Apostle of Peace

Politics is a no-no for Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje

from 'The Week' Indian news website

by Vijaya Pushkarna / Lumbini

Buddhist politics took the back seat at Lumbini in Nepal, the birth place of the Buddha, when the 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje inaugurated the Drubgyud Choeling Monastery. Dispute over who is the genuine 17th Karmapa - Trinley Thaye, who lives in Sikkim, or Urgyen Trinley Dorje, who lives in Himachal Pradesh - was briefly forgotten as Buddhists stood for hours in queue to receive Trinley Thaye's blessings. The 18-year-old performed with aplomb for 48 hours to the satisfaction of the Karma Kagyu Buddhists who had come from all over the world. These non-Tibetans saw in him the 16th Karmapa, whose reincarnation he is believed to be.

In the limelight: Trinley Thaye Dorje offering the 'aspiration prayers' in front of the Lumbini Grove

Trinley Thaye offered the 'aspiration prayers' of Badra Charya and Mahamudra in the picturesque Lumbini Grove, right across the place where Gautama Buddha was born, and gave the message of world peace in the only speech he made.

"In this age of trouble it is even more important that we carry forth the message of peace and tolerance," said Trinley Thaye Dorje. "Our aim is to bring about global peace, friendship among nations and tolerance among all of us."

"He spoke like the 16th Karmapa, who always cautioned against mixing dharma and politics," said a Buddhist from Denmark. "A Karmapa should not be as political as Urgyen Trinley Dorje. I don't understand why people who do not recognise him as Karmapa are being harassed. We have not heard a word of politics from Trinley Thaye. On the other hand, he asks people to keep away from it."

Drubgyud Choeling Monastery

Businessman Dr C.H.S. Tai and wife Hazel, who are regulars on the Buddhist route in Nepal and India, have no doubt that Trinley Thaye is the real reincarnation. "In Malaysia most of us think that he is the Karmapa," Tai said. Gilbert Sim, a traffic supervisor at Singapore Airlines, scoured the Internet before he came to Lumbini. "I believe Situ Rinpoche discovered Urgyen Trinley to serve the Chinese interests," he said.

Quite a few Buddhists overseas who shun politics have plumped for Trinley Thaye Dorje, whom the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile do not acknowledge. "We meet Buddhists who go by whatever the Dalai Lama says, but we don't discuss the Karmapas," said Gilbert. "The Buddhist centres have split. They have their centres and we have ours. This Karmapa specifically tells us not to engage in politics."

Shangpa Rinpoche, abbot of the Vikramshila Buddhist Institute in Nepal, agreed that the faithful stood divided. "They are confused because of political interference, which results in propaganda that affects the simple minds," he told The Week. "Each Karmapa has the spiritual abilities of his predecessor and it is this spirituality that makes the Karmapa important. Not the political endorsement of the reincarnation. The Karmapa is between the Buddha and the people. His duty is to promote the Buddha's teachings and not dabble in politics."

Shangpa Rinpoche, Abbot of Vikramshila Buddhist Institute

The fact that the Dalai Lama has backed Urgyen Trinley has not gone down well with the non-Tibetan Buddhists. The Dalai Lama was not invited to the November 21 function. "We respect the Dalai Lama, but each monastery has its own lineage guru," said Shangpa. "It is a religious ceremony and the Dalai Lama need not be invited. But as a mark of respect, we have his portrait here." The Dalai Lama belongs to a non-Karma Kagyu sect.

Shangpa was cautious when commenting on the Dalai Lama's role in the Buddhist society. "The Dalai Lama's role is spiritual under the Gelug tradition, but he is the political leader of the Tibetans," he said. "Every Tibetan will respect him as a political high-ranking person as well as a spiritual person."

But the devotees were far more critical. "The Dalai Lama is of no consequence," said a pilgrim from Japan. "He belongs to a different lineage - Gelup. The Karmapa issue has to be settled within the Karma Kagyu lineage."

Khenpo Chodrak Tenphel Rinpoche, education director of the Karmapa International Buddhist Institute at Delhi, said the Dalai Lama had acted in a partisan manner in the Karmapa dispute.

"China appointed Urgyen Trinley Dorje disregarding religious traditions of the Karma Kagyu lineage," said Khenpo Chodrak. "Later, the Dalai Lama endorsed him for his own political purposes."

It appears that Trinley Thaye has come out of the shadow of the rival claimant without uttering a word against him or the Dalai Lama. But then, the argument continues.

December 10, 2001