His Holiness Karmapa Returns to India

June 5th, 2008

At around 3 in the afternoon His Holiness landed at Gaggal airport and walked through array of Serbangs keenly waiting for his arrival. The chairman of the Assembly of Tibetan people's Deputy Mr. Karma Chomphel offered welcome scarf to His Holiness along with many more;

Ven. Dorzong Rinpoche
Ven. Choegyal Rinpoche
Ven. Taklung Tulku
Tsewang Dakpa General Secretary of Palpung Sherabling Monastery.
General Secretary of Gyuto Monastery.
Decheng Damdul. Representative of Tsurphu Labrang (KOA)
Gyuto Monastery
Sherab Ling Monastery and Institute
Khamtrul Monastery
Chogling Monastery
Dorzong Monastery
Trilokpur Nunnery

With heavy rainfall His Holiness was welcomed at the main shrine hall of Gyuto Monastery. Tsurphu Labrang ( Karmapa's Office of Administration ) and Gyuto Monastery offered traditional Mandala offering to His Holiness and had Tea and Rice ceremony.

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June 4th, 2008

The Tsurphu Labrang (Karmapa's office of Administration) joined by all Kagyu Monasteries from India and Nepal offered a welcome dinner reception in the honor of His Holiness at the Radisson Hotel. The large reception included many prominent people:

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June 3rd, 2008

In the late hour at night, the New Delhi (Indira Gandhi International Airport) is jostling with many people eagerly waiting with scarf and banners expressing their warmest "home coming" welcome to the Gyalwang Karmapa from his successful historic first visit to America.
His Holiness was received by a large reception at the airport which includes many prominent persons;

Later His Holiness retired at Radisson Hotel.

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Sunday, June 1, 2008

Today was the final day of public events for the historic first visit to the United States of His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Drodul Trinley Dorje. In the morning, His Holiness bestowed the empowerment of Avalokiteshvara upon a gathering of nearly 3,000 people at Seattle’s Paramount Theater and offered a riveting teaching on love and compassion. In the afternoon, His Holiness gave an equally inspiring talk on saving the world and respecting the environment through understanding the interdependent condition of all members of the global community. Also in the afternoon, His Holiness granted a blessing audience to Seattle-area children and their parents. The last event of the day was a farewell ceremony at Nalanda West at which His Holiness expressed his heartfelt gratitude to all who made his first visit possible. His Holiness expressed his great delight at what he commended as a highly successful and well-organized first visit. After thanking the government of India, the government-in-exile of Tibet, and the government of the United States, His Holiness expressed his sincere aspiration to return in a timely way to the United States so that he may continue fulfilling the wishes of his many students here.

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Saturday, May 31, 2008

His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Drodul Trinley Dorje, today gave two public teachings on “Building a Strong Foundation for Spiritual Practice” to an audience of approximately 3,000 at Seattle’s famous Paramount Theater. The topic of the teachings was the preliminary practices of Tibetan Buddhism. His Holiness taught on the four preliminary practices of refuge and bodhichitta, Vajrasattva, mandala offerings, and guru yoga. In the evening, His Holiness granted an audience to a large group of representatives and members of the organizing sanghas whose volunteer efforts helped to make his first visit to the United States possible.

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Friday, May 30, 2008

Today His Holiness engaged in site-seeing activities in Seattle and granted audiences at Nalanda West. In the morning, His Holiness and his party were treated to a guided tour of the Museum of Flight, home of the original manufacturing facility of the Boeing Company, where His Holiness saw displays related to past lunar missions and received the latest news about data coming in from missions to Mars. In the afternoon, His Holiness was taken on a boat tour of Lake Union and Lake Washington, the two main lakes adjacent to Seattle.

In the afternoon, His Holiness granted a blessing and teaching audience to members of Nalandabodhi, the students of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, principal organizer of Karmapa in America ’08. In the evening, His Holiness gave two well-attended audiences for members of the Tibetan community hosted by the local Tibetan Association.

