa is a manifestation of Guru Rinpoche. Tibetans also regard Karmapa as one of the manifestations of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (known as Kwan Yin in Chinese). The coming of Karmapa was predicted by Buddha Sakyamuni in the Samadhiraja (King of Samadhi) Sutra:
Two thousand years of my passing,
The teachings will spread in the land of the red faced ones,
Who will be the disciple of Avalokita;
The bodhisattva Simhanada, known as Karmapa, will appear.
Possessing mastery over Samadhi, He will tame beings
And establish them in bliss through seeing, hearing, recalling and touching.
Another prediction from Lankavatara (Manifesting in Lanka) Sutra:
Wearing monastic robes and a black crown,
He will perform unceasing benefit for beings
Until the teachings of one thousand buddhas disappear.
Karmapa is a very unique living personality. He is the founder of Tulku System (Incarnated Lama) in Tibetan Buddhism. The 1st Karmapa, Dusum Kyenpa left a written Letter predicting his future birth. The 2nd Karmapa, Karma Paksi, was found according to the descriptions in the Letter. Karma Paksi went to China by the invitation of Emperor of China during the Ming Dynasty. He performed 21 miracles during the first 21 days of His stay in the Palace. The Emperor of China became His disciple. From then on, all following Karmapas became the Gurus of Emperors of Ming Dynasty of China.
The 16th Karmapa was a great Bodhisattva. He received oral instructions and teachings mainly from His Root Guru, H.E. 11th Tai Situ Rinpoche. The 16th Karmapa’s Dharma activities spread far and wide. Many people in Europe and North America became Buddhists through just having a mere glimpse of Karmapa. Thus Tibetan Buddhism became flourished in Europe and North America. Many Dharma Centers sprung up like mushrooms all over the world. The 16th Karmapa had affected the lives of millions of people. My life changed for good after I took Refuge under The16th Karmapa.
The 16th Karmapa passed away in USA amid many wonderful signs. A few year prior to His Parinirvana, He left a letter with His Heart Disciple, H.E. The 12th Tai Situ Rinpoche who became the Root Guru of the present 17th Karmapa . The letter described about His future birth in details such as names of parents, year of birth, place of birth, and the signs after his birth. Thus the present 17th Karmapa was found without difficulty.
The 17th Karmapa, Urgyen Trinley Dorje was born in June 1985 in a nomad family in Kham, Tibet. When he was born, the neighbors heard the sound of conch-shell horn from the sky which lasted about 2 hours. This event was predicted in the 16th Karmapa's letter. The nomad's baby born with mysterious sound was named as Apo Gaga. When he was 6 years old, the search party for 17th Karmapa came to look for him by following the description in the prediction letter.
The 17th Karmapa was enthroned on 27th September, 1992 in Turphu Monastery, Tibet, with the recognition letter from the Central Committee of Communist China. And this was the first time the Communist Government of China recognized an incarnated Lama. If you wish to know more about Karmapa, please click this link: http://www.kagyuoffice.org/
