Karmapa – The Official Website of the 17th Karmapa Karmapa – The Official Website of the 17th Karmapa 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
    • YouTube Archive
    • Video Library
    • Podcast
  • News
  • Schedule
  • Buddhism
    • Shakyamuni Buddha
    • Buddhism in India
    • Buddhism in Tibet
    • Kagyu Lineage
    • The Golden Rosary
  • Centers
    • North America
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Oceania
    • Africa
    • South America
  • Office
    • Media
    • Contact
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
    • YouTube Archive
    • Video Library
    • Podcast
  • News
  • Schedule
  • Buddhism
    • Shakyamuni Buddha
    • Buddhism in India
    • Buddhism in Tibet
    • Kagyu Lineage
    • The Golden Rosary
  • Centers
    • North America
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Oceania
    • Africa
    • South America
  • Office
    • Media
    • Contact
  • English
  • France
  • Germany
  • Spain
  • Italy
  • Canada
  • United Kingdom
  • Australia
  • Poland
Jan 19

The Gyalwang Karmapa Continues Teaching, Announces Plans for Shedra Curriculum

2016.01.16i
January 16, 2016 -Tergar Monastery, Bodhgaya, Bihar
Today’s teachings began with the sound of melodic chanting of the opening prayers; the nuns’ voices were led by a female chant master (umze). After the donations and offerings of white scarves by the lay sponsors, the Gyalwang Karmapa resumed the teachings on the 9th chapter of The Ornament of Liberation regarding relative bodhicitta. Picking up where he left off yesterday, he continued, “In terms of the methods for meditating on bodhicitta and the way to train and develop it, all of the texts on mind training are basically ways to meditate on bodhicitta, to train one’s mind in bodhicitta.” There is a text by the 8th Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje, called The One Hundred Short Instructions. In it, he explained, there are two methods for developing bodhicitta: one is considering samsara in general, and the other is considering individual sentient beings. To illustrate the first one, His Holiness referenced a verse by Nagarjuna saying that just as the earth, water, fire, wind, and just as the grasses and forests are the basis for sentient beings’ enjoyments, so too may I be the basis for all of their happiness and benefit.

Just as we have the earth, plants, forests, and all the natural world as the basis for our happiness, the Karmapa explained, so should we also be the basis of happiness for all others. “Our aspiration is that we, too, may be the basis and source of benefit and happiness for all sentient beings. We need to think about this aspiration and contemplate it for a long time until we have a strong longing and wish that we actually become it.” Further, if you look at this great earth, he continued, there are magnificent vistas and some landscapes that are completely pure. “Thinking, hearing, and remembering the earth brings benefit. We should also make the prayer that we, too, [can be of benefit]. It is important to develop the aspiration, ‘May I become like this.’” The earth is the basis of benefit for all sentient beings, not just for humans, not just for animals, but for all sentient beings.

The Karmapa differentiated between a limited bodhicitta and a vast, spacious bodhicitta for all beings. Through expanding our compassion beyond just our circle of family and friends, we develop an expansive attitude: our compassion is not just for our loved ones, friends and families, but for all sentient beings. The Karmapa asked us to take our compassion a step further—to develop it not just for those near to us, but even towards our enemies. “The other important point,” he continued, “is that when we have enemies or people who wish to harm us, sometimes dislike naturally arises; sometimes we don’t care what happens to them. But since we are Dharma practitioners, particularly of the Mahayana, when others cause us harm, we need to take a more spacious attitude.” His Holiness emphasized that it is important not to give up on those who dislike or wish to harm us. They, too, are often experiencing suffering. When someone has done something negative to us, the Karmapa advised, “It’s important for people training in the dharma to make a distinction between the individual and the act. For example, they may have been under the control of their afflictions, their environment, or their surrounding conditions. Realizing this, we can have a more spacious outlook.”

In closing, the Karmapa reminded us of what it means to be a Buddhist. “Being a Buddhist is not just about being kind in this lifetime. The bodhisattva’s vow lasts from lifetime to lifetime. We need to think about not just short term [happiness and suffering], but of lifetime after lifetime until there are no more sentient beings, until all beings are enlightened. Bodhicitta is not just about having a good heart for the short term. Being a bodhisattva is working from now until Buddhahood.” With that, His Holiness wrapped up the teachings of the day and then made an announcement regarding the study program for the nuns.

