Interview with HH17 Karmapa, at Kalimpong, New Years Day 2002

"A Talk with Gyalwa Karmapa Trinle Thaye Dorje"

Questions by Detlev Göbel (Editor "Buddhismus Heute") and Claudia Knoll

Gyalwa Karmapa, Thank you for taking some time for this Talk: First of all we want to wish you a Happy New Year 2002!

Thank you, and Happy New Year to you too.

In the west people often make good wishes on New Year's Eve if they want to accomplish special things in the following year Do you have any special plans or projects for this new year?

Among the Tibetans it's considered most auspicious to make wishes during the day. We believe that the dawn is the most auspicious time of the day since the break of day gives life to things, the opening up of flowers, waking of the animals, etc.

Regarding myself, I'm not planning anything special other than to carry on with my studies.

Can you tell us a bit about what is going on in your studies?

Since I don't have an English teacher anymore I just do Dharma studies in Tibetan. My schedule is like this:

I get up at about 6 or 7 o'clock and do a short Tara Meditation. After that I do my homework, Dharma text recitations, and some writing until 11 o'clock. From 11 until 1 in the afternoon I take time for visitors who come here and to eat lunch. Then I relax for an hour. From 2 to 3 o'clock in the afternoon I do a short meditation. After that, until 5 o'clock in the afternoon I study with my teacher, Professor Sempa Dorje. From 5 until 6pm I have free time and from 6pm until about 7:30 I do Mahakala Puja with the other tulkus, lamas and monks. From 8 until 8:30pm I do meditation again before retiring for the night.

Quite a fixed timetable...

Yes, more or less but it's not totally fixed and can change in case of special events.

Do you have a free day from time to time? We heard that you enjoy playing Cricket then.

Yes, Sundays are free and sometimes I play Cricket.

There is a new Shedra close to your house. Can you tell us a bit about its function and what your role there will be?

The new Shedra, which is a Buddhist Research and Educational Institute, is mainly for the tulkus, lamas and monks. They will study there in English and Tibetan, mainly about Dharma. I myself will be a student in this shedra and probably later I'll teach there as well. That will be a nice experience.

Will your main teacher, Professor Sempa Dorje, also be the main teacher in the shedra?

Yes, we will be blessed with his precious teachings and guidance. We will also have a lot of other learned teachers as well.

Can you tell us a bit about Professor Sempa Dorje? He's not so well-known in the West.

Professor Sempa Dorje is one of the most learned teachers and reknowned Buddhist scholars and teachers in India. He has a really great knowledge of Dharma, both in Tibetan and Sanskrit. He was born in Khunu which is near Ladakh, a place known for people with great knowledge. At a very young age he went to Tibet and studied there as a monk until he had to flee Tibet after the invasion. He returned to India and lived in Varanasi for a long time.

Before he came here, did he teach mainly at universities in India?

In Varanasi there is a big buddhist university where he taught mainly about Dharma along with some other topics. Eventually he retired and he has now moved to Kalimpong with his two sons. Initially he came here to teach me but now we also have the Shedra where he will teach. This is a great oppurtunity, especially after the loss of Togpa Rinpoche.

Was it Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche's idea to ask Professor Sempa Dorje to become your teacher?

Yes, it was his idea. He really worked hard towards this and now we're really happy.

Who decides about the content of your studies, which texts, etc.?

In my case, being a spiritual teacher, I have to have a wide knowledge of everything and for this he teaches me a lot. Mainly we study about Dharma and also about other subjects like History for example. Prof. Sempa Dorje gives us some choices regarding what we want to learn. He is very openminded and deals also with modern topics, for example, Science.

Are your studies currently mainly Kagyu-oriented and later will they also be about the teachings of other lineages?

The basis of any buddhist study should be the general teachings of the Buddha and as an ornament we have the Kagyu teachings.

Can you give some examples of some of the main texts you've studied recently?

So far I've studied the very basic and well-known teachings of the Buddha. Right now I'm going through the Abhidharma.

Do you study excerpts or the full texts?

The whole thing, from the beginning to the end. It is quite difficult, actually.

Is the emphasis now on Sutra and later on the Tantras?

It is actually mixed.

Will it also be possible for western students to study in the shedra, or is it mainly for Tibetans?

The teachings will be in Tibetan and the focus will be mainly on people living around here.

In the West the normal approach is that people just "jump" into the dharma-practice without much study. How do you feel about that?

It doesn't matter how you approach Dharma, whether by studying or meditating. The most important thing is the full concentration, no matter what you do. For example, if you have just five minutes for meditation and you do it correctly with good concentration then it will have a very good effect, rather than doing weeks or months or even a Three-Year-Retreat without much concentration and interest, or just counting the number of mantras repeated. If one can do it correctly for just five minutes then that is fine. Of course you can do Three-Year-Retreats or even more, but, these days since we don't have that much time to practise it is very important to have the full motivation and concentration.

Since you are building a big project here with the shedra and you're making longterm plans for it, does this mean that going to Rumtek in the future isn't interesting for you?

Well, it was never my goal. As a tradition it is important to have something from the previous Karmapas, but otherwise, all that's important to me is to be able to teach and to help spread the Dharma.

From what you have said it sounds like this place in Kalimpong will develop into an important pillar of the Kagyu lineage in the East.

Actually this is what we look for, especially since India is the country where Dharma was born.

Without wanting to go into politics now; do you follow the events around the other Karmapa candidate, Rumtek, etcetera?

Of course I do, even though I don't take it so seriously. It's kind of a routine to look into what's going on. But, it doesn't bother me at all.

Even though we've asked you this question in an earlier interview, we'd like to ask it again. Do you have some advice for Kagyus, something you'd like to tell people reading this magazine?

I really think I don't have that much to say. I've been to the West and I saw that there is great development with the Dharma. I have the hope that it will go on and grow even bigger. Many people are working hard towards spreading the Dharma. There is really a great development and it is my heartfelt wish that one day the situation can be exactly like at the time of the Buddha.

It is important that we develop an understanding in order to be prepared for everything. We have to be prepared for anything - both good and bad. If something negative happens then we have to be able to deal with it by using Dharma as a tool. If there are obstacles, even in the tiniest moment it is important not to be led by negative thoughts. So, it is very important to always use the Dharma to overcome obstacles.
The development is great, people practise hard and some even have very good realisation.

Thank you for this talk. And, please come to the West to teach as often as possible in the future!

Of course, after my education I will come to teach. I will travel around everywhere then.

New Years Day, 2002