Urgyen Trinley Dorje
Encyclopedia
Ogyen Trinley Dorje also written Urgyen Trinley Dorje , is a claimant to the title of 17th Karmapa.
The Karmapa
is head of the Karma Kagyu
school, one of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism
. Ogyen Trinley Dorje and Thaye Dorje
are the persisting claimants to that office and title.
, Tibet Autonomous Region
, to primarily nomad
ic parents, Ogyen Trinley Dorje is said to have identified himself to family members as the Karmapa early in childhood. (The identification of the 17th Karmapa is disputed. See Karmapa controversy
.) Known as Apo Gaga, he was seven years old before he was recognized by a search party headed by the Tai Situpa
, following instructions left by the previous Karmapa in a prophetic letter and hidden in a locket entrusted to Tai Situpa. Ogyen Trinley Dorje was installed at Tsurphu Monastery
, the traditional seat of the Karmapa in Tibet
, with the official sanction of the Central People's Government
who declared him to be a "living Buddha", the first time a communist Chinese government has recognised a tulku
. Critics of this collusion call it a "bad precedent" for the 11th Panchen Lama
and the next Dalai Lama, and urged the Tai Situpa to smuggle Ogyen Trinley out of Tibet. The Tai Situpa resisted, insisting that there was a need to "legalize" the boy's position in Tibet, and so Ogyen Trinley Dorje lived at Tsurphu Monastery for another seven years.
At the age of 14, he escaped to India
through Nepal
, arriving at the Tibetan exile quarters at McLeod Ganj
on January 5, 2000. Ogyen Trinley Dorje had felt that he was unable to obtain in China the specialized instruction he needed to complete his studies and to realize his full spiritual authority. The Chinese government was embarrassed by the escape, but it did "not [excoriate] him as they [did] the Dalai Lama." Despite a lack of evidence, some believe that he is a Chinese spy. He resides at Gyuto
Monastery in Sidhbari
, near Dharamsala
.
From May 15 - June 2, 2008, he made his first trip to the West, visiting several cities in the United States
(notably New York City
, Boulder, Colorado
, and Seattle, Washington
) and was formally enthroned in the North American seat of the Karmapas at Karma Triyana Dharmachakra
monastery in Woodstock, NY. All across the country, he gave multiple teachings on compassion
and the environment
, gave the reading transmission for a new form of Ngondro
, and bestowed several empowerments
, including Avalokiteshvara and Guru Rinpoche
. He also spoke eloquently about the special challenges of the rapid pace of modern society, and the virtues of the Internet
as a tool for the study and practice of Buddhadharma.
In July 2008 he requested permission to visit monasteries in Lahaul and Spiti (Himachal Pradesh
) and in Ladakh
(Jammu and Kashmir
). The Indian government initially refused to allow these visits without giving a reason. It was speculated that the reason might have been that these areas are close to the China border and that the Beijing Olympics
were approaching, even though he had made it clear that he does not promote Tibetan independence and has no political stance on China. India eventually allowed his tour, which began in Ladakh, followed by Lahaul and Spiti, including the famous Tabo Monastery
.
Requests to visit USA and Europe in 2010 were denied by the Indian government.
On 09 July 2011, His Holiness arrived back in the United States for his second visit. From 09 - 17 July, he participated in the Kalachakra
initiation bestowed by HH the XIV Dalai Lama
in Washington, DC, then traveled by train to his seat at Karma Triyana Dharmachakra and also visited both his center in New Jersey
and Hunter College
in New York City, returning to India on 04 August. During his visit, he taught extensively on compassion, gave Refuge
, and bestowed the empowerments of both the Four-Armed and Thousand-Armed forms of Avalokiteshvara. He also granted an interview with Laurie Goodstein of the New York Times, which was published on 28 July 2011.
On 3 January 2007, Ogyen Trinley Dorje mandated a purely vegetarian diet in all his monasteries, nunneries, and centers, and strongly urged vegetarianism among all his students, saying that generally, in his view, it was very important in the Mahayana
not to eat meat and that, even in Vajrayana
, it is preferable for students and practitioners not to eat meat.
, April 22, 2009, Orgyen Trinley Dorje gave 108 instructions on protecting the environment.
