It seems that you will be the first of the Karmapas who will have many students from so many different cultures. How do you feel about this exciting challenge?
It is a great moment. Our Karma Kagyu activity, or generally our Buddhist activity, has grown outside Asia and expanded worldwide. We are coming across a lot of different cultures, mentalities, and societies; and it is a very exciting time. Of course, there are challenges. Personally, I feel that one of the biggest challenges happens when we have to present in a concise and exact way what Buddhism is in a non-Buddhist country. The people have their own religion, and they immediately connect the given teachings to their religious concepts. Of course, this is a process. The biggest challenge, however, is using the teachings in everyday life and obtaining the right results. To conquer our ego is the most difficult task for all.
People talk a lot about the differences between the East and West. You grew up in the East but have for many years now been in contact with Westerners and have visited the West a number of times. What are the differences that you see?
I think that there are differences between all countries, even if you just look at the different nations in Asia itself. When you compare East and West, there are big differences. The way people are raised plays a big role in how people develop. The family bonds between parents and children are crucial in Asia. I don’t see such close relationships inside families in Europe. It all has to do with the way that we are brought up, and also with the climate, attitudes, environment, etc. Nonetheless, from a Buddhist point of view, all of us have buddha nature. Our physical form and the way we express our mind is a bit different, but our essence and potential are the same.
What could we learn from each other? What could we Westerners learn from the Eastern Buddhist lifestyle? And, on the other hand, is there something that we could give to the East?
For many centuries, people lived confined to their own tight homogeneous communities with little exposure to other cultures. But with today’s fast globalization, this has changed. The only way to bridge the many political, educational, and social gaps, and to understand each other, is an exchange among the people of different countries and the process of learning from each other. On the other hand, keeping one’s cultural heritage intact is another challenge we are facing today. But it is not impossible.
However, the main problems we are facing today, regardless of time or culture, are our emotions. Whether we are in the East or in the West, our ego is the biggest obstacle.
Buddhism is obviously growing in the West. Do you also see growth of Buddhism in the East?
Within the last century, there has been growth in the whole world. Buddhism continues in the East, but it’s not as strong as in former centuries when it was expanding. Today there is increase as well as setbacks.
There are prophecies about the development of Buddhism that describe various cycles, and that right now we are in a period of decline. Some people think that the prophecies relate just to the East. How do these prophecies relate to the huge growth we see in the West?
As far as it concerns the planting of seeds, Buddhism grows immensely and especially in the West. But at the moment we have little results. If we compare it to the time of the Buddha, there is a big difference. The prophecy is not that wrong; it has its point. The time of the Buddha was a golden phase where practitioners immediately achieved high realization.
Material wealth wasn’t as dominant then as it is today. Technology and inventions become so fascinating that we forget about our inner qualities and try to achieve happiness through the impermanent outward offers of the world. As we lack mindfulness, the outer objects become our main pursuit. Once acquired, attachment and desire to possess even more will appear. The values of Buddhism automatically become less prominent.
For our own daily lives, we should try to develop awareness and mindfulness, so we can integrate the inner qualities together with the outer world. We should be able to function and at the same time keep our focus on permanent values.
We are actually creating bridges between East and West, like ITAS in Spain and KIBI in Delhi. What are your plans for these institutions? Will you teach there regularly? Do you encourage more projects like this?
Of course, such projects should be encouraged. These new bridges, as you call them, will bring about something very positive. We will also have to look at some of them very carefully. I think it’s a good start. In 2008, I will teach again in KIBI. There will be again a seminar with Professor Sempa Dorje, and I will explain the Thirty-seven practices of a Bodhisattva.
Hannah Nydahl was for us very important in building up the Western Diamond Way and the most important link between East and West. How do you suggest we continue her activity?
No one will be able to replace her, and her death is a great loss. We are very much dependent on the activity of a particular human form to establish connections between one another. Of course, that is missing now. However, her inspiration will always be there. During her time with us, connections were established, and the only thing to do now is to continue that. The way has been paved.
Do you feel that people today are more confused than in the past?
As I said earlier, since we receive so many outer impressions because of materialistic development, there is more distraction and, as a result, more confusion on the inner level. But it’s something that we can all deal with.
During the last ten years we didn’t have so many Tibetan Rinpoches in our centers, except for Lopön Tsechu Rinpoche. Now Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche is coming for the second time to Europe, and people have really enjoyed his teachings. Do you see more Rinpoches coming again in the future?
It depends on whether it is necessary. But it is important from time to time to have someone who is older and very authentic. It brings some level of comfort for all the students. With Lopön Tsechu Rinpoche, they all felt that they had someone they could completely trust that they could lean on his shoulder. For that reason, it is great that Lama Sherab Gyaltsen is visiting Europe.
Basically, we don’t have so many old Rinpoches left. Are there some hidden ones we don’t know about?
You never know. When Lopön Tsechu Rinpoche was active in the West, Lama Sherab Gyaltsen had his own activity in Nepal, and there was no need for him here in the West. Now his activity expands because someone like him is needed. He’s a great example.
Are there still great masters who are trained in old Tibet?
There are still a lot of great masters in Tibet. Some of them we know about, and others we haven’t had contact with yet. Whenever activity is required, it will naturally manifest.
Concerning reincarnated masters: Do you think for the West it could be a healthier method that they have to reveal themselves instead of that they are installed through the tulku-system as it was done in Tibet?
That will depend on the culture. In Tibet incarnates were mostly recognized, but they had to prove themselves as well. In the West we are still very much in the beginning, and so this recognition of reincarnations is probably a bit more difficult to accept. Here it could work through the natural development of the students.
You said frequently in former interviews that you are very happy with the development of the Diamond Way in the West. Do you have any specific advice for the Western Kagyus at this moment?
I’m happy on the meditation level. With the 16th Karmapa Meditation, the Guru Yogas, and the Ngöndro, the essence of meditation increases. I see enthusiastic practitioners, and the results will speak for themselves. Also, the growth of centers is impressive. At the same time, there should be more emphasis on knowledge. That’s why we re-established the courses in KIBI. I think that’s important. Also, the study courses in Karma Guen are a very good foundation. The combination of both meditation and knowledge will bring wisdom and insight.
One of our big wishes is that we could say all things in English, for example the wishes in the empowerments, the Seven Branch Prayer and the Bodhisattva Promise; or in both Tibetