The Karma Kagyu is one of the major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. It emphasizes meditation and offers authentic methods to directly experience the nature of mind through the guidance of a qualified teacher. These powerful practices were originally taught by the historical Buddha to his closest disciples.

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Later, the Indian mahasiddhas—Padmasambhava, Tilopa, Naropa, and Maitripa—preserved and transmitted these teachings. They were further passed on by the great Tibetan yogis Marpa and Milarepa. In the 12th century, the monk Gampopa handed them down to the first Gyalwa Karmapa, who, through his successive incarnations, maintained the freshness and power of these methods.

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Today, great Tibetan teachers (Tib. lamas), such as the 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje, continue to transmit this unbroken lineage.

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The Karmapas

The word Karmapa means “the one who carries out enlightened activity” or “master of action.” He is the manifestation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion. The coming of the Karmapa was foretold by both Shakyamuni Buddha and Guru Rinpoche. The Karmapa embodies the activity of all the Buddhas. He was the first consciously reincarnating lama (Tib. tulku) of Tibet and has been the head of the Karma Kagyu lineage since the 12th century. He represents the entire transmission and its spiritual power.

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The current 17th Karmapa, Trinley Thaye Dorje, was born in Tibet in 1983 and escaped to India in the spring of 1994.

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