On January 5, 2000 the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, (a 14 year old boy at THAT time)
escaped/defected from China to Dharmasala, India. This is a photo taken of the Karmapa in January 2004.
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Who is this young man and why is he significant?
Let me first go back over a little history. In 1959 the 14th Dalai Lama fled the Chinese oppressors/conquerers and took refuge in Dharmasala, India. After the Dalai Lama (the political & religious leader of Tibet/Tibetan Buddhism) fled the country, many of the Buddhists who are Tibetan and still living in Tibet have suffered numerous atrocities. Nuns have been assaulted and raped. Monks have been beaten, tortured and jailed. Lhasa has been denuded of its trees and most of the Tibetan monasteries have been demolished. There is also evidence of nuclear waste now in Tibet. Today Tibetan Buddhists who still live in their homeland are NOT ALLOWED to display photos of the Dalai Lama - their religious leader. The Chinese are attempting
genocide, they do not want anyone in Tibet who follows the Dalai Lama.
A few years ago the Chinese kidnapped the young (10 years old on April 25, 1999) Panchen Lama named Gendun Choekyi Nyima (he is missing still and we do not know if he is still living). The title Panchen means the Great Scholar. He is considered the worlds youngest political prisoner. If you would like to join a worldwide movement dedicated to freeing the young Panchen join the Panchen Lama Pact Team by requesting your post card packet here. The Panchen Lama will be the successor of the 14th Dalai Lama. Tibetans choose their spiritual leaders by a process related to their belief in reincarnation. To learn more about helping to find the Panchen Lama please see my links page.
After Gendun Choekyi Nyima disappeared, the Chinese then found their own young child named Gyaincain Norbu and appointed him as the 11th Panchen Lama - this is in hopes of taking over the future of the religion. Of course, Tibetan Buddhists do not accept Norbu as the real Panchen Lama and consider him only a puppet of the Chinese.
 Who will succeed this Dalai Lama?
Getting back to the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, who escaped from China on January 5th, 2000, how does he fit in?This requires a little explanation. He defected from China and crossed the snowy Himalayas in the middle of winter (a 875 mile trip) along with five other people including his 24 year old sister who is a nun. This defection proves that the Chinese are trying to oppress/control the future of Tibetan Buddhism. The Chinese would not let the 17th Karmapa see his teacher Tai Situ Rinpoche. The Chinese have tried to claim that Tibetans have full rights to religious freedom, but obviously this is not the case. One action you can take is to pray for people everywhere to have the freedom to worship as they please. There is a great danger to those Tibetan Buddhists still in Tibet now because of reprisals by the Chinese due to the Karmapa's escape.
To understand better you need to know that there are several sects of Tibetan Buddhism. The current Dalai Lama is a "Yellow Hat" of the Gelugpa sect. The 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, is a "Black Hat" of the Kagyu which is the largest sect. Traditionally when the Dalai Lama dies the Panchen Lama who has historically been a Yellow Hat will takes over rule. But the real Panchen Lama Gendun Choekyi Nyimahas disappeared in 1995. Many speculated that the 17th Karmapa of the Black Hats could be chosen as the next political and spiritual leader of the government in exile. For one thing he is 4 years older and therefore senior to the puppet Panchen Lama chosen by the Chinese, this puts Ogyen Trinley Dorje in a strong position to claim leadership of Tibet in the future. Also he has already been accepted and recognized by both the Chinese and the Tibetans as being a reincarnated Buddha. Also remember the Kagyu is the largest in population of Western practitioners.
There are those who feel that when His Holiness the Dalai Lama dies there could be militarization among both the Tibetans and refugees.To read an editorial article on this topic click here. The Dalai Lama's approach has been peaceful resistance and as long as he is alive the militants have been stiffled.
