Ole Nydahl
Encyclopedia
| Ole Nydahl | ||
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| Date of birth: | March 19, 1941 (age 70) | |
| Place of birth: | Copenhagen, Denmark | |
| Birth name: | Ole Nydahl | |
| School: | Vajrayana Vajrayana Vajrayāna Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Vehicle... |
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| Lineage: | Karma Kagyu Karma Kagyu Karma Kagyu , or Kamtsang Kagyu, is probably the largest and certainly the most widely practiced lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage has long-standing monasteries in Tibet, China, Russia, Mongolia, India, Nepal, and Bhutan, and current... |
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| Organization: | Diamond Way Buddhism Diamond Way Buddhism Diamond Way Buddhism is a lay organization within the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. The first Diamond Way Buddhist centre was founded in 1972 by Hannah and Ole Nydahl... |
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| Title: | Lama Lama Lama is a title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru .Historically, the term was used for venerated spiritual masters or heads of monasteries... |
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Ole Nydahl (born March 19, 1941) is a lama
Lama
Lama is a title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma. The name is similar to the Sanskrit term guru .Historically, the term was used for venerated spiritual masters or heads of monasteries...
in the Karma Kagyu
Karma Kagyu
Karma Kagyu , or Kamtsang Kagyu, is probably the largest and certainly the most widely practiced lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage has long-standing monasteries in Tibet, China, Russia, Mongolia, India, Nepal, and Bhutan, and current...
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...
under guidance of Trinley Thaye Dorje. Since the early 1970s, Nydahl has toured the world giving lectures and meditation courses. With his wife, Hannah Nydahl, he founded Diamond Way Buddhism
Diamond Way Buddhism
Diamond Way Buddhism is a lay organization within the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. The first Diamond Way Buddhist centre was founded in 1972 by Hannah and Ole Nydahl...
, a worldwide lay organization of Karma Kagyu Buddhism. He is often referred to as Lama Ole Nydahl or Lama Ole.
Nydahl is the author of nine books in English, including The Way Things Are, Entering the Diamond Way, and Riding the Tiger.
Early life and education
Ole Nydahl was born in CopenhagenCopenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
and grew up in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. In the early 1960s, he served briefly in the Danish Army
Royal Danish Army
The Royal Danish Army is the land warfare branch of the Danish Defence Forces, together with the Danish Home Guard.For the last decade, the Royal Danish Army has undergone a massive transformation of structures, equipment and training methods, abandoning its traditional role of anti-invasion...
, then studied philosophy, English, and German at the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
, where he completed the examen philosophicum
Examen philosophicum
Examen philosophicum, often abbreviated ex. phil., is a course at certain Norwegian universities that functions as an introductory course within philosophy and scientific method...
with the best possible grade. He began but did not finish a doctoral thesis on Aldous Huxley
Aldous Huxley
Aldous Leonard Huxley was an English writer and one of the most prominent members of the famous Huxley family. Best known for his novels including Brave New World and a wide-ranging output of essays, Huxley also edited the magazine Oxford Poetry, and published short stories, poetry, travel...
’s Doors of Perception.
In the late 1960s, Nydahl bought hashish
Hashish
Hashish is a cannabis preparation composed of compressed stalked resin glands, called trichomes, collected from the unfertilized buds of the cannabis plant. It contains the same active ingredients but in higher concentrations than unsifted buds or leaves...
in Nepal and smuggled it back home to sell it. After their first trip to Kathmandu in 1968, Ole and Hannah Nydahl were arrested for smuggling hashish; Ole spent several months in prison. Today, Ole Nydahl warns against the danger of drugs.
Buddhist education
Ole and Hannah Nydahl's first Buddhist teacher was the Drukpa Kagyu master Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche. In December 1969, the Nydahls met Rangjung Rigpe DorjeRangjung Rigpe Dorje
The sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje was spiritual leader of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism...
, the 16th Karmapa. They were among the first Western students of the Karmapa and grew close to him. The Nydahls also became students of Mipham Chokyi Lodro
Mipham Chokyi Lodro
Mipham Chokyi Lodro is the 14th and current Shamarpa. He is also known as Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche. He is the second most important teacher of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism after the Karmapa...
, the fourteenth Shamarpa
Shamarpa
Shamarpa of the Red Crown"), also known as Shamar Rinpoche or more formally Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche is a lineage holder of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism and the mind manifestation of Amitabha Buddha, He is traditionally associated with Yangpachen monastery near Lhasa.The first...
. From the Karmapa, the Nydahls learned about Vajrayana
Vajrayana
Vajrayāna Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Vehicle...