At the second conference on environmental protection (3 to 8 October 2009 at Gyuto Monastery), he stated that "For too long, people have behaved thoughtlessly and ignored the damage to the environment that they are creating and, if this continued there was a great danger that it would be too late to do anything."
On October 24, 2009, Ogyen Trinley Dorje supported international climate action day at a gathering at McLeod Ganj
in northern India.
, who is the second longest recognized tulku
(reincarnate Lama) incarnation lineage in the Karma Kagyu tradition and who, in previous incarnations, has held and transmitted the Kagyu lineage between Karmapas, does not recognize Ogyen Trinley Dorje and instead has proclaimed Thaye Dorje
, whom he purportedly identified a few years earlier (than the recognition of Orgyen Thrinley Dorje) in a dream, as the true Karmapa. Traditionally, Karmapas leave a letter stating the details of their rebirth (this is an aspect of the special self-recognizing siddhi
of the Karmapas) to assist in the recognition of their future incarnation, and thus the Shamarpa's recognition through a dream has come under scrutiny. Ogyen Trinley Dorje is supported by the majority of the Kagyu hierarchy, including two lamas who have played a role in finding previous Karmapas: Khentin Tai Situ Rinpoche
and Goshir Gyaltsab Rinpoche (a fourth such lama, the 3rd Jamgon Kongtrul
, died early on during the controversy). Orgyen Trinley Dorje has been enthroned at Tsurphu Monastery
, and is regarded as the 17th Karmapa by the monks of Rumtek Monastery
.
Other high Kagyu lamas who support Ogyen Trinley Dorje include the Ninth Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche
; the Ninth Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
; the Seventh Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
and his Nalandabodhi
organization; the Twelfth Surmang Trungpa Rinpoche
; the Seventh Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche; the Third Tenga Rinpoche
; the Third Bardor Tulku Rinpoche
; the Venerable Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche
; the Venerable Bokar Rinpoche; the Venerable Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche
(abbot of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra
); Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche
and his organization, Shambhala International; the Venerable Drupon Rinpoche, and Lama Norlha Rinpoche, among others. He is also recognized as Karmapa by the current Dalai Lama and the government of the People's Republic of China
.
Also sided with Orgyen Trinley Dorje are tulkus he has identified, such as H.E. the Eleventh Pawo Rinpoche, and those identified by Tai Situ Rinpoche such as the Third Kalu Rinpoche
. There are now two recognitions of H.E. the Fourth Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, one sided with each Karmapa.
s and land deal documents, suspecting a hawala
scam. Initially, the police suspected that the money was being used to spread Chinese influence in India, and that the Karmapa was a Chinese agent helping the Chinese government control Buddhist monasteries in India. They said even if the Karmapa was able to explain the source of the money recovered, he might be held liable for violating the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act.
The Karmapa denied all the allegations and said that the seized money came via the donations from his followers.A New York Times report on the matter noted that an unnamed rival Karmapa candidate has "close ties to Indian intelligence officials." On 11 February 2011, it was reported that the central Indian government had cleared the Karmapa of all charges, finding that the money in question had been donated by followers.
The Karmapa
Karmapa
The Karmapa is the head of the Karma Kagyu, the largest sub-school of the Kagyupa , itself one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism....
is head of 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, one of the four main schools 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...
. Ogyen Trinley Dorje and Thaye Dorje
Thaye Dorje
Trinley Thaye Dorje is a claimant to the title of 17th Karmapa.The Karmapa is head of the Karma Kagyu school, one of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism...
are the persisting claimants to that office and title.
Biography
Born in Lhatok Township, Qamdo CountyQamdo County
Qamdo County, also Chamdo County, Changdu County is a county in Tibet Autonomous Region, and the seat of government of Qamdo Prefecture. Qamdo county has an area of 10,700 km² and a population of 78,000, of which 90% are Tibetan. The average temperature is 7.6°C, with average temperatures of...
, Tibet Autonomous Region
Tibet Autonomous Region
The Tibet Autonomous Region , Tibet or Xizang for short, also called the Xizang Autonomous Region is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China , created in 1965....
