Chödrak Gyatso
Encyclopedia
Chödrak Gyatso also Chödrag Gyamtso, was the seventh Gyalwa Karmapa, head of the Kagyu
School of Tibetan Buddhism
.
Chödrak Gyatso was born in Chida in the north of Tibet
. According to the legend, he said at the age of five months: "There is nothing on this world, except for emptiness." He was recognized as Karmapa at the age of nine months.
According to the legend he established peace at the age of five during a tour through Tibet where in the south the tribes of Nagaland
and Bhutan
were engaged in a war.
He spent a large part of his life protecting animals and teaching people to give up hunting and fishing. His main activities were to prevent and solve conflicts between the tribes and building bridges and roads to connect the different areas. The best medicine against all problems and conflicts was saying "Om mani padme hum
" one million times. Chödrak send a lot of gold to India
to enable the gilding of the statue of the Gautama Buddha
near Bodhgaya.
According to Karma phrin las, Dri lan yid, 91-92, his teacher, Chödrak Gyatso, the Seventh Karmapa, interpreted the nature of Zhentong (gzhan stong) accepted by the Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje
who, in turn, had probably influenced, and been influenced by, the great Zhentong master, Dolpopa.
He was also an accomplished scholar, most famous for authoring the Ocean Of Logic, which is considered the most important text on pramana
in the Kagyu tradition. He also authored an important commentary on Asanga
's Abhisamayalamkara called The Lamp Of The Three Worlds.
Kagyu
The Kagyu, Kagyupa, or Kagyud school, also known as the "Oral Lineage" or Whispered Transmission school, is today regarded as one of six main schools of Himalayan or Tibetan Buddhism, the other five being the Nyingma, Sakya, Jonang, Bon and Gelug...
School of Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
.
Chödrak Gyatso was born in Chida in the north of Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
. According to the legend, he said at the age of five months: "There is nothing on this world, except for emptiness." He was recognized as Karmapa at the age of nine months.
According to the legend he established peace at the age of five during a tour through Tibet where in the south the tribes of Nagaland
Nagaland
Nagaland is a state in the far north-eastern part of India. It borders the state of Assam to the west, Arunachal Pradesh and part of Assam to the north, Burma to the east and Manipur to the south. The state capital is Kohima, and the largest city is Dimapur...
and Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
were engaged in a war.
He spent a large part of his life protecting animals and teaching people to give up hunting and fishing. His main activities were to prevent and solve conflicts between the tribes and building bridges and roads to connect the different areas. The best medicine against all problems and conflicts was saying "Om mani padme hum
Om mani padme hum
is the six syllabled mantra particularly associated with the four-armed Shadakshari form of Avalokiteshvara , the bodhisattva of compassion...
" one million times. Chödrak send a lot of gold to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to enable the gilding of the statue of the Gautama Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
near Bodhgaya.
According to Karma phrin las, Dri lan yid, 91-92, his teacher, Chödrak Gyatso, the Seventh Karmapa, interpreted the nature of Zhentong (gzhan stong) accepted by the Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje
Rangjung Dorje
Rangjung Dorje was the third Karmapa, an important figure in the history of Tibetan Buddhism. He reportedly produced a spontaneous black crown at the age of three and declared himself to be the mindstream reimbodiment of Karma Pakshi...
who, in turn, had probably influenced, and been influenced by, the great Zhentong master, Dolpopa.
He was also an accomplished scholar, most famous for authoring the Ocean Of Logic, which is considered the most important text on pramana
Pramana
Pramana is an epistemological term in Hindu and Buddhist dialectic, debate and discourse.Pramāṇavāda and Hetuvidya can be glossed in English as Indian and Buddhist Epistemology and Logic, respectively.-In Hinduism:...
in the Kagyu tradition. He also authored an important commentary on Asanga
Asanga
Asaṅga was a major exponent of the Yogācāra tradition in India, also called Vijñānavāda. Traditionally, he and his half-brother Vasubandhu are regarded as the founders of this school...
's Abhisamayalamkara called The Lamp Of The Three Worlds.