Buddhism and mahamudra
Mahamudra
Mahāmudrā literally means "great seal" or "great symbol." It "is a multivalent term of great importance in later Indian Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism" which "also occurs occasionally in Hindu and East Asian Buddhist esotericism."The name refers to the way one who...
. From the Shamarpa, they took the Bodhisattva vows
Bodhisattva vows
The Sanskrit term Bodhisattva is the name given to anyone who, motivated by great compassion, has generated bodhichitta, which is a spontaneous wish to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings. What makes someone a Bodhisattva is her or his dedication to the ultimate welfare of...
and learned about Gampopa
Gampopa
Gampopa Sonam Rinchen "Sonam Rinchen from Gampo" — who was equally well known in Tibet as Dagpo Lhaje , Nyamed Dakpo Rinpoche , and Da'od Zhonnu , — establishedthe Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism today, as an...
's Jewel Ornament of Liberation. They have received teachings and empowerments
Empowerment (Tibetan Buddhism)
An empowerment is a ritual in Tibetan Buddhism which initiates a student into a particular tantric deity practice. The Tibetan word for this is wang , which literally translates to power. The Sanskrit term for this is abhiseka which literally translates to sprinkling or bathing or anointing...
from various Tibetan lamas, including the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
.
In 1972, Ole Nydahl was appointed a Buddhist teacher by the Karmapa and was sent back to Europe in order to promote Buddhism in the West. In 1983, the Shamarpa named Nydahl a Buddhist master. In 1995, Khenpo Chödrak Thenpel Rinpoche named Nydahl a lama on behalf of the Buddhist Institutes of the Gyalwa Karmapa.
Teaching
Upon returning to Europe, Hannah and Ole Nydahl began to teach Buddhism and organize meditation centers, first in their native Denmark, then in Germany and other countries. The centers belong to the Karma Kagyu lineageLineage (Buddhism)
An authentic lineage in Buddhism is the uninterrupted transmission of the Buddha's Dharma from teacher to disciple.The transmission itself can be for example oral, scriptural, through signs, or directly from one mind to another....
and operate under Ole Nydahl's practical guidance. In the early 90s, Diamond Way Buddhism was founded as a way to protect established centers during the Karmapa controversy
Karmapa controversy
The recognition of the Seventeenth Karmapa, the head of the Karma Kagyu sect of Tibetan Buddhism, has been the subject of controversy. Since the death of the sixteenth Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, in 1981, two candidates have been put forward:...
.
, there are 585 Diamond Way centers throughout the world. Most are in Europe, Russia, or the United States. Ole Nydahl regularly travels between them during the year giving lectures and meditation courses. His courses cover topics such as mahamudra and phowa
Phowa
Phowa is a Vajrayāna Buddhist meditation practice...
. He has traveled almost constantly for the last 35 years, teaching in a new city nearly every day.
Together with his close students, Nydahl has attempted to create a teaching style and centers that are accessible and function free from unnecessary cultural baggage. The activity and non-hierarchical structure of the Diamond Way centers is based on volunteer work; according to the official Diamond Way magazine, "hierarchical systems will not sell with independent people in the West. Nobody wants a distant teacher on a pedestal or a big organization standing on their shoulders and telling them what to think." In the Diamond Way centers, the meditations and names of the various Buddha forms are translated into Western languages. Ole Nydahl believes it essential for people to understand and read the meditations in their own language in order for Buddhism to become truly rooted in the West.
Jørn Borup, a professor of religion at Aarhus University, says that Ole Nydahl is "the most lasting influence on the Buddhist practice scene in Denmark" and "has in many ways been the icon of living Buddhism in Denmark
Buddhism in Denmark
Buddhism is the 4th largest religion in Denmark with approximately 20,000 - 25,000 members.-History:In the 19th century, knowledge about Buddhism was brought back from expeditions that explored the East and but interest was mainly from authors, Buddhologists and Philologists. In 1921, Dr. Christian F...
". The total number of Nydahl's adherents is unknown, but can be estimated conservatively to include 15,000 to 70,000 students and casual sympathizers world wide. In Germany alone, the German Buddhist Union, (Deutsche Buddhistische Union) estimates that about 20,000 persons regularly visit the Diamond Way centers and groups.
Role in the Karmapa controversy
When a great Tibetan lama dies, it is tradition in Tibetan BuddhismTibetan 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...
to find the next reincarnation
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
to continue the work. When the Sixteenth Karmapa died in 1981, two potential successors were found, Trinley Thaye Dorje and Ogyen Trinley Dorje, causing a major split in the Karma Kagyu. Nydahl, along with the Fourteenth Shamarpa, who was one of only four lineage-holders appointed to recognize the incarnation of the Karmapa at that time, supported Trinley Thaye Dorje. It was largely because of the work of Hannah and Ole Nydahl that most European Karma Kagyu centers chose to support Trinley Thaye Dorje. As a result, 592 of 856, or nearly 70% of the centers supporting Trinley Thaye Dorje are affiliated with Diamond Way Buddhism.