The following is a quote extracted from an email from the TibetInfoNet
dated August 06, 2006 titled
Dalai Lama Comments on Successor
(Indian Express)
The Dalai Lama says that his successor should ideally be from
the Tibetan community in exile in India, adding that the boy chosen should be acceptable to all Tibetans. He believes a successor from the community in exile will be in a better position to "fulfill the objective" of getting their homeland back for the Tibetans. "As the 14th Dalai Lama, I took the Tibetans out of the country to India and began the movement of getting the homeland back. My successor should fulfill this objective", he said. On the future of the institution of the Dalai Lama, he says instead of searching for an incarnation,
a system similar to the election of the Pope by Roman Catholics could be an option. "The senior Lamas can come together and select one among them as the next Dalai. However, the Tibetans may not agree with that", he said. The Dalai Lama also said he wasn’t disturbed by the latest Chinese tirade against him and
said he has stuck to the idea of a middle-path: autonomy for Tibet under the constitutional framework of China Asserting that the solution is through a dialogue with China. The Dalai Lama said he would resign the moment the Tibetan freedom movement took a violent turn.
The Dalai Lama said on a recent visit to Japan that he may name his successor
before his death.
(AFP; Xinhua - November 20, 2007) The Dalai Lama has said he is open to naming
his successor before he dies. "If the Tibetan people want to keep the Dalai Lama
system, one of the possibilities I have been considering with my aides is to select
the next Dalai Lama while I'm alive", he told Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun. The
options would include electing the successor "democratically" from among high-ranking
Tibetan Buddhist monks or naming the successor himself, the Dalai Lama said. "If
China selected my successor after my death, the people of Tibet would not
support him as there would be no Tibetan heart in him", he said.
This would be a break from historical convention, but at this time the Chinese
government is trying to decree that they will select all reincarnations in the
future. Time will tell how this plays out.
January 2001 Update of Status on the Karmapa:
Unfortunately, since his arrival in India
the Karmapa has been virtually under house arrest. He is confined in the small Gyuto monastery under the watchful eye of Indian soldiers and guards. When he first arrived they promised that he would be allowed to travel, and that teachers living in exile in India would be allowed to visit him, but these promises have been broken.
The Dalai Lama, has made several requests to the Indian government in New Delhi, emphasising that the Karmapa fled to India purely for religious teachings, and pleading for him to be allowed to travel. The situation is a political can of worms. The Indian government has made no formal statement on his official status. If the Karmapa were to leave India this would implicate India in his escape and cause problems between India and China. So even though the Karmapa is no longer living in China, he has virtually not been free either.
GREAT NEWS! As of 02/02/01 the government of India has granted the Karmapa refugee status and he is now able to travel and visit othermonasteries WITHIN India!
At a press conference on April 27, 2001 the Karmapa said that he supports the Dalai Lama and the
Tibetan freedom movement, but hemade a clear statement that he had no political aspirations himself. He indicated
that the Karmapas in the past had no political role andhe intends to follow suit. The Karmapa has been warned by
the Chinese not to engage in anti-China activities. So it looks likethe Karmapa has decided not to become a
successor to the Dalai Lama as leader of the Tibetan movement. Of course, we must remember 2 things:
1. The Karmapa is very young; and
2. He only received refugee status on February 2, 2001. Of course,
as mentioned above there is a possibility that the real Panchen Lama will be found, freed and be able to assume
his role as successor. As of 6/2005 H.H. the Karmapa has done some limited travel within India but to my
knowledge he has so far not left India in his travels.
In the mean while, His Holiness has resigned from heading the government in exile. The Tibetan
Government does have a democratically elected parliment and a cabinet called the Kashag. His Holiness has
transferred the daily running of the government in exile to them. The Dalai Lama (age 70) plans to retire in
the remote village of Tabo, India. The gompa in Tabo dates back to 1000 AD and holds many rare works of Kashmiri
art including a 20 ft. high image of the Boddhisattva Maitreya.
The Joint Action Committee a Buddhist Organization in Sikkim is requesting that India allow the
17th Karmapa to assume his seat at Rumtek.
"We don't want to stage public protests in the form of massive rallies which always result in
disruption for everybody, but we are now at a stage where it would appear that this is the only way it will
be taken seriously," JAC President Kunzang Sherab said on Sunday.The Karmapa, the head of the Karma Kagyu sect
of Buddhism's Vajrayana lineage headquartered in Rumtek Monastery with over 300 branches worldwide, is believed
to be a reincarnation of the predecessor, the 16th Karmapa Rigpe Dorje.
A Karmapa is chosen following indications left behind in a "sacred letter of prediction" by his
predecessor. For the present 17th incarnate Urgyen Trinley Dorjee the same practice was followed. He was
nominated from a non-descript Tibetan village following the instructions of the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe
Dorjee, who renovated the Rumtek Monastery and lived, there till November 1981 before passing away in the USA.