, to primarily nomad
Nomad
Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...
ic parents, Ogyen Trinley Dorje is said to have identified himself to family members as the Karmapa early in childhood. (The identification of the 17th Karmapa is disputed. See 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:...
.) Known as Apo Gaga, he was seven years old before he was recognized by a search party headed by the Tai Situpa
Tai Situpa
In Tibetan Buddhism the Tai Situpa is one of the oldest lineages of tulkus in the Kagyu school. According to tradition, the Tai Situpa is an emanation of the bodhisattva Maitreya, who will become the next Buddha, and who has been incarnated as numerous Indian and Tibetan yogins since the time of...
, following instructions left by the previous Karmapa in a prophetic letter and hidden in a locket entrusted to Tai Situpa. Ogyen Trinley Dorje was installed at Tsurphu Monastery
Tsurphu Monastery
Tsurphu Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery which served as the traditional seat of the Karmapa. It is located in Gurum town of Doilungdêqên County in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, 70 km from Lhasa. The monastery is about 14,000 feet above sea level...
, the traditional seat of the Karmapa in 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...
, with the official sanction of the Central People's Government
Central People's Government
The Central People's Government is the central government of the People's Republic of China in Beijing. According to the 1982 Constitution, "Central People's Government" is synonymous with the State Council.-History:...
who declared him to be a "living Buddha", the first time a communist Chinese government has recognised a tulku
Tulku
In Tibetan Buddhism, a tulku is a particular high-ranking lama, of whom the Dalai Lama is one, who can choose the manner of his rebirth. Normally the lama would be reincarnated as a human, and of the same sex as his predecessor. In contrast to a tulku, all other sentient beings including other...
. Critics of this collusion call it a "bad precedent" for the 11th Panchen Lama
11th Panchen Lama
The 11th Panchen Lama controversy is a dispute about the current legitimate holder of the Panchen Lama title, a political and religious leadership position in Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism. After the death of the 10th Panchen Lama, a dispute between the Chinese leadership and the exiled 14th Dalai...
and the next Dalai Lama, and urged the Tai Situpa to smuggle Ogyen Trinley out of Tibet. The Tai Situpa resisted, insisting that there was a need to "legalize" the boy's position in Tibet, and so Ogyen Trinley Dorje lived at Tsurphu Monastery for another seven years.
At the age of 14, he escaped 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...
through Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, arriving at the Tibetan exile quarters at McLeod Ganj
McLeod Ganj
McLeod Ganj, McLeodGanj, or Mcleodganj, is a suburb of Dharamshala in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India. It has an average elevation of 2,082 metres ....
on January 5, 2000. Ogyen Trinley Dorje had felt that he was unable to obtain in China the specialized instruction he needed to complete his studies and to realize his full spiritual authority. The Chinese government was embarrassed by the escape, but it did "not [excoriate] him as they [did] the Dalai Lama." Despite a lack of evidence, some believe that he is a Chinese spy. He resides at Gyuto
Gyuto Order
Gyuto Tantric University is one of the great monastic institutions of the Gelug Order.-History:Gyuto was founded in 1475 by Jetsun Kunga Dhondup and is one of the main tantric colleges of the Gelug tradition...
Monastery in Sidhbari
Sidhbari
Sidhbari is a small town, situated in the foothills of Dhauladhar mountains, in Kangra district of the state of Himachal Pradesh, India.-Overview:...
, near Dharamsala
Dharamsala
Dharamshala or Dharamsala is a city in northern India. It was formerly known as Bhagsu; it is the winter seat of government of the state of Himachal Pradesh and the district headquarters of the Kangra district....
.
From May 15 - June 2, 2008, he made his first trip to the West, visiting several cities in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(notably New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Boulder, Colorado
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
, and Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
) and was formally enthroned in the North American seat of the Karmapas at Karma Triyana Dharmachakra
Karma Triyana Dharmachakra
Karma Triyana Dharmachakra is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Woodstock, New York, USA, which serves as the North American seat of His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, head of the Karma Kagyu lineage. It was founded in 1976 by the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa. The abbot has been Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche...
monastery in Woodstock, NY. All across the country, he gave multiple teachings on compassion
Compassion
Compassion is a virtue — one in which the emotional capacities of empathy and sympathy are regarded as a part of love itself, and a cornerstone of greater social interconnection and humanism — foundational to the highest principles in philosophy, society, and personhood.There is an aspect of...
and the environment
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
, gave the reading transmission for a new form of Ngondro
Ngöndro
Ngöndro refers to the preliminary, preparatory or foundational 'practices' or 'disciplines' common to all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism and also to Bön...
