A Message from the Gyalwang Karmapa: 108 Things You Can Do

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April 22, 2009 I am happy to release the 108 Things You Can Do today on Earth Day (April 22nd) and hope that this auspicious act has far-reaching benefits for the Earth. Our world is facing an environmental crisis which is complex, overwhelming and affects us all, but it is difficult to know where to begin and what we can do. It is very important for all of us to change our behavior and we need to start taking practical steps. These 108 Things You Can Do are a path that everyone can follow in order to make a difference.... read more →

The Vinaya and the Pratimoksha : Origins, Comparisons, Leadership, and Harmony

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Mar Ngok Summer Teachings 2022: Day 4 His Holiness warmly greeted the teachers, the geshes, the tulkus, the community of sangha members, and all those listening by way of the internet to this fourth day of teachings. He announced that he would be speaking about three topics during this session: i) what the sangha is and how it originated; ii) the origination of the monasteries; and iii) how the Vinaya originated and how the rules were made. The non-observance of the Vinaya and the origin of the Vinaya In previous sessions, His Holiness spoke of the meaning of the word... read more →

The Buddha in History and the Growth of Early Buddhism: The Origins of Secret Mantra Day 13

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The Mar Ngok Summer Teachings 2021 12 September 2021 The Karmapa began by reminding everyone how the people of ancient India had taken little interest in recording dates. Hence, the Buddha’s dates had not been recorded clearly, and it was problematic to establish the dates of his birth and death. When did a system of dating first develop in India? Researchers hold different positions on this issue, but many scholars support the idea that a tradition of dating, based on the reigns of the emperors, first developed when Chandragupta Maurya of Magadha assumed power in Northern India [c.322 BCE]. This... read more →

The Gyalwang Karmapa and the Imperturbable One

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Queens College, Flushing, New York May 27, 2108 On this Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, His Holiness the Karmapa returned to the Colden Auditorium to bestow the empowerment of the Buddha Akshobhya, who is known as the Imperturbable or Unchanging One. The over 2,000 seats were filled with Tibetans and people from the Himalayan region as well as Western and Asian disciples. The stage was radiant with a curtain of bright red brocade that highlighted the scroll paintings of the Buddha above His Holiness’s throne, flanked by Guru Rinpoche on his left and his own paining of Akshobhya on his... read more →

Gutor Day One: Protector Practices to Prepare for the Blossoming of the New Year

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21 February, 2017 – Monlam Pavilion, Bodhgaya For over three hundred years, from the time of the Fourth to Tenth Karmapa, the Karmapas traveled extensively in what was known as the Great Encampment. This allowed them to reach disciples all over Tibet with great flexibility and spontaneity. From the time of the Seventh Karmapa (1454-1506), the Kagyu Monlam Chenmo as well took place wherever the Karmapa happened to be on the date for the event. Following in this tradition, the Monlam Pavilion in Bodh Gaya is a flexible, open space that transforms into whatever is needed at the time. Its... read more →

Torch of True Meaning: Session Three

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10 February 2017 - Monlam Pavilion, Bodhgaya The Gyalwang Karmapa began teaching where he had left off in Session Two, by reading the section on the words from the Mukhagama of Manjushri, found in The Torch of True Meaning, and then reflected on the idea of the root guru based on this profound text. The Mukhagama states Any sentient being who belittles A Vajra bearer of the future,  Belittles me, so therefore I  Abandon them all for a time. It continues: I dwell in his body and receive  The offerings of other practitioners. Those who please him will purify The karmic obscurations... read more →