30 October, 2026
When the Gyalwang Karmapa’s plane touched down at the Paro airport late in the morning, he was given a warm welcome by a large group including the parents of Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen, Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan, Yab Dasho Dhondup Gyaltshen and Yum Sonam Choki, representatives of the government of the Kingdom of Bhutan, lamas and khenpos of the Karma Kamtsang lineage, and devotees.
Meanwhile, a large crowd of people was gathering, lining the road leading to the Zhiwa Ling Hotel in Paro as they waited to catch a glimpse of the Gyalwang Karmapa. When His Holiness arrived at the hotel, he was given the traditional welcome of a golden procession by all the Karma Kagyu monasteries in Bhutan and received by Zuri Rinpoche, Taklung Rinpoche, and Jewoen Rinpoche and other tulkus, including Kalu Rinpoche, Drikung Gyalsey Rinpoche, Tulku Damcho. Other masters such as Choje Lama Wangchuk and many venerable khenpos were also there to greet His Holiness.
After departing from Zhiwa Ling, the Gyalwang Karmapa visited Kyichu Lhakhang, the oldest temple in Bhutan, which was founded by the dharma king Songtsen Gampo in the seventh century. His Holiness made offerings to the Jowo statue and was joined by many khenpos, lamas, and devotees in making offerings and reciting prayers for the teachings to flourish.
Following his visit to Kyichu Lhakhang, His Holiness visited the Paro College of Education, a constituent college of the Royal University of Bhutan. After a warm welcome and introduction by the president of the college, Dr. Phutsho Wangdi, His Holiness gave an emotional and enthusiastic talk to over a thousand pre-school teacher trainees and college students who were gathered in the hall.
He began by saying that for many years, he had always hoped to visit Bhutan and now that he was finally here, he felt like it was a dream turning to reality. He spoke at length about the interwoven history of the Karma Kagyu lineage and the kingdom of Bhutan that began over eight centuries ago when the First Karmapa Dusum Khyenpa came to Paro for retreat. As His Holiness explained, since that time, there has been a deep, unbroken connection between the Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan and the Karmapas.
His Holiness also spoke with this crowd of aspiring teachers about how true education is found not in books or the classrooms but in the experiences of our daily life. He mentioned how we need to learn from all the experiences of our life, good and bad, and make what we learn an actuality in our mind stream.
Following these remarks, the Gyalwang Karmapa answered some questions that students had submitted before the talk and then took oral questions directly from the students. The questions touched on many topics, including how teachers could nurture compassion in their students so that young people can be of benefit to others, how to deal with incurable illness, and how to transform ourselves internally. In his responses, His Holiness showed his great compassion and understanding of the challenges we face in modern life.
His Holiness brought up the difficulties of this information era, where we often receive too much information that can desensitize us. He said, for example, when we hear about one natural disaster, we feel the pain and compassion strongly, but if we hear about too many, our minds become hardened and we swipe past the information on our phones. The remedy is to soften our mind stream by training our minds in loving-kindness and compassion, first starting with those close to us such as parents and friends and gradually expanding beyond.
His Holiness also reminded us that when we face grave illness in our lives, we must remember that death is natural. But if we have strength of mind and a sense of having a mission in life, it will give us more courage to go through medical treatments and also make it easier for us to face death with acceptance and peace. A complete transcript of this talk will be published separately.
This first auspicious and historic day in Bhutan came to a close in the evening with a private visit from the Honorable Prime Minister, H.E. Dasho Tshering Tobgay, at the residence where His Holiness stayed in Thimphu.
