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The Dalai Lama is aging.
At 73 years old, it seems as though he is preparing for what might happen after his death someday. And while typically a successor would be discovered (through recognition that a baby is his reincarnation), it appears he may be placing others in leadership roles in preparation.
Often considered the second in line for Tibetan Buddhists, the Panchen Lama is now 17. But he was kidnapped by the Chinese government as a young child and the Chinese government recognizes their own candidate for Panchen Lama – not the 17-year-old the Tibetan Buddhists recognize.
Nonetheless, with the Panchen Lama on house arrest, another high ranking Tibetan Buddhist leader is making headlines. He is the Karmapa Lama.
In Buddhism, there are four schools of thought (much like schools in Islam or denominations in Christianity). The Dalai Lama leads the Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism; the Karmapa Lama leads the Kagyu school. He is considered the embodiment of Buddhist wisdom, and many believe he was reincarnated in a line of Karmapa Lamas in order to bring his wisdom to the current world.
And though he had to dramatically escape China, the Chinese government does recognize the current Karmapa Lama.
With his wisdom and recognition, the 23-year-old Karmapa – whose real name is Ugyen Trinley Dorje — is garnering attention as an international voice of Buddhism. Some think the Dalai Lama may be prepping him to take his place as the notable Buddhist voice in the world.
Click here to watch or read an interview with the Karmapa Lama.
Paul,
Thank you for your clarifications and your mention of H.H. Trinley Thaye Dorje. For anyone interested in looking deeper into Tibetan Buddhism, this is excellent information.
Please excuse the use of “second in line.” This site is meant to educate everyone — not just practitioners of one specific religion. Sometimes it helps to put things in another context to help someone understand. Thanks again for your comments!
–Religion Transcends
While it’s always nice to see articles on Tibetan Buddhism, there are a few innacuracies and gaps in understanding in this article which might hinder the reader from a real understanding of the situation.
Firstly, the idea of a ‘second in line’ is an idea invented by or for the Western media. To a practitioner of Vajrayana Buddhism, the important factor is the teacher they take as their ‘root’ teacher, and their lineage of transmission. Who might be considered as most influential or 2nd or 3rd most popular in some undefined sense is of little or no relevance to someone on the Tibetan Buddhist path.
There are not four schools of thought in Buddhism (there are perhaps hundreds), but there are four main lineages of transmission in Tibetan Buddhism.
Importantly, the article makes no mention of H.H. Trinley Thaye Dorje, the candidate for the role of Karmapa who was not ‘recognised’ by the interfering, religously antagonistic Chinese government, nor by the head of the Gelug school (who, with all due respect, has no authority within the Kagyudpa), but by the senior student of the previous Karmapa, in accordance with tradition.
Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje has been freely travelling the world, teaching and drawing crowds of thousands, while Urgyen Trinley has largely remained in government-imposed isolation in India.
These facts are in the public domain and I believe are worth objective consideration for anyone wishing to understand modern Tibetan Buddhism.
With best wishes to you and all practitioners everywhere,
Paul, London