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Thursday, May 29, 2008

Today His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Drodul Trinley Dorje, made his first visit ever to Seattle, Washington, where he was greeted by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, the principal organizer of Karmapa in America ’08, at Rinpoche’s main center of activity in the United States, Nalanda West. At the tea and rice reception at Nalanda West, at which Ponlop Rinpoche and other representatives of dharma centers offered His Holiness a mandala and representations of body, speech, and mind, His Holiness and his party were also presented offerings of delicious coffee by Starbucks. Starbucks baristas presented His Holiness with a latte, which His Holiness said he enjoyed. Starbucks generously sponsored the offerings to His Holiness and his party.

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Monday-Wednesday, May 26-28, 2008

From Monday, May 26, through Wednesday, May 28, His Holiness Karmapa visited two of the state of California’s most famous cities as part of a rest and recreation segment of his historic first visit to the United States. On Monday, His Holiness briefly swept through San Francisco, giving a short teaching and blessings at Kagyu Droden Kunchab, a Kalu Rinpoche center run by Lama Lodru Rinpoche. His Holiness also gave a brief address to and was ceremoniously greeted by a gathering of members of Palpung Lungtok Choling, a center of His Eminence Tai Situ Rinpoche, who received His Holiness at a San Francisco hotel. That night, His Holiness and his party made their way to Los Angeles.

In Los Angeles on Tuesday, His Holiness visited Universal Studios Hollywood. On Wednesday, His Holiness visited Disneyland and was hosted for dinner by Lama Wangchen Rinpoche and his students. At the dinner reception, a representative of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa read and presented His Holiness with an official statement from the Mayor welcoming His Holiness to Los Angeles.

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Sunday, May 25, 2008

His Holiness had a very full day today, conducting private interviews, giving two public talks at Boulder’s Macky Auditorium, granting a question-and-answer audience for the organizing sanghas of the Boulder visit, and granting an audience to an assembly of hundreds of members of the Boulder Tibetan community at the Boulder Shambhala Center. The topic for His Holiness’s public teachings was “Healing the Environment Through the Mind of Enlightenment,” and at the Tibetan community audience His Holiness gave advice to the assembly and conferred the reading transmission of Avalokiteshvara.

His Holiness will now be taking a few days of private rest. He will resume public teachings on Saturday, May 31 at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington.

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Saturday, May 24, 2008

Today, His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Drodul Trinley Dorje, made his first visit to Boulder, Colorado, the small but thriving city at the foot of the Rockie Mountains which His Holiness the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, visited three times and at which Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, one of the greatest Buddhist masters of the twentieth century, established his first headquarters at the Shambhala Center, the location of His Holiness’s reception today. Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, Lady Diana Mukpo, Shambhala President Richard Reoch, and representatives and members of many dharma communities received His Holiness in the grand shrine room at the Boulder Shambhala Center.

After giving a brief address at the Shambhala Center, His Holiness retired to his residence, where he rested before visiting Naropa University, a contemplative educational institution founded by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche in the 1970’s. His Holiness addressed members of the faculty, staff, and student body. His Holiness will give a full day of teachings at the Macky Auditorium here in Boulder tomorrow.

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Friday, May 23, 2008

His Holiness the 17th Karmapa visited the Karma Thegsum Choling of New Jersey today, a dharma center of His Holiness operated by Lama Tsultrim and located on a large plot of land in the southern part of the state. His Holiness was received with extensive ceremony and bestowed a Medicine Buddha empowerment, along with wonderful teachings on global harmony and healing, upon the crowd of several hundred devotees. The teachings were translated into both English and Mandarin, the native language of a large portion of the audience.

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Thursday, May 22, 2008

Today, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa visited Karme Ling and Kunzang Palchen Ling, two Kagyu dharma centers in upstate New York. More details of His Holiness's activities at these centers will be posted shortly.

