“Regardless of the region we are from, the religion we follow, or the views or positions we hold, for the benefit of Tibet as a whole, we must do what is important and let go of what is minor—it is important not to mistake gold for brass or to reduce sandalwood to ash before selling it.” –17th Karmapa (August 2024)
“If one does not know one’s birth lineage, one is like a monkey in a dark forest.
If one does not know one’s family lineage, one is like a fake turqoise dragon.
If one does not know the deeds of one’s ancestors, one is like a lost child from Mon.” –Tibetan proverb quoted by 17th Karmapa (July 2024)
“If one does not understand the history, there is a danger that people may lack confidence in the great Secret teachings”–Tantra of the Union of Sun and Moon
Today, for Guru Padmasamabhava Day, here is a brief report on the sudden cancellation of the 17th Karmapa’s online summer teachings on the ‘Origins of Secret Mantra’, following so soon after his ‘surprise’ meeting in Switzerland with the 14th Dalai Lama, the 17th Karmapa’s public statement about it, and questions asked about this meeting and the 17th Karmapa in the Tibetan Parliament in exile two days ago.
I also share a new video clip from Day One of the Summer teachings that were suddenly disrupted by the meeting, where the 17th Karmapa speaks about the importance of knowing one’s history and origins as Buddhist and people.
Music? Like the Deserts Miss the Rain by Everything But The Girl.
Disruption and sudden cancellation of the Summer ‘Origins of Secret Mantra’ teachings due to ‘surprise’ meeting with the 14th Dalai Lama in Switzerland
As I wrote about in the Mongolian-Gelug Shadow Over Tibet: Six Years of Failed US-Gelug Policy, the surprise meeting with the 14th Dalai Lama in a 5 star hotel in Switzerland accompanied by some rather ‘odd’ photos with three unknown laypeople and the Karmapa ‘on his knees’, caused a mixture of celebration at seeing the 17th Karmapa again (and with the 14th Dalai Lama after seven years absence) but also concerns as to the purpose of the meeting, and why the 17th Karmapa then had to cut short his one month planned online teachings after this meeting and photo shoot.
Before the meeting happened, the Karmapa announced that he would resume the online teachings again on 3rd September 2024. Sadly this never materialised.
After the photos were published, the 17th Karmapa then issued a lengthy statement (in Tibetan) in which he praises the Dalai Lama (which he has done many times before), as well as speaking about the old age and frailty of the Dalai Lama but that he was happy to meet him, wishing him a long-life and so on. He also wrote about the Dalai Lama’s wishes to visit China and return to Tibet.
The 17th Karmapa concluded his message with a request that Tibetans stay united and:
“Regardless of the region we are from, the religion we follow, or the views or positions we hold, for the benefit of Tibet as a whole, we must do what is important and let go of what is minor—it is important not to mistake gold for brass or to reduce sandalwood to ash before selling it.”
Quite. Considering the 17th Karmapa has recently taught about the degeneration of the status of nuns, of Mind-Only and Vajrayana in Tibet, of the mass destruction of Karma Kagyu monasteries in central Tibet, as well as mass empowerments being contrary to the Tantras and advice about examining a Vajrayana guru well, this sentence resonated the most (with me at least). In addition, one might also wish to recall that he also recently taught that:
Although it was helpful to read the 17th Karmapa’s words to clarify the meeting, there was still no explanation at all as to why the 17th Karmapa was able to suddenly attend it, yet did not attend the recent cremations of important Karma Kagyu teachers, of his father in Tibet (although that is more understandable), or visit the Karma Kagyu monasteries and nunneries in India, Nepal and Asia personally.
After the meeting, despite announcements that his online teaching would still go ahead, it was again postponed at very short notice on both the 3rd and 6th September. Then, even worse, at the very last minute on the 9th September, it was announced that the whole teaching itself was cancelled much to the disappointment and sadness of thousands of Karmapa’s followers, monastic and lay, eagerly waiting to hear and see the 17th Karmapa teach again.
Questions Asked in the Tibetan Parliament in Exile and Unsatisfactory response from Penpa Tsering
On September 11th, a Tibetan exile representative, Dorje Tsetan, for the first time in a CTA session it seems, bravely raised the issue as to what conversations and discussions had taken place with the 17th Karmapa about his return to India and other matters, when he met with the 14th Dalai Lama in Switzerland and what the CTA and leader were doing to ensure his return to Sikkim (here is the video: for Tibetan speakers, the question is at 40 minutes in, and 53 mins in for the response).
Penpa Tsering first replied that he had not been privy to any discussions between the 17th Karmapa and the 14th Dalai Lama in Europe, so was unable to answer that. He then replied that the CTA could not do anything about the Karmapa’s return to Sikkim as it was in the Indian government’s control and between them and the 17th Karmapa. But why are the CTA representatives not trying to do more about the 17th Karmapa’s situation, and helping and supporting the Karmapa to return to Sikkim ?
A Tibetan follower of the 17th Karmapa (who kindly informed me about this Q & A) remarked that:
“The Tibetan Parliament are arguing about the accounting and spending of funds for parliamentary projects and there is a lot of internal conflict. Penpa Tsering’s answer to this question cannot satisfy us believers and he is shirking his responsibility. If the Tibetan government is unable to do anything about the transmission of Tibetan Buddhism and the return of the 17th Karmapa to Sikkim, what role can Penpa Tsering, as the Chief Kalon, play? Penpa Tsering only utilised the influence of the 17th Karmapa, but now Penpa Tsering feels that the 17th Karmapa has no role to play and has cast the 17th Karmapa aside, is this the will of the Tibetan government or the personal will of Penpa Tsering?”
And if I may add, is it also the will of the Gelugpas and 14th Dalai Lama, as a result of the ongoing and prevailing Gelugpa sectarian bias and domination in Tibetan exile politics and religious culture?
These are questions which demand reasonable and transparent responses from the parties with influence and power by the thousands of followers of the 17th Karmapa. The public petition launched for 17th Karmapa’s return to Sikkim, now has over 1000 signatures, and was sent to the CTA and Penpa Tsering and Indian government officials, but still no response or movement.
Indian government sources say it is the ongoing court cases for Rumtek launched by Thaye Dorje and his European laypeople followers two decades ago, which they refuse to withdraw unless the 17th Karmapa does some kind of ‘joint Karmapa’ deal with them, which is ridiculous to say the least, and blackmail to say the most. What do they hope to achieve by that? Forced devotion of the thousands of monastics and layfollowers of the official 17th Karmapa to one they neither follow or have confidence in, and whose actions and followers have accused 12th Tai Situpa of fraudulently creating the 16th Karmapa’s handwritten letter? Wishful and unwise thinking on their part. In which case, they need to be stopped with this blackmail and ‘friendship’ charade, once and for all.
The importance of knowing one’s history and origins by 17th Karmapa (July 2024)
In this year’s ‘ interrupted’ online teaching, the 17th Karmapa spoke on Day One about the importance of studying the complete history of Buddhism, before studying secret mantra. Quoting a Tantra ‘Union of the Sun and Moon’ (Nyi-da Khajor), the 17th Karmapa warned that without doing so, “there was a danger people would come to lack belief and confidence in the great Secret Mantra teachings.”
The 17th Karmapa also quotes a Tibetan proverb that says:
“If one does not know one’s birth lineage, one is like a monkey in a dark forest.
If one does not know one’s family lineage, one is like a fake turqoise dragon.
If one does not know the deeds of one’s ancestors, one is like a lost child from Mon.”
Indeed. An appropriate piece of wisdom not only for Buddhists, but for anyone wishing to understand a particular situation they are in.
Here is a video clip (in Tibetan with English subtitles) of this part of the teaching.
Flying monkeys who do not know their origins and history not only end up getting lost, but making everyone else lost too…..
