His Holiness the 16th Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje
The 16th Karmapa (Main figure)
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(Top to bottom): Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje and Dorje Shugden
Lama: The 16th Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje
Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje was the 16th incarnation of the famous meditation master who heads the Karma Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism. He was also highly regarded by other High Lamas of other traditions and had a particularly close relationship with Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche. He was born in Derge Province of Eastern Tibet and was discovered by the authorities of Tsurphu Monastery based upon clues written by the previous Karmapa. The Karmapa incarnations are particularly known to reveal the whereabouts of their future incarnations in this manner. He received his novice vows and was officially enthroned at Tsurphu in 1931. There he began his spiritual education on Sutra, Tantra, Mahamudra and the Six Yogas of Naropa. He received his full ordination when he turned 23 and in 1959, he fled Tibet due to the Cultural Revolution. The ruler of Sikkim in northern India offered the Gyalwa Karmapa the Rumtek Monastery, which was built during the time of Karmapa’s 9th incarnation, Wangchuk Dorje (1556 -1603). In 1974 the 16th Karmapa led a party of Karma Kagyu lamas to the West in order to establish Buddhism there. On November 5th 1981, the 16th Karmapa entered clear light in a hospital near Chicago.
Deity: Dorje Shugden (Tibetan)
Alternative name: Vajra Bhagawan Rudra (Sanskrit)
Dorje Shugden is an emanation of the Buddha of Wisdom, Manjushri. He took the form of a Dharma protector in order to safeguard the Buddha’s teachings, especially the important teachings on the Middle Way view. Reminiscent of Manjushri’s form, Dorje Shugden carries a meandering sword and rides a snowlion that represents the fearlessness of a fully enlightened Buddha. Furthermore, he carries a jewel-spitting mongoose and a vajra hook to symbolise that he has the tremendous ability to bestow wealth and resources. He has great strength to overcome obstacles of the body, speech and mind, and create suitable conditions for our spiritual practice to flourish.
Click here for more beautiful thangkas.
For more interesting information:
- The Dorje Shugden category on the blog
- Must Watch: Powerful Explanations on Dharma Protectors
- Black Tara – The Wrathful Protectress
- Mahasiddha Tilopa – the Chakrasamvara Master
- Guhya Manjushri – the Secret Form of Wisdom
- Five Extraordinary Visions of Lama Tsongkhapa
- The Mahasiddha Kukkuripa and His Dog
- Lords of Purification – 35 Confessional Buddhas
- Manjushri Nagarakshasa – The Naga Deity
- Janguli – The Goddess that Protects from Snakes
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The 16th Karmapa didn’t like Shugden, so to paint a thangka with him and this “protector” is the worst kind of politics, unrespectful, awful, I could add quite some of such adjectives.
Dear Gerd Bausch,
Thank you for posting your comment. To have your own personal opinion about the practice of Dorje Shugden is of course your own perogative. However, there are historical accounts showing that His Holiness the 16th Karmapa was notnagainst the practice.
In fact, it’s quite well-known that he was close friends with Trijang Rinpoche who was one of the biggest Dorje Shugden practising lama’s of recent time, and everyone knew that he practised Dorje Shugden. https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/great-lamas-masters/mind-blowing-connections-between-two-high-lamas.html
Then there is the account of His Holiness’s prophecy regarding the practise of Dorje Shugden also https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/great-lamas-masters/the-prophecy-of-the-16th-karmapa.html
Thank you
Please send me a good copy of this account of the late Karmapa making this remark. All 100 people I interviewed about the 16th Karmapa for Radiant Compassion agree that he didn’t like Shugden. He even left a geluk center in lyon which house a statue of Shugden in its shrine, due to this.
“all 100 agree” is not precise. To all of them I spoke about Shugden, they told me this, especially his translator, and he was with him in the inauguration of the white shedra in 1975 in Bodhnath.