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Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Today, in the morning, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Drodul Trinley Dorje, granted refuge vows and bestowed an empowerment of Guru Padmasambhava upon the assembly of the Karma Triyana Dharmachakra (KTD) community. In the afternoon, His Holiness gave a brief explanation of the general meaning of the Seven-Line Supplication to Padmakara based on White Lotus, a text by the great 19th century master, Jamgon Mipham. For the remainder of the day, His Holiness rested and granted assorted group and individual audiences and blessings to members and friends of KTD. Today was the final day featuring formal events at KTD; on Thursday, His Holiness will briefly visit two Kagyü centers in upstate New York, and, on Friday, His Holiness will visit and teach at Karma Thegsum Choling in southern New Jersey.

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Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Today, His Holiness blessed the shrine room at Karma Triyana Dharmachakra (KTD) in the morning during a ceremony in which lamas from throughout North America served as ritual assistants. In the afternoon, His Holiness presided over a reception for the donors, staff members, and volunteers of KTD, personally presenting each honoree with a plaque of appreciation. Representatives of the City of Woodstock were in attendance and were among those to whom His Holiness the Karmapa extended his heartfelt gratitude. For the remainder of the day, His Holiness rested and granted audiences.

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Monday, May 19, 2008

His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa departed New York City today to make his way to his North American seat, Karma Triyana Dharmachakra (KTD), in Woodstock, NY. KTD was founded by His Holiness the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje. En route to his historic first landing at KTD, His Holiness visited Kagyu Thubten Choling (KTC), the retreat center led by Lama Norlha, a master in the lineage of the venerable Kalu Rinpoche. KTC is located in Wappingers Falls, NY. At KTC, His Holiness received mandala and body, speech, and mind offerings from Lama Norlha and his students, gave a welcome address to the KTC community, consecrated a recently constructed stupa, visited with the male and female dharma practitioners currently immersed in the traditional three-year retreat, and blessed the site of an additional monastery building to be constructed on KTC’s grounds.

When he arrived at Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, His Holiness was greeted by a full and colorful welcoming procession complete with all of the traditional musical instruments of Tibetan ritual. After he ascended the throne in the beautifully appointed shrine room, His Holiness expressed his great delight in the excellent work of Bardor Tulku Rinpoche, Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, President Tenzin Chonyi, and the many others whose service to the Gyalwang Karmapa caused the continuity of the Karmapa’s teachings to thrive at his North American seat.

His Holiness will spend the next several days at KTD, giving teachings, granting empowerments, and meeting with members of the KTD community.

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Sunday, May 18, 2008

This morning, His Holiness Karmapa visited and engaged in a question-and-answer session at Tibet House, an organization devoted to preserving and promoting the precious art, culture, and wisdom of Tibet. Professor Robert A.F. Thurman, Tibet House’s President, introduced His Holiness, who then answered a wide range of questions about Buddhism, spirituality, and His Holiness’s own personal journey posed by Tibet House’s members and patrons.

His Holiness gave two public dharma teachings in the afternoon at the Waldorf-Astoria Ballroom in the Midtown area of Manhattan. The talks began on a delightful note, as a representative of Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City, presented His Holiness with and read aloud a proclamation from the Mayor recognizing May 15-21, 2008 to be “His Holiness the Seventeenth Gyalwang Karmapa Week” in New York City.

In discussing the topic “Cutting Through Confusion: Discovering the Wisdom of Our Own Minds,” His Holiness gave incredibly practical and useful advice about how to transcend the cultural trappings that may come to be associated with meditation practice and, rather, allow one’s mind to relax and be wakeful in a natural, uncontrived way. His Holiness discussed a broad range of other topics as well, occasionally delving into his impressive English vocabulary, to the great delight of the sold-out audience.

The day concluded with a blessing audience for members of the Buddhist organizations that have worked together to plan and administer His Holiness’s visit. At this audience, His Holiness answered the pre-submitted questions of the audience and extended his heartfelt gratitude to those who have made his trip to the United States possible: the United States government, the Indian government, the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, and, most importantly, his students and dharma friends in the United States.

Following the audience, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, the principal organizer of Karmapa in America ’08, gave a thank-you speech in which he expressed gratitude to all of the participating sanghas and praise to the great city of New York.

