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HH4 Karmapa - Rolpei Dorje
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Life of HH4 Karmapa - Rolpei Dorje The early life of the 4th Karmapa - Rolpei Dorje (1340-1383), was full of miracles and clearly manifested the same qualities and signs as that of his former incarnation. It is said that whilst she was pregnant, his mother could hear the sound of the mantra, 'om mani padme hum' coming from her womb. Rolpei Dorje emulated his previous incarnation by sitting up at his birth, in Kongpo province in Central Tibet, and speaking - this time choosing to recite the mantra of Chenrezig, "Om Mani Peme Hung Shri". Having - as that previous incarnation - left clear instructions with his secretary, Rinchen Pal, as to which signs to look for, the child was quickly found, and his training begun. At six he took refuge vows and the lay precepts from Tokden Gon Gyalwa, who also taught the young Karmapa the Tantrayana. Whilst still a child, Rolpei Dorje was able to absorb the contents of Dharma books and receive teachings from dreams. He was twelve when, travelling to Central Tibet, he met the lineage holder Gyalwa Yungton Dorje Pal, and proceeded to convince the older man of his authenticity by recounting many anecdotes from his previous life as the third Karmapa. He went on to request Gyalwa Yungton Dorje Pal to give him the transmission of the Kagyu teachings. Yungtonpa was a Nyingma guru, as well as the third Karmapa, Rigpe Dorje's heir. Though now very old, Yuntonpa also formally transmitted the Nyingma teachings to him. Once his education at the hands of his former student was complete, Rolpei Dorje travelled widely through Tibet and, accepting Toghon Temur's invitation to return, he set out for China, giving teachings and taking disciples along the way. The foremost of these was the second Shamarpa, who became the next lineage holder. Whilst in China he gave teachings at the imperial palace for three years and established many temples and monasteries there. On his return to Tibet, he ordained a child whom he predicted would be a significant figure in Tibetan Buddhism, a child called Kunga Nyingpo. This child was later known as Tsong Khapa, the future founder of the Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism. Later, when Toghon Temur died, the Mongol dynasty came to an end, and the new emperor, the founder of the Ming dynasty, invited Rolpei Dorje to reside in his court. However, Rolpei Dorje declined, and sent a senior lama in his stead. Rolpei Dorje is especially remembered for his wonderful mystic songs and for his beautiful poetry. He was especially fond of Indian poetry. He is further remembered as the creater of a huge thangka or painting of the Buddha, which measured over 100 metres tall. As a result of a vision of one of his students, Rolpei Dorje rode on horseback, using the horse's hooves to trace the outlines of the Buddha on the ground. This resulting design was then copied onto cloth, and more than 500 artists set to work on the huge thangka. The final image, which depicted Shakyamuni Buddha, Maitreya and Manjushri took more than a year to complete.
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