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Karmapa – The Official Website of the 17th Karmapa Karmapa – The Official Website of the 17th Karmapa
  • The Karmapa
    • A Short Biography
    • The Lineage of Karmapas
    • Activities & Projects
  • Teachings
    • Video Library
    • Podcast
  • News
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    • Shakyamuni Buddha
    • Buddhism in India
    • Buddhism in Tibet
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    • The Golden Rosary
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Jan 09

Gyalwang Karmapa Attends The Bhutanese Cham

9th Jan – Bodhgaya.

Guru Rinpoche comes to the dance
On the eighth day after the close of the Kagyu Monlam, the Karmapa was welcomed to Druk Ngawang Thubten Chokling, the monastery of the Shabdrung of Bhutan. A jubilant crowd lined both sides of the road into the monastery courtyard holding offering scarves to greet the Karmapa’s car. Two dancers performed in front of the car while a group playing music on conch, horns and cymbals accompanied his vehicle. He was seated under a golden canopy on the throne usually reserved for the Yangsi Shabdrung, who was recognised by the Karmapa in 2004 but is not yet permitted to leave Bhutan.

Sonam Dorje, the Shabdrung’s attendant exclaimed how wonderful it was to have the presence of Guru Rinpoche himself in the form of the Karmapa. ” To see this kind of sacred dance in Bodhgaya where all the buddhas are enlightened, is very rare; and to see it in the presence of the Karmapa, who is Guru Rinpoche in human form, makes it an even more special occasion.”

It was the third and last day of the Guru Rinpoche dance. Cham or sacred dance is considered to be part of the ‘thong drol’ tradition—liberation by seeing. It is not an entertainment but a sacred dance which should be both performed and watched in a meditative state. As if by arrangement, the sun came out from the thick blanket of fog covering Bodhgaya, enlivening the sparkling brocades of the dancers as they relaxed into meditation and performed 3 dances: Dance of the Drum Beaters, Dance of the Lords of the Cremation Grounds, and Tshokling – a dance to pacify those who would harm the dharma. Their movements were flexible like swans, flowing from one graceful step to the next in an elegant, well-rehearsed, confident performance.

The Karmapa watched with absorption, taking short breaks while the comic actors were strutting about, to talk intimately with the Khenpo of the monastery, Tshokey Dorje . Three dances and two hours later, he departed from the arena as smoothly as he had entered. The dances went on with light-hearted joy for the rest of the day, including the dance of the 8 manifestations of Guru Rinpoche, after a mid-day lunch break. It felt like Guru Rinpoche was there the whole time, embodied in Karmapa, and then in blessing form through the masked dancers.

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MIND TRAINING TEACHING
The Gyalwang Karmapa gave an extensive teaching on the 8 Verses of Training the Mind

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The Gyalwang Karmapa taught on how to practice Chenrezik and recite his mantra

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100 SHORT INSTRUCTIONS
Taught over nine sessions, this text by the 8th Karmapa was taught in great depth by the present Karmapa.

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THREE PRINCIPLE ASPECTS
A comprehensive teaching that condenses the entire Buddhist path by Tsongkhapa

 

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About the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa

His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, is the head of the 900 year old Karma Kagyu Lineage and guide to millions of Buddhists around the world.

Born in 1985, the Karmapa resides in his temporary home at Gyuto Monastery in India after making a dramatic escape from Tibet in the year 2000.

Traveling the world, the Karmapa skillfully teaches traditional Tibetan Buddhist Dharma while also advocating topics such as environmental conservation, feminism, digitization of the Dharma, and much more.

Please use the icons below to find the Karmapa on social media maintained by his office of administration.

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