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Saturday, May 17, 2008

Today, American Buddhism saw yet another historic occasion revealed, as His Holiness the Seventeenth Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Drodul Trinley Dorje, gave his first ever public dharma teaching on American soil. Speaking from the stage of the Hammerstein Ballroom, at which he gave one morning and one afternoon talk, His Holiness provided a lively, humorous, and down-to-earth description of “Awakening the Heart of Enlightenment,” discussing topics such as developing a stable practice even while leading a busy lifestyle, realizing the inseparability of oneself and others, and working gently and playfully with our own minds.

His Holiness’s second talk was preceded by a musical tribute from the American rock ‘n’ roll legend Lou Reed, who began his brief set with an acoustic rendition of his hit, “Perfect Day.” For the thousands of members of the sold-out audience at the Hammerstein who received the historic nectar of His Holiness’s first U.S. teachings, the day was perfect, indeed.

In the evening, His Holiness was the guest of honor at a dinner offered by the local Tibetan Association, which was led in hosting His Holiness by Kalon Tashi Wangdi, Representative to the Americas of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Afterward, at Hunter College in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, His Holiness kindly bestowed the empowerment of the deity Hayagriva upon an assembly of the local Tibetan community.

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Friday, May 16, 2008

Today, His Holiness Karmapa engaged in site-seeing activities at several destinations in New York City. In the morning, His Holiness and his party were given a private tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the historic art museum housing one of the world’s largest art galleries along the eastern edge of New York’s Central Park.

Following the museum tour, His Holiness made a visit to Ground Zero, the site of the tragic collapse of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. At this location, His Holiness made special prayers for world peace and offered his blessings. In the guest book of the Tribute WTC Visitor Center adjacent to the former location of the Twin Towers, His Holiness inscribed the following verse (appearing here in translation from Tibetan):

Through peaceful hearts,
Peaceful feelings,
And peaceful intelligence,
May this world truly move
From darkness to light.

His Holiness concluded his visit to Ground Zero by offering flowers and further prayers.

Next, His Holiness made a stop at the Latse Contemporary Tibetan Cultural Library, an epicenter of Tibetan learning and culture created by the Trace Foundation in the heart of New York City. His Holiness then visited the vaunted Rubin Musem of Art, where he viewed displays and was greeted by the museum’s Co-Founder and Co-Chair of its Board of Trustees, Donald Rubin. Also offering greetings to His Holiness at this location was Mr. E. Gene Smith, the world-renowned Tibetologist.

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Thursday, May 15, 2008

His Holiness the Seventeenth Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Drodul Trinley Dorje, arrived in the United States at around 4:20am at Newark Liberty International Airport adjacent to New York City. His Holiness and his sister, Ngodup Pelzom, were first received with greeting scarves by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, Principal Organizer of Karmapa in America ’08, and by Kalon Tashi Wangdi, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the Americas.

After a brief reception at the airport, where His Holiness was greeted by an advanced group of dozens of well-wishers, officials, and devotees, His Holiness traveled to the Shambhala Center of New York City, where his historic first visit to the United States was celebrated and honored with extensive ceremony and customary offerings of tea and rice. Scores of lamas, monastics, and lay students—representative of several American dharma centers—offered His Holiness representations of enlightened body, speech, and mind.

His Holiness later retired for rest his hotel, in preparation for some site-seeing outings on Friday, May 16, and a weekend program of dharma teachings on Saturday and Sunday, May 17-18.

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Karmapa Visit Blog

Additional blog entries about His Holiness' recent visit to America can be found here: karmapavisit.blogspot.com.

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Previous Announcements

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Karmapa Visit website launches

www.karmapavisit.org has launched just a few days after the confirmation of the visit. It contains all the details of His Holiness's visit.

Created at the request of the Karmapa's Office of Administration and implemented by the U.S. Office, the website will provide details, ticketing information and links to all relevant information about His Holiness's visit. As final confirmations of venues and events are received, the website will be updated around the clock.

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