“In the past,” he said, “I have talked about how we should set up a curriculum for study in the shedras and the study institutes in the various Kagyu nunneries. We needed to discuss this and determine a good curriculum—what topics, their order, how many years to study them, and so forth.” He said, “I’ve thought about this, but have not really been satisfied. Then at the end of last year, I received an old book that had a text from the 9th Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje, in which he discussed the situation of various Kagyu monasteries during that time. Among the pages is a discussion of the curriculum they followed for their studies—the courses, their order, the topics they studied—and it is very clear. Now that I have received this, I think it’s possible for us to develop a good curriculum for our shedras.”

He continued, “From the time of the 7th to the 10th Karmapas, we knew that there were Kagyu shedras and that they were wide spread, but what we needed to know was what they studied and how. Knowing this, whether we are able to do it or not, we can at least use the lives and activities of the great masters of the past as examples for ourselves in making a new curriculum. This is my hope. Now that we can see their writings and know what they studied and how they did things, I’m inspired.” He noted that since there is historical backing for what he could do, he felt more comfortable in making these plans.

“In 1985 in Tibet,” the Karmapa explained, “people didn’t know there were any texts by Kagyu masters on the five great philosophical topics. Of course, they knew about the instructions on mahamudra and the Six Yogas of Naropa and so forth, but people did not know about these commentaries on the five great philosophical topics. So when Mikyo Dorje’s first appeared in Tibet, many people were surprised, and not just masters from other traditions, but even Kagyu masters did not know about these important commentaries.” As a consequence, many Kagyu masters would go to other traditions to study philosophy.

“Up to the time of the 10th Karmapa,” the Karmapa explained, “there were many shedras and scholars with a great tradition of study, but from that time onward, this tradition has declined since the Karma Kamtsang lineage of the explanation was more or less broken.” So when knotty points arose in a text, there was no commentary for reference. “But last year when I was visiting America,” he recounted,” I was given a text by the 6th Shamar Chokyi Wangchuk, which contains a general discussion of validity. It is an extremely clear text, which takes all the difficult points from the 7th Karmapa Chodrak Gyatso’s Ocean of Reasoning (treating Dharmakirti’s Commentary on Validity) and discusses them lucidly, presenting a general discussion as well as our own tradition.” The Karmapa commented, “Now that we have this text that is so explicit, we can see exactly what the answers to these difficult points are.”

This text by Chokyi Wangchuk also mentions another text with a general discussion of the Prajnaparamita, and the Karmapa hoped that it would appear in the future as well.

In closing he stated that with the rediscovery of this text on validity, it will be possible to determine the curriculum for our study. He concluded with hope that “during this Arya Kshema Winter Dharma Gathering, we will be able to determine the curriculum. Then if the nunneries implement it, I believe that in the future this will truly spread our tradition of explanations.” After this closing statement, the day’s merit was dedicated. Given what the Karmapa has said, it appears the Kagyu nuns of the Karma Kamtsang will play an instrumental role in reviving the study of the commentaries belonging to its lineage of explanation.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • E-Mail

Related Posts

  • Full Transcript of the Address from His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa to the 36th Kagyu MonlamJanuary 27, 2019
  • The Karmapa Contributes to Disaster Relief in BiharSeptember 16, 2017
  • His Holiness and Wade Davis – In Dialogue in VancouverJune 22, 2017
  • The Gyalwang Karmapa Begins His First Canadian TourJune 2, 2017

[ long read ]

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

[ video series ]

THE PRAJNAPARAMITA
Taught over six sessions, this is a direct explanation of the Buddhist view of emptiness

[ long read ]

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

[ video series ]

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

[ long read ]

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

 

Recent Updates

  • The Essence of Glory: A Shakyamuni Puja in the Kadampa Style
  • The Gyalwang Karmapa’s Closing Remarks to the Mar Ngok Summer Teachings
  • Differing Perspectives on the First Council and the Compilation of the Tripiṭaka
  • Upāli – the Foremost in the Vinaya and Contemporary Analyses of the First Council  
  • Ananda’s Offenses, Arhatship, and Recitation of the Sūtras
  • Results of the First Buddhist Council: How the brahma penalty was imposed on Channa
  • The First Council continues with contributions from Ananda, Upāli, and Pūrṇa

Kagyu Office Around the World

中文 // Français // Polski // Español
The Karmapa’s website is carbon neutral. //

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.

// // // //

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this if you continue. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo