H.H. 17th Karmapa will visit Hong Kong in February 2009

The Supreme head of Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, His Holiness 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje will be visiting Hong Kong in early February 2009. This will be an auspicious occasion for spreading the word of Dharma in the territory.

The late 16th Karmapa has visited Hong Kong in the 1980’s and through that visit, bestowed much compassionate blessing on a broad spectrum of disciples and Buddhist practitioners. We are very fortunate that the circumstances are now mature for the new visit of His Holiness the 17th Karmapa to continue and deepen our connection with Dharma and the Karma Kagyu lineage.

It is our sincere wish that through this auspicious Dharma activity, the accumulation of merit and wisdom will benefit not only Buddhist practitioners and disciples, but extend to the broader benefits of a harmonious society for Hong Kong at large.

The 3-day program will include Characteristic Buddhist practices such as Sand Mandala, Initiation on the Drolma Namjorma and Twenty one Taras practice, Lama Dance and Refuge ceremony. Highlights are listed below:

Initiation Drolma Namjorma and Twenty One Taras

His Holiness will conduct the Annutara Yoga (Highest order) initiation on Drolma Namjorma before the empowerment on the Twenty One Taras practice. In these difficult times plagued with natural disasters and disruptions to our inner peace, it is particularly important to receive these initiations to overcome such obstacles, enjoy a smooth progress in life and in one’s practice as well as vast accumulation of merit and wisdom.

Refuge Ceremony

Taking the Refuge ceremony is the first step and foundation to all Buddhist practice. It is particularly auspicious to receive this ceremony from His Holiness, who once said of the refuge as leading us on the path to ultimate enlightenment through benefiting self and others.

Lama Dance

There are two types of Lama Dance in the initiation ceremony. The first is to define the place to establish the sacred realm of the practice. The second is to invite the wisdom deities to the sacred realm. It was recorded in ancient teachings that through the merits of watching Lama Dance, the seed to enlightenment is safely planted.

Sand Mandala

The unique Sand Mandala will be constructed by accomplished monks , according to the Karma Kagyu lineage teachings. As recorded in scriptures, the benefits of seeing a sand mandala are equal to that of meeting Buddha in person. After the initiation, the sand mandala will be released into the sea, thereby benefiting sentient being in water. Through the natural cycle of water - clouds - rain, such benefits will be extended to all sentient beings.

Dharma Teaching

37 Precepts of the Bodhisattva Path.

Source: kagyunews.com.hk
 

Dalai Lama May Appoint a Regent to Succeed Him

 Timesonline.co.uk

The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, is considering appointing a regent to lead the Tibetan movement after his death until his reincarnation is old enough to take over.

The idea was discussed this week at an unprecedented meeting of 600 Tibetan exiles in Dharamsala, the northern Indian town where the Dalai Lama set up his government in exile after fleeing Tibet in 1959.

It is the latest proposal intended to ensure a smooth succession after the death of the Dalai Lama, who is 73 and has been suffering recently from ill health. The Tibetan exiles are keen to prevent China from hijacking his reincarnation, as it has tried to do with other of the most senior positions in Tibetan Buddhism.

The most likely candidate for the regency is the 23-year-old Karmapa Lama, the third highest in the Tibetan Buddhist hierarchy, who was born and raised in Tibet but escaped to India in 2000 in a huge embarrassment for China’s government.

"It’s now being considered at the highest level," said Dr Lobsang Sangay, a Tibetan research fellow at Harvard Law School who put forward the idea at the meeting.

"A lot of people are talking about the Karmapa as regent," he told The Times.

Tenzin Takhla, a spokesman for the Dalai Lama, confirmed that a regency was an option and that the Karmapa could, in theory, take the position, although he said that nothing had been decided yet.

"If we want the traditional way, then usually there’s a regent appointed," he said. "He would be not so much a political leader, as a spiritual leader."

Delegates at last week’s meeting agreed to stick to the Dalai Lama’s policy of seeking autonomy, rather than independence, from China, but many called for a clearer succession plan.

Dalai Lamas are traditionally chosen by senior monks who interpret signals from the last incumbent after his death, search for promising young boys and then set them a number of tests.

The current Dalai Lama — the 14th — was born into a farming family in eastern Tibet and identified at the age of two after passing tests, including identifying his predecessor’s rosary.

However, exiled Tibetans fear that following this process would leave them leaderless while the next reincarnation grows up, and open the door for China to appoint its own rival Dalai Lama.

When the Dalai Lama recognized a young boy in Tibet as the new Panchen Lama, the second highest in Tibetan Buddhism, in 1995, China detained the child and appointed its own candidate.

Last year, China’s government claimed exclusive rights to approve all lamas’ reincarnations.

The Dalai Lama has proposed several alternatives, including holding a referendum among the world’s 13-14 million Tibetan Buddhists on whether he should be reincarnated at all.

"If the majority feels this institution has become irrelevant, then it will automatically cease," he told a news conference today.

If the majority wanted to continue the tradition, he said he would be re-incarnated as a young boy, or a girl. "Girls show more compassion," he said.

He also repeated that he could identify a reincarnation while he is still alive, even though no Dalai Lama has done so before.
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New Book Rewiev: Gampopa’s Mahamudra

Gampopa’s Mahamudra: Five Part Mahamudra of the Kagyus
by Lotsawa Tony Duff

Five-Part Mahamudra is a specific and effective way of entering reality. It was first taught by Lord Gampopa and became one of the main ways of practising Mahamudra in the Kagyu lineage. This book is a compendium of these teachings that accurately transmit the whole Five-Part Mahamudra system. It includes a complete commentary on the practice by one of the current lineage holders, Benchen Tenga Rinpoche. Tenga Rinpoche is one of the most senior teachers in the Karma Kagyu.

“All sentient beings have a mind and they also have an essence of that mind. For all of them, the confusion that they experience comes about only in their mind; for all of them, the essence of mind itself never changes, never becomes confused.” — from the commentary by Benchen Tenga Rinpoche

Tony Duff, author, translator and teacher, has practised extensively with Gelug, Kagyu, and Nyingma traditions. He has been translating, teaching, and practising for thirty-five years.

You can order this book here.