17th Gyalwa Karmapa - Trinley Thaye Dorje (1983-Present)
Trinley Thaye Dorje was born in Tibet in 1983. He was the first born son of the 3rd Mipham Rinpoche, a great Nyingma Lama, and Dechen Wangmo, the daughter of a noble family descended from King Gesar of Ling. At one and a half years of age, the boy started telling people that he was the Karmapa. In March 1994, he and his family managed to escape from Tibet to Nepal, and then to India. The same month he came to New Delhi, where, during a welcoming ceremony, Shamar Rinpoche formally recognized him as the 17th Karmapa. In November 1996 he took his monk vows and received refuge vows from Buddha in a large ceremony at the Buddha Gaya Temple. He then was given the name Thrinley (meaning Buddha activity) Thaye (limitless) Dorje (unchanging).

In October 1999, Karmapa Thaye Dorje made his first trip abroad to Singapore and Taiwan, where he gave Chenrezig and Amitayus (Long Life Buddha) initiations to few thousand people. The beginning of the new millenium was marked by his first historic visit to the West. In Dusseldorf, Germany, Karmapa was enthusiastically received by 6,000 students from over 30 countries. In two-day ceremonies, he gave Buddhist Refuge, the Bodhisattva promise, and initiations to Amitayus and Karma Pakshi (the 2nd Karmapa).

Thaye Dorje lives in Kalimpong, India, where, under the guidance of teachers such as Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche, Khenpo Chodrak Rinpoche and Professor Sempa Dorje, he continues an intensive Buddhist education. He studies philosophical texts, the Tibetan language, and English. He is also skilled in science and the modern aspects of the Western 'information society' - computers, email, Internet etc. While in Kalimpong, he spends several hours a day with meditation practice and under guidance does various retreats.

"It is totally wrong to see a Lama like some kind of supreme being. A Lama is someone who shows the path to enlightenment, and that's it. He is simply a teacher. It is similar with the Three Jewels: you can rely on the Buddha and the Sangha because they've been through this samsara, know what it is and how to overcome all this suffering. The Dharma is the path for this aim. This kind of special treatment...I really don't expect it and I don't want it; it is not important for me. All I want is to help people to find real happiness. And here I'm not just talking about happiness in this samsaric world. What I mean is the real happiness that is achieved in the state of liberation. I myself go through my spiritual practices in order to become able to guide others on this path. It is for this sake that I am getting the teachings from all the high lamas, the teachers, and professors. "

-17th Karmapa, Thaye Dorje

Establishing Kindly Relationships in all Circumstances
by HH 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje

Throughout his teaching about the "37 bodhisattva's practices", the Gyalwa Karmapa analysed our emotional ways of reacting and explained how to recognize them so as to establish a kindly relationship in all circumstances.

Here are a few words from HH 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje :

"Once one has resolved to help all beings, our mothers, one one should accomplish it with determination, without fearing difficulties for oneself. One has to persevere without changing one's goal."

"If one has the intention to attain the ultimate enlightened state of Buddhahood, one has to keep considering others as more important than oneself; one has to exchange the importance of oneself with the importance of the other. If one does not have the capacity to do so, one should at least cultivate the wish to do so".

"Answering back to criticism through love and compassion is the right answer. If we react with anger, we develop the same behaviour as the one who criticizes us. This is due to ignorance. Answering with love and compassion is not easy, that's why I ask you to practice doing so."
"In order to develop devotion towards the spiritual friend, one should become aware of his enlightened qualities. Confidence will arise by being in contact with these qualities, namely, qualities of love and compassion towards all beings. The spiritual teacher, without ever getting discouraged, keeps helping others and teaches us how to develop in turn love and compassion towards others. This is how these enlightened qualities can ripen within ourselves."
"When one generates confidence towards the lama, the enlightened qualities can be transmitted to us. Confidence will get stronger through experiencing these qualities".

"The way of looking at things which is the most useful and the most simple is to become aware that all beings are trapped in the cycle of existences. Hence one should not stick to a personal opinion of others, but one should endeavour to free them from samsara".

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