"It is almost two years since the 17th Karmapa fled Tibet to seek refuge in the land of Buddha. We have
been requesting both the state and the central government of India that Urgyen Trinley Dorjee be allowed to
ascend his seat at the Rumtek Monastery as per tradition," Sherab said. (The state minister of Sikkim, Pawan
Chamling is once again requesting the Indian Government to allow the 17th Karmapa to assume his seat at Rumtek;
he has been asking for this since the Karmapa arrived in India).
These requests were dealt with "lightly".
Tenzin Namgyal, the General secretary of the 17th Karmapa and Tshurphu Labrang, the main administrative
body of the monastery, said he was extremely worried about law and order problems that could result from the
court-ordered inventory of the fabulous wealth of the Rumtek Monastery in the absence of the Karmapa.
"I'm told that there are people in Sikkim who are prepared to give their life for this cause. But I
seriously feel that this is the last thing that will and should happen at such a critical period," he said in a
statement from Dharamshala.
The monastery's four regents, entrusted with finding the "genuine reincarnation" of the 16th Karmapa
to head the sect, initially arrived at a consensus on Dorjee. The trouble began in mid 1992 when Shamar, one
of the four regents based in New Delhi, refused to recognize Dorjee and set up his own boy.
The death of Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, one of the remaining regents who supported the 17th Karmapa, in
a road accident deepened the mystery. Tai Situ Rinpoche and Gyaltsab Rinpoche, the other two regents, have
remained to uphold the tradition and transmit the lineage to the 17th Karmapa, who was subsequently recognized
by the Dalai Lama. (based on BBC/PTI reporting: Gangtok, April 14, 2002)
A major new report released by the International Campaign for Tibet reveals the increasing threat to
the survival of Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet. 'When the Sky Fell to Earth: the New Crackdown on Buddhism in Tibet',
documents the rise in repression of religion in Tibet that is a direct result of China's economic policies and
strategic objectives.
"China proclaims to be protecting religion and culture in Tibet but its internal documents
flatly contradict this and show an intensification of control and repression by the government," said John
Ackerly, President of the International Campaign for Tibet. "We are now seeing a level of government intrusiveness
and control over monasteries that was unheard of in the 1980s and early 1990s," Mr. Ackerly continued.
'When the Sky Fell to Earth' reports that:
Officials at all levels in Tibet are now being exhorted
to strengthen control over monasteries and over the process of identifying reincarnations of important
Buddhist monks and nuns. Crackdowns on prayer ceremonies for the Dalai Lama and important religious institutions
in eastern Tibet in recent years have been described by some Tibetans as being like a 'second Cultural Revolution.'
The Chinese government is taking a more aggressive approach to the identification, enthronement and
education of reincarnate lamas following the escape of the 17th Karmapa into exile in 2000.
"Undermining religion in Tibet is a political imperative for today's China," said Kate Saunders, a
Tibet expert and one of the authors of the report. "The close links between Tibetan identity, sense of nationhood
and spiritual faith means that religious practice and devotion are often perceived by Beijing as a threat to
the state and to the unity of the PRC, and an obstacle to economic progress," Ms. Saunders said.
I ask for prayers for long life for His Holiness the Dalai Lama as well as for the Karmapa and the
Panchen lama. Also if you know the long life pray for Thrangu Rinpoche please do it now. Thrangu Rinpoche is
the primary teacher for the Karmapa.
****HERE'S THE GOOD NEWS!!!***
His Holiness the Karmapa finally made his first historic visit to the United States on 15 May - 2 June 2008.
This was a highly successful visit to North America during which he gave public talks
and visited Buddhist centres in three cities: New York,NY; Boulder,CO; and Seattle,WA. I was blessed enough
to experience seeing his presentation in Boulder, Colorado. What a Blessing! He has promised to return to
the United States and hopes to come for a couple of months each year in the future.
Here's the bad news - the situation in Tibet worstened in March 2008 with 100 people being killed in
demonstrations in Lhasa regarding the treatment of Tibetan's by the Chinese. A
history of conflict between China and Tibet was
highlighten during the 2008 Olympic Games when demonstrations and violence took place.
May all beings benefit.
Copyright 2000 - 2008 Marsha Camblin
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