The other candidate, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, was recognized by Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama confirmed Ogyen Trinley Dorje as the Karmapa after he had been requested to do so by two of the other lineage-holders, Tai Situ Rinpoche and Gyaltsap Rinpoche, but the supporters of Trinley Thaye Dorje say that the Dalai Lama is not entitled to do so, and has never done so before.
The argument that Ogyen Trinley Dorje is the Karmapa is based in part on a letter presented by Pema Tönyö Nyinje
Péma Tönyö Nyinjé
Pema Tönyö Nyinje tib.: si tu pad ma don yod nyin byed dbang po; * 1954 is the 12th Tai Situpa, a reincarnate Tibetan Buddhist teacher, and one of the leading figures of the Karma Kagyu tradition...
, 12th Tai Situpa. The supporters of Ogyen Trinley claim it was written by the Sixteenth Karmapa in order to predict the identity of his future rebirth. Nydahl, the Shamarpa, and Topgala requested that the letter's authenticity be tested. They believe that the letter was written not by the Sixteenth Karmapa but by the Situpa himself. They have requested that the letter be verified by independent experts including forensic document examiners
Questioned document examination
Questioned document examination is the forensic science discipline pertaining to documents that are in dispute in a court of law...
. Tai Situ has thus far refused to allow this claiming it would be a violation of a sacred object.
Due to his role in the Karmapa controversy, Nydahl has been heavily criticized by the supporters of Ogyen Trinley Dorje, such as the authors Mick Brown
Mick Brown (journalist)
Mick Brown is a journalist who has written for several British newspapers, including The Guardian and The Sunday Times and for international publications. For many years he has contributed regularly to The Telegraph...
and Lea Terhune, a student of Tai Situpa. In connection to this, some blame Nydahl for causing the 1992 split of the Karma Kagyu, although there is no evidence of this, and accuse him of breaking the samaya
Samaya
The samaya , is a set of vows or precepts given to initiates of an esoteric Vajrayana Buddhist order as part of the abhiṣeka ceremony that creates a bond between the guru and disciple.According Keown, et al., Samaya may be defined as:*A particular system of teaching or...
s to his teachers, which is deprecated in Vajrayana
Vajrayana
Vajrayāna Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Vehicle...
.
Criticism
Questions have been raised about Nydahl's qualifications as a Buddhist teacher, especially since the beginning of the Karmapa controversy. Nydahl has received particular criticism for never going on a three-year retreat, which is traditionally necessary for qualifying as a lama in some traditions of Buddhism. He had wanted to go on three-year retreats, but was prevented from doing so by the Sixteenth Karmapa's orders to build up Buddhist centers in the West.Regarding questions about sexual relationships with his own students, Nydahl replied, "There’s no teacher-student relationship involved in that. They’re Diamond Way Buddhists, but they’re not my students in that moment. They’re equal partners."
Nydahl has a controversial view of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. He has described the religious ideology itself as "criminal", called Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
a "terrible god", and characterized Muslim beliefs as antithetical to freedom of speech and women's rights:
Nydahl says that he does not make political comments in his capacity as a lama, but as a "responsible, thinking human being", and that no one can make such statements from a Buddhist perspective because Buddha Shakyamuni did not comment on religious ideas founded centuries after his death. He also distinguishes the "mainstream Muslims" that he disapproves of from Sufis and Bahá'ís.
There is a greater concentration of Diamond Way centers in Germany, compared to elsewhere in Europe. Between late 1999 and April 2000 there was a public dispute between the German Buddhist Union and the German Diamond Way Organisation because of Nydahl's attitude towards Islam, his political statements, his manner of expressing and presenting himself, and his relationships with women. There was a meeting between the two organizations on 4 October 2000 and, although differences were clear, they agreed to learn from the past and cooperate in the future.
Martin Baumann, a professor of religion at the University of Lucerne
University of Lucerne
The University of Lucerne is a public university with a campus in Luzern, Switzerland. 1231 undergraduates and 1061 postgraduate students attend the university, which makes it Switzerland's smallest university....
, remarked in a newspaper interview "when I listen to his [Nydahl's] alarmingly superficial formulations in his talks I can understand his critics who say that he is presenting a watered-down 'instant Buddhism', a sort of 'Buddhism light' for the West."
Burkhard Scherer (a student of Ole Nydahl) presents a different view of Nydahl by adding the hitherto neglected historical-critical approach of Tibetan Buddhist Studies. He regrets that Nydahl continues to be ignored by Tibet scholars.