, and bestowed several 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...
, including Avalokiteshvara and Guru Rinpoche
Padmasambhava
Padmasambhava ; Mongolian ловон Бадмажунай, lovon Badmajunai, , Means The Lotus-Born, was a sage guru from Oddiyāna who is said to have transmitted Vajrayana Buddhism to Bhutan and Tibet and neighbouring countries in the 8th century...
. He also spoke eloquently about the special challenges of the rapid pace of modern society, and the virtues of the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
as a tool for the study and practice of Buddhadharma.
In July 2008 he requested permission to visit monasteries in Lahaul and Spiti (Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh is a state in Northern India. It is spread over , and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east...
) and in Ladakh
Ladakh
Ladakh is a region of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state of the Republic of India. It lies between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of Indo-Aryan and Tibetan descent...
(Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
). The Indian government initially refused to allow these visits without giving a reason. It was speculated that the reason might have been that these areas are close to the China border and that the Beijing Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
were approaching, even though he had made it clear that he does not promote Tibetan independence and has no political stance on China. India eventually allowed his tour, which began in Ladakh, followed by Lahaul and Spiti, including the famous Tabo Monastery
Tabo Monastery
Tabo Monastery was founded in 996 CE in the Spiti Valley, Himachel Pradesh, India by the great Tibetan Buddhist lotswa , Rinchen Zangpo, the king of western Himalayan Kingdom of Guge...
.
Requests to visit USA and Europe in 2010 were denied by the Indian government.
On 09 July 2011, His Holiness arrived back in the United States for his second visit. From 09 - 17 July, he participated in the Kalachakra
Kalachakra
Kalachakra is a Sanskrit term used in Tantric Buddhism that literally means "time-wheel" or "time-cycles".The spelling Kalacakra is also correct....
initiation bestowed by HH the XIV 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 Washington, DC, then traveled by train to his seat at Karma Triyana Dharmachakra and also visited both his center in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
in New York City, returning to India on 04 August. During his visit, he taught extensively on compassion, gave Refuge
Refuge (Buddhism)
Buddhists "take refuge" in, or to "go for refuge" to, the Three Jewels . This can be done formally in lay and monastic ordination ceremonies.The Three Jewels general signification is: * the Buddha;* the Dharma, the teachings;...
, and bestowed the empowerments of both the Four-Armed and Thousand-Armed forms of Avalokiteshvara. He also granted an interview with Laurie Goodstein of the New York Times, which was published on 28 July 2011.
Buddhist vegetarianism
Mahayana
Mahāyāna is one of the two main existing branches of Buddhism and a term for classification of Buddhist philosophies and practice...
not to eat meat and that, even in Vajrayana
Vajrayana
Vajrayāna Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Vehicle...
, it is preferable for students and practitioners not to eat meat.
Buddhist environmentalist
On Earth DayEarth Day
Earth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. The name and concept of Earth Day was allegedly pioneered by John McConnell in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the...
, April 22, 2009, Orgyen Trinley Dorje gave 108 instructions on protecting the environment.
At the second conference on environmental protection (3 to 8 October 2009 at Gyuto Monastery), he stated that "For too long, people have behaved thoughtlessly and ignored the damage to the environment that they are creating and, if this continued there was a great danger that it would be too late to do anything."
On October 24, 2009, Ogyen Trinley Dorje supported international climate action day at a gathering at McLeod Ganj
McLeod Ganj
McLeod Ganj, McLeodGanj, or Mcleodganj, is a suburb of Dharamshala in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India. It has an average elevation of 2,082 metres ....
in northern India.
Controversy
The 14th ShamarpaShamarpa
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...
, who is the second longest recognized tulku
Tulku
In Tibetan Buddhism, a tulku is a particular high-ranking lama, of whom the Dalai Lama is one, who can choose the manner of his rebirth. Normally the lama would be reincarnated as a human, and of the same sex as his predecessor. In contrast to a tulku, all other sentient beings including other...
