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

 

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