The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Recounts old ties between Karmapa lineage and Bhutan and gives special empowerment
The Wang or empowerment blessings of the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorji (41) saw record crowds converging at the Global Peace Prayers Ground, the Changlimithang Stadium and grounds and the parking areas outside it.
Before starting the empowerment prayers, Gyalwang Karmapa had some words to share, and one of the key focus areas was the building of the 108 Jangchub Chortens in the Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC).
Bhutan as a Global Buddhist Site
Gyalwang Karmapa at Lhodrak Nyidey Monastery
Gyalwang Karmapa said, “Due to the vision of His Majesty The King and the efforts of all of the people of Bhutan, in Gelephu we have done something which has never been done before, and which is to raise 108 Chortens in a single day.”
The Karmapa said that in the past, the Dharma King Ashoka was able to build 10 million stupas with relics of the Buddha all over the world, but there is no discussion anywhere of that happening in a single day, and so to be able to raise so many stupas in a single day is actually a first in world history that has never happened before.
“It has happened here in the land of Bhutan, and this is a great fortune. Not only that, there were also hundreds of thousands of Bhutanese people who came as well as people from around the world, including many Buddhist masters from many different countries, for this world first event. So, I think by doing this, it has created the interdependent conditions, whereby in the future, Bhutan will be able to develop and flourish and be a place of great happiness for everyone, and so this is something that we should all be delighted and happy about,” Gyalwang Karmapa said.
The Karmapa said that in the world, there are many sacred Buddhist sites, and among them in central India, there is Bodh Gaya. In China in the east, there is the Wutaishan or the five peak mountains, in the south there is the Potala and in the West there is the land of the Odiyana, and in the North there is the land of Shambala.
“Now, all of these will be something that we can see in Gelephu (GMC) without going to any other country, and so I think that it is going to be a very important aspect of Bhutan. They are all complete here in Bhutan, and this is a location that is not like any other. It will be a place where people from all over the world will gather and come together,” Gyalwang Karmapa said.
The Karmapa said this has all come to fruition due to His Majesty’s vision and the service of all of his subjects.
“So, I think that this is something that is going to bring great glory and happiness, development and prosperity to the land of Bhutan. This was His Majesty’s wish, and I have no doubt that it will happen just so. So now that His Majesty’s vision has been completed as he wished, I would like to make this aspiration that this does bring great development and happiness and improvement to the land of Bhutan. This is my sincere aspiration,” the Karmapa said.
Ties between Karmapa Lineage and Bhutan
Another important aspect of the Karmapa’s speech before the Wang was laying out the old historical and spiritual ties between the Karmapa lineage and Drukpa Kagyu, Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel, Bhutan and the Kings of Bhutan.
While offering his greetings to the people gathered at Changlimithang, and those watching on TV and online, the Karmapa said Bhutan is like no other country.
He said among the 195 countries in the world, the only country where the Mahayana, and particularly the Vajrayana Buddhism, has spread and that is independent is Bhutan.
He said Bhutan is the land where the teaching of the Drukpa Kagyu has spread and is blessed by Chenregzi, and so people are very fortunate to take the empowerment in such a place.
He said between the First Karmapa Dusum Khyenpa (1110–1193) and founders of the Drukpa Kagyu lineage, Linje Repa (1128–1188) and Tsangpa Gyarey (1161–1211) there was a connection of master and disciples.
He said the First Karmapa Dusum Khyenpa predicted the prophecy to Tsangpa Gyarey that he should found the Druk monastery, and so when Tsangpa Gyarey founded the monastery he saw mother and child dragons flying in the sky, and on seeing this, he called it Druk or the dragon as the origin of the word Drukpa.
“The First Karmapa also came to Bhutan, coming to Paro Taktsang to practice there, and he stayed in retreat. In the later spreading of the teachings among the earliest of the masters who came to Bhutan was the First Karmapa Dusum Khyenpa. So not only did Dusum Khyenpa have a connection of master and disciple with Tsangpa Gyarey, he also actually came to Bhutan, to Paro, and he did retreat and practice here and blessed the land,” Gyalwang Karmapa said.
The Karmapa said that among the masters who had the greatest influence and kindness in Bhutan is Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel, and there is a great connection between Zhabdrung and the Karma Kamtsang.
He said during the time of the 10th Karmapa Choying Dorje, the Mongolian armies came into Central Tibet and they persecuted the Karmapa Kamtsang and the Kagyu lineages, and the Karmapa had to flee to the land of the Lijang and other countries, and it was a very difficult time for the teachings of the Karma Kagyu in central Tibet, and it declined very severely.
At that time Karmapa Choying Dorje was severely depressed, and he thought to himself that he will not return after the 10th Karmapa as the Karmapa.