(reincarnate Lama) incarnation lineage in the Karma Kagyu tradition and who, in previous incarnations, has held and transmitted the Kagyu lineage between Karmapas, does not recognize Ogyen Trinley Dorje and instead has proclaimed Thaye Dorje
Thaye Dorje
Trinley Thaye Dorje is a claimant to the title of 17th Karmapa.The Karmapa is head of the Karma Kagyu school, one of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism...
, whom he purportedly identified a few years earlier (than the recognition of Orgyen Thrinley Dorje) in a dream, as the true Karmapa. Traditionally, Karmapas leave a letter stating the details of their rebirth (this is an aspect of the special self-recognizing siddhi
Siddhi
is a Sanskrit noun that can be translated as "perfection", "accomplishment", "attainment", or "success". The term is first attested in the Mahabharata. In the Pancatantra, a siddhi may be any unusual skill or faculty or capability...
of the Karmapas) to assist in the recognition of their future incarnation, and thus the Shamarpa's recognition through a dream has come under scrutiny. Ogyen Trinley Dorje is supported by the majority of the Kagyu hierarchy, including two lamas who have played a role in finding previous Karmapas: Khentin Tai Situ Rinpoche
Tai Situpa
In Tibetan Buddhism the Tai Situpa is one of the oldest lineages of tulkus in the Kagyu school. According to tradition, the Tai Situpa is an emanation of the bodhisattva Maitreya, who will become the next Buddha, and who has been incarnated as numerous Indian and Tibetan yogins since the time of...
and Goshir Gyaltsab Rinpoche (a fourth such lama, the 3rd Jamgon Kongtrul
Jamgon Kongtrul
Jamgön Kongtrül is a name of a prominent line of Tibetan Buddhist teachers , primarily identified with the first Jamgon Kongtrul, but also the name shared by members of a lineage held by tradition to be his subsequent reincarnations , to date....
, died early on during the controversy). Orgyen Trinley Dorje has been enthroned at Tsurphu Monastery
Tsurphu Monastery
Tsurphu Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery which served as the traditional seat of the Karmapa. It is located in Gurum town of Doilungdêqên County in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, 70 km from Lhasa. The monastery is about 14,000 feet above sea level...
, and is regarded as the 17th Karmapa by the monks of Rumtek Monastery
Rumtek Monastery
Rumtek , also called the Dharmachakra Centre, is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery located in the Indian state of Sikkim near the capital Gangtok...
.
Other high Kagyu lamas who support Ogyen Trinley Dorje include the Ninth Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche
Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche
The Ninth Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche is the current incarnation of the Traleg tulku line, a line of high lamas in the Kagyu lineage of Vajrayana. He is a pioneer in bringing Tibetan Buddhism to Australia.-Biography:...
; the Ninth Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
Thrangu Rinpoche
Thrangu Rinpoche was born in 1933 in Kham, Tibet. He is a prominent tulku in the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, the ninth reincarnation in his particular line. His full name and title is the Very Venerable Ninth Khenchen Thrangu Tulku, Karma Lodrö Lungrik Mahamadarchod Maway Senge...
; the Seventh Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
The 7th Dzogchen Ponlop, Rinpoche is an abbot of Dzogchen Monastery, president of Nalandabodhi, the founder of Nitartha Institute, a leading Tibetan Buddhist scholar, and a meditation master...
and his Nalandabodhi
Nalandabodhi
Nalandabodhi is a Tibetan Buddhist organization founded in the United States by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche in 1997 and named after the historic Nalanda university of India. There are now Nalandabodhi centers and study groups in Mexico, Canada, Europe and Asia...
organization; the Twelfth Surmang Trungpa Rinpoche
Choseng Trungpa
Choseng Trungpa Rinpoche is the 12th and current Trungpa tülku. He was born on February 6, 1989 in Pawo village, in Derge, eastern Tibet, and recognized by Tai Situ Rinpoche in 1991...
; the Seventh Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche; the Third Tenga Rinpoche
Tenga Rinpoche
Tenga Rinpoche is a Tibetan teacher in the Karma Kagyu tradition.Born in Kham in 1932, Tenga Rinpoche was recognized as a reincarnation of Lama Samten at the age of seven....
