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HH1 Karmapa - Dusum Khyenpa
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Life of HH1 Karmapa - Dusum Khyenpa The 1st Karmapa - Dusum Khyenpa (1110-1193), was to be the foremost disciple of Gampopa. Born the son of a practising Buddhist in Ratay in East Tibet, Dusum Khyenpa received his first Dharma teachings from his father, who gave him teachings on Mahakali. As a result, it is said that Dusum Khyenpa was able to leave hand and foot prints on rocks. He continued his education with other Buddhist teachers of the region, and at the age of 20, he took ordination under the Kadampa tradition of Atisha. Then he moved to Central Tibet where he spent the next twelve years in meditation and in study of both sutra and tantra with famous scholars, among them Kyabpa Chokyi Senge, and Patsab Lotsawa Nyima Trag. At the age of thirty he went to Gampopa's monastry, Daklha Gampo, where he was given Kagyu teachings by Gampopa. Though perceiving Dusum Khyenpa to be a great bodhisattva, he made him practice the foundation practices of the kadampa tradition, and to study sutric philosophy extensively. Thus he emphasised the need for a valid and solid foundation as a basis for practice, something emphasised to this day in the Kagyu tradition. Gampopa instructed and initiated him into the practice of Hevajra, and he then spent four years practicing both the samatha (calming) and vipassana (insight) aspects of meditation. He was then given the full inner instructions of the Kagyu tradition, and made remarkable progress. According to tradition, he was able to absorb and master the teachings which it took Naropa 12 years to receive in a mere 9 days. Dusum Khyenpa was farther connected with the lineage by teachings he received from Rechungpa and from other students of Milarepa. Ruchunpa passed on to him the teachings of the Six Yoga's of Naropa, and as a result, Dusum Khyenpa especially excelled at the practice of Tummo, or inner heat, due to his intense compassion for all beings. The depth of his practice was such that he developed siddhis (powers) that enabled him to visit the sacred sites of the Vajrayana in India. At one of these, Udhiyana, dakinis shared their wisdom teachings with him. He had great natural ability for meditation and spent many years meditating in mountain caves. At one point, he spent months in a hut so tiny that the meditation posture, cross-legged and erect, was the only possible form of occupancy. Eventually, Gampopa died, and so Dusum Khyenpa returned to Gampopa's Daklha Gampo monastry in order to pay homage to his teacher. Dusum Khyenpa had a vision of Gampopa. As a result of the vision, he knew that it was the appropriate time to follow one of Gampopa's last instructions to him, which was to go to Kampo Kangra and practice Mahamudra. Kampo Kangra was to be the place where Dusum Khyenpa gained Enlightenment. Dusum Khyenpa took a vow that he would live to the old age of 84, in order to benefit the Dharma, and sentient beings. After years of meditation guided by his guru, Dusum Khenpa attained complete enlightenment. At the age of 50, whilst practicing dream yoga, he attained Liberation. His moment of enlightenment was celebrated by the dakinis who made him a gift of a crown made from their hair. The crown is said to have been thenceforth always present, though invisible, above the heads of all the Karmapas. Dusum Khyenpa was recognized as the first Karmapa, a manifestation of Avalokitesvara, whose existence had foretold by the Buddha in the Samadhirajasutra and the Lankavatara sutra. His name, Dusum Khyenpa, means 'knower of the past, present and future' which indicates both the timeless nature of Enlightenment, as well as the supreme lucidity which grants knowledge of the three times (past, present and future). At forty-four,
he left Central Tibet to return to the region of his birth, and spent
the thirty-nine years until his death in establishing three thriving monasteries,
sharing the Kagyu teachings, and training his students. At the age of
58, he founded the Kampo Nenang monastry. Later he founded the Karma Gon
monastic complex, and at the age of 74, he established another at Tsurphu.
Situated in the Tulong valley, which leads to the Brahmaputra valley,
and is near Lhasa, Tsurphu was to be the principal seat of the Gyalwa
Karmapas for over 700 years.
It is said that the abbot of the Buddhist monastry at Bodhgaya, (the place
where Shakyamuni Buddha gained Enlightenment) sent Dusum Khyenpa whilst
he was at Tsurphu, a conch shell. The conch shell was a symbol of Dusum
Khyenpa's significance for the Buddha-Dharma. As he had previously predicted, Dusum Khyenpa did indeed pass away at the age of 84. It is said that his heart and tongue remained intact in the funeral pyre, despite the intense heat, and that many of his bones spontaneously manifested shapes of Buddha's. Dusum Khyenpa created the special emphasis on meditation within the Kagyu order as a whole, which has henceforth identified it as 'the practising lineage.' Dusum Khyenpa was also the guru of Taklungpa, who was to be the founder of the Taklung Kagyu; the guru of Tsangpa Gyare, founder of the Drukpa Kagyu and also of Lama Khadampa Deshek, who founded the Katok Nyingma lineage.
Teachings of HH1 Karmapa - Dusum Khyenpa
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