M.J. Rose

(Dharamsala) The stage is all set and the guests have all arrived in Bodh Gaya in the Indian state of Bihar, where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment, to celebrate the 900 years of the Karmapa lineage.

 

This year marks the 900th year since the birth of the first Karmapa Düsum Khyenpa (1110-1193). The unique tradition of reincarnation in Tibetan Buddhism started with the First Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa. He was said to be born in the year 1110 CE in Dreshö, a part of Dreho in Kham province of Tibet.

Karma Kagyu, or Kamtsang, is the largest lineage within the Kagyu School, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 17th Karmapa, Orgyen Trinley Dorje, is currently the holder of this oldest reincarnate lineage in Tibetan Buddhism and he has been living in India since 2000 following a dramatic escape from the Chinese-occupied Tibet.

A two-day celebration to mark the 900th anniversary of the Karmapa lineage will be held at Tergar Monastery here in Bodh Gaya.

The opening ceremony on the 8th will have three hours of pageantry, music and dramatic performances to express gratitude to Karmapa Dusum Khyenpa.

In a message for the event, the exiled Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama, has offered his prayers and greetings for a successful conclusion of the event…