; the Third Bardor Tulku Rinpoche
Third Bardor Tulku Rinpoche
༼འབར་རྡོར་སྤྲུལ་སྐུ། ༽ - The Third Bardor Tulku Rinpoche is a Tibetan Buddhist teacher, a holder of the religious lineage of Terchen Barway Dorje...
; the Venerable Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche
Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche
Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche is a prominent scholar yogi in the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He teaches widely in the West, often through dohas composed by Milarepa and other masters of the past...
; the Venerable Bokar Rinpoche; the Venerable Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche
Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche
The Venerable Khenpo Karma Tharchin Rinpoche , widely known by his abbreviated name Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, is a highly regarded Lama of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism...
(abbot of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra
Karma Triyana Dharmachakra
Karma Triyana Dharmachakra is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Woodstock, New York, USA, which serves as the North American seat of His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, head of the Karma Kagyu lineage. It was founded in 1976 by the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa. The abbot has been Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche...
); Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche
Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche
Sakyong Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche, Jampal Trinley Dradul is the head of the Shambhala Buddhist lineage and Shambhala International, a worldwide network of urban Buddhist meditation centers, retreat centers, monasteries, a university, and other enterprises, founded by his father, the Buddhist teacher...
and his organization, Shambhala International; the Venerable Drupon Rinpoche, and Lama Norlha Rinpoche, among others. He is also recognized as Karmapa by the current Dalai Lama and the government of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.
Also sided with Orgyen Trinley Dorje are tulkus he has identified, such as H.E. the Eleventh Pawo Rinpoche, and those identified by Tai Situ Rinpoche such as the Third Kalu Rinpoche
Kalu Rinpoche
Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche was a Buddhist meditation master, scholar and teacher. He was one of the first Tibetan masters to teach in the West.-Early life and teachers:...
. There are now two recognitions of H.E. the Fourth Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, one sided with each Karmapa.
2011 police raid on Karmapa offices
In January 2011, the Himachal Pradesh Police seized money in currencies of 25 countries including China, valued at over 60 million, during raids on the offices of a trust backed by Ogyen Trinley Dorje. They also seized several traveler's chequeTraveler's cheque
A traveler's cheque is a preprinted, fixed-amount cheque designed to allow the person signing it to make an unconditional payment to someone else as a result of having paid the issuer for that privilege.- Usage :As traveler's cheques can usually be replaced if lost or stolen A traveler's cheque...
s and land deal documents, suspecting a hawala
Hawala
Hawala is an informal value transfer system based on the performance and honor of a huge network of money brokers, which are primarily located in the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and South Asia...
scam. Initially, the police suspected that the money was being used to spread Chinese influence in India, and that the Karmapa was a Chinese agent helping the Chinese government control Buddhist monasteries in India. They said even if the Karmapa was able to explain the source of the money recovered, he might be held liable for violating the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act.
The Karmapa denied all the allegations and said that the seized money came via the donations from his followers.A New York Times report on the matter noted that an unnamed rival Karmapa candidate has "close ties to Indian intelligence officials." On 11 February 2011, it was reported that the central Indian government had cleared the Karmapa of all charges, finding that the money in question had been donated by followers.
External links
- Karma Triyana Dharmachakra - The Office of Ogyen Trinley Dorje's center and branches in the United States (re-retrieved Feb 1, 2011)
- TED.com Talk: "The technology of the heart" (Live via interpreter), Nov 2009 (retrieved Feb 1, 2011)
- "The Karmapa breaks his silence" Business Standard article dated May 23, 2009 (re-retrieved Feb 1, 2011)
- TIME Magazine article on Karmapa Time.com, May 15, 2008 (re-retrieved Feb 1, 2011)
- Who Is Karmapa (Karmapa is coming to the USA!) (re-retrieved Feb 1, 2011)
- The 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje at Simhas.org (retrieved Feb 1, 2011)
- 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje Links at Karmapa.net (re-retrieved Feb 1, 2011)
- Twitter: Ogyen Trinley Dorje on Twitter as 'Karmapa17' (retrieved Feb 1, 2011)