Dear Gerd Bausch,
Thank you for your reply. There is an image of the account in its original Tibetan in the article. Copies of this pecha can be found in the larger of the Tibetan libraries or monastic libraries.
Other accounts are oral accounts told to us by various monks from monasteries in Nepal and India. I hope this helps.
Thank you
Hi Mr. Bausch,
It is so unfortunate that from your comments and recollection, The 16th Karmapa was described as someone narrow-minded, petty and sectarian. The 16th Karmapa did not disliked any deity, any sect, any practice, anything at all. At least from the Tibetan perspective, as a Tibetan, I would say no such thing from what you have said!
The 16th Karmapa and the Gelug Lamas that practice that protector deity shugden were close friends. Even the Nyingma Lama Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche was friendly towards Gelug Lamas that practice shugden.
The worst kind of politics, unrespectful, awful, I could add quite some of such adjectives is what you have said about the Karmapa. High lamas like the Karmapa will NEVER hate, NEVER AND IMPOSSIBLE. THEY ARE BODHISATTVA. HOW CAN A BODHISATTVA HATES? Please, reconsider your comments.
As I said, please send me a good copy of the tibetan pecha of the biography which describes the 16th Karmapa in White Shedra. I will send it to Munich university with the request to see if it is authentic. And of course he wasn’t sectarian, and a good friend of Ling and Trijang Rinpoches. Between hating and seeing the practice critical is quite a differnece. Being rime doesn’t meen to accept all and everything. And even if all these accounts that he was against the practice prove wrong, he surely wasn’t close to it, didn’t practice it, and thats why your thangka is really misusing the Great 16th Karmapa for your interests. All the best. Gerd
Dear Mr. Bausch,
A more refreshing comment from you finally. Yes, 16th Karmapa was a good friend to both Ling and Trijang Rinpoches. What does this mean? I guess as a Westerner and Mr. Bausch as someone who is academically inclined, you can think logically. If shugden is such a bad deity, evil deity, then how could the 16th Karmapa, a Bodhisattva that has wisdom and compassion still befriended the two lamas that did the shugden practice? Especially Trijang Rinpoche. He was famous for his shugden practice! And this leads to more questions alike. There is no need to play the game of words, whether it was hating or being critical. They were good friends, they respect each other practice, there were no fighting/disharmony among them. We should just follow their footsteps. Make things simple and make peace.
As I said, as a Tibetan who lives in Tibetan communities since the day I was born, I never heard of anything that the 16th Karmapa dislikes, hates, disagrees with shugden. You are misusing the Karma pa for your own interest to bring shugden down to be on good book of the mainstream that is aligned with His Holiness Dalai Lama.
If you are a practitioner, stop doing that. It doesn’t look good for you Mr. Bausch. And I don’t care about the thangka. Anyone can commission anything they want. Just like there is a Dorje Drolo’s image in Nepal that steps on shugden under his feet. Should the shugden people destroy that image too? Come on… Let’s be civilised here. Let people have their freedom. I thought this is the value that the West emphasize on the most?
Thanks to teach me what a good practitioner and Westerner and so on has to do. If you take off the thangka, I’ll stopp doing this. Normally the 16th Karmapa is depicted with Mahakala, his techeres or fyalwa Yabses, but never with your favorite protector. Its a s easy as this.
Who are you to add such features to a subject that concerns only the Karmapas?
Born into a noble family the 16th Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje was spiritual leader of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He was well respected and consulted by high lamas of other lineages. He was given many names expressing this respect, including “King of the Yogis”. Interesting short life history of a great lama.
Lama Jigme Rinpoche an accomplished teacher of the Kagyu lineage has once said….
“Although the 16th Karmapa appeared and acted as a human being, his mind was completely open, without any limitation. He knew everything in an instant and without having to think about it.”
Depicted in this beautiful thangka with Dorje Shugden who is an emanation of the Buddha of Wisdom, Manjushri. He took the form of a Dharma protector in order to safeguard the Buddha’s teachings.