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Many people have heard of the Dalai Lama, but fewer are aware of the unique role of the Gyalwa Karmapa, Tibet's very first 'reincarnate' lama. in June 1985, among the nomads of Eastern Tibet, the Karmapa took birth again for the 17th time in this millennium, fulfilling the hopes and prayers of millions of Buddhists of the Kagyu tradition worldwide.
Like so many of his fellow lamas, the previous Karmapa, the 16th, left Tibet at the time of the Chinese invasion in the l950s, bringing with him a treasury of Buddhist teachings which had been preserved for more than 800 years in the isolated beauty of 'the land of the snows'. Since that time these teachings have taken root in many countries around the world.
After the 16th Karmapa's death in 1981 his followers had to wait until 1992 to discover his reincarnation. He was found exactly in accordance with instructions left in a letter he himself had concealed in an amulet given to one of his chief disciples, the 12th Tai Situpa. The Dalai Lama subsequently gave his official approval and the 17th Karmapa was enthroned in his tradidional seat at Tsurphu, not far from Lhasa, in Tibet.
Drawing on a quarter-century of experience close to the senior lamas of the Kagyu tradition, including the 16th Karmapa, Ken Holmes presents extremely useful and not always widely available information on topics such as the Karmapa's uniqueness, his lineage, reincarnation, the land of Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism itself-particularly that branch of it that the Karmapa embodies so perfectly. He has created this book as 'simple advice from a friend' in the hope that it will help those who meet the Karmapa to gain more benefit from their experience and others to discover someone who will doubtless be an important figure in the coming century.
H.H. Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Urgyen Trinley Dorje, Ken Holmes, Altea, Paperback, 1995, 152 Pages, $25.00
Ken Holmes, born in London in 1947, left his early career in chemical engineering to manage a project helping homeless addicts in central London. On completion of this, he set out in 1969 to meet in person the Sufi and Tibetan mystics he had read read about since his childhood. His travels led him through the Middle East and Afghanistan to India, where he spent six months in Dharmasala studying with the monks of HH the Dalai Lama. From there he went to Kagyu Samye Ling, the first Tibetan Buddhist centre established in the West. THis has been his base for the past 25 years, during which time his life has been devoted to making Tibetan Buddhist meditation and philosophy available to the western world. He and his wife Katia have translated some of the main Kagyu teaching texts into English as well as much of the liturgy used in daily Buddhist practice.
In 1977 Ken spent six months travelling with HIs Holiness the 16th Karmapa as one of his assistants for his European tour. It was during this time that His Holiness encouraged him and Katia to enter into intensive study of Kagyu texts and to prepare accurate English translations based upon the traditional lineage explanations. Ken is presently Director of Studies at Kagyu Samye Ling, where he teaches, translates and interprets for visiting Tibetan lamas.
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Contents: Karmapa: Urgyen Trinley Dorje |
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| Chapter One |
Introduction |
9 |
| Chapter Two |
Tibet, Land of the New Karmapa's Birth |
13 |
| Chapter Three |
The 16th Gyalwa Karmapa |
23 |
| Chapter Four |
The Meaning of Lineage |
37 |
| Chapter Five |
Finding the New Karmapa |
45 |
| Chapter Six |
HH the 17th Karmapa Urgyen Trinley Dorje |
57 |
| Chapter Seven |
Reincanation, Emanation and the Names of the Karmapa |
73 |
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Chapter Eight
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The Samadhirajasutra |
83 |
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Chapter Nine
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"Ka-gyu" - Transmission of Mastery: The Inheritance from Tilopa |
87 |
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Chapter Ten
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Vajrayana |
93 |
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Chapter Eleven
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The Early Patriarchs in India and Tibet |
105 |
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Chapter Twelve
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The First Fifteen Karmapas |
113 |
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Chapter Thirteen
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The Karmapa, Enlightened Activity and Buddha Nature |
123 |
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Chapter Fourteen
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Karmapas Long Before and Long After the Karmapas |
131 |
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Chapter Fifteen
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The Vajra Crown and the All-Liberating Karmapa Black Pills |
137 |
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Long-Life Prayer |
143 |
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Glossary of Buddhist Terms |
144 |
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Bibliography |
147 |
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Tsurphu Monastery |
148 |
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About the Author |
149 |
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ROKPA |
149 |
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