“So, when Choying Dorje said he would not return and not be reborn, Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel heard of this, and he realized it would be a great loss for the teachings in general, and particularly the Kagyu teachings, and so he wrote this in a letter he sent to the 10th Karmapa Choying Dorje, and not only that, he also made an image of the stamp of Avalokiteshvara who liberates from samsara with thousand arms and eyes. He also sent this and this was like a symbol that the one image would be able to create many more images, and because of his kindness in doing this, the Karmapa Choying Dorje came back and there has been a continuous sequence of reincarnations since then,” Gyalwang Karmapa said.
He said this is because of the aspirations and actions of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel.
So, in this way there is a deep connection between Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel and Choying Dorje.
“They are the same in being emanations of Avalokiteshvara and they had a profound connection with each other and they were very harmonious with each other and they had a deep connection and so it really is because of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel that the Karmapas were able to continue to appear until the present time,” the Karmapa said.
Gyalwang Karmapa said while there is a lot more that can be said about the connection between Karmapas and Bhutan, one particular incident is important.
He said during the time of the 12th Karmapa Changchub Dorje, there was a lot of wars and conflict between Bhutan and Tibet, and one important point in Bhutanese history is that during this time it was the 12th Karmapa Changchub Dorje and the 8th Shamar Rinpoche who helped negotiate a peace treaty between Bhutan and Tibet, and so from that time on there has been no more war between Bhutan and Tibet, and the two have coexisted in peace.
“This also is an important factor in the development of Bhutan as an independent and free country and this happened in part because of the contribution of 12th Karmapa Changchub Dorje,” the Karmapa said.
Gyalwang Karmapa said the first King of Bhutan Ugyen Wangchuck also had a profound connection with the Karma Kagyu and the connection continued during the time of the following Kings of Bhutan like the Second, Third and Fourth Kings of Bhutan.
He said the Third and Fourth Kings had a very profound connection of faith and samaya with the 16th Karmapa. Everyone knows about it, and it is not necessary to say much about it. He said all of the Kings have had a very profound connection with Bhutan.
Coming to Bhutan
Gyalwang Karmapa said that for him to be able to come to Bhutan, it is due to the kindness of His Majesty The King, His Majesty The Fourth King and The Royal Family and he would like to thank them very much.
“I am in my 40s now, but from the time I was young, I have heard about the connection between Bhutan and the 16th Karmapa, and I have thought to myself that I really would like to go, and this isn’t something I have been thinking about for a couple of years but something I have been thinking about for a few decades, and so now that I am in my 40s, I have had this great fortune now to be able to come to this land of Bhutan,” Gyalwang Karmapa said.
The Empowerment
Explaining the Empowerment, Gyalwang Karmapa said, “We will have the empowerment of the Amitayus the three roots combined. This is a practice that Guru Rinpoche actually gave to the Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje in a vision of clear perception.”
Three Roots Combined (Tsa Sum Drilwa) in the Karma Kagyu tradition is a specialized Vajrayana long-life and accomplishment practice that unites the Guru, Yidam, and Protector into a single deity body and mandala.
Guru, which is the root of blessings, is represented by Amitayus (Tsepakme), the Buddha of boundless life. Yidam which is the root of accomplishment is represented by Gyalwa Gyatso which is a form of Avalokiteshvara. Protector which is the root of enlightened activity is represented by Mahakala (specifically Bernakchan or the Black Cloak Mahakala).
“So, the Great Guru Rinpoche of Odiyana was an amazing Guru, and he had a great connection with Bhutan, and so if we pray to Guru Rinpoche with faith and devotion, we will be able to receive blessings that are unlike any others and today in particular we are having the empowerment that Guru Rinpoche himself gave to the Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje,” Gyalwang Karmapa said.
Gyalwang Karmapa said the Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje is not just a Karma Kagyu master but he also had teachers of many different lineages, and in particular, he held the lineages in the Dzogchen tradition of the Kongtrul Nyingtik, and so in his deeds and actions he was a lama who was different than many others.
“He was not only a master of the Karma Kagyu but he was also very influential in the Vajrayana tradition of the Nyingmapas. So, by giving you the empowerment today, I hope that you will all be able to receive the blessings of Guru Rinpoche and that this will eliminate all of your outer inner and secret obstacles,” Gyalwang Karmapa said.
Before leaving the venue, the Karmapa said that His Majesty The King and His Majesty The Fourth King are not ordinary people but the manifestations and blessings of Guru Rinpoche on Bhutan.
He wished the students the best for their exams, and he said he hopes to come back to Bhutan again in the future.
A day earlier in the Lhodrak Nyidey Monastery in Bjemina, Thimphu where around 10,000 people gathered, Gyalwang Karmapa prayed for the long life and good health for His Majesty The King, His Majesty The Fourth King, for the well being of Bhutan and for the removal of obstacles for His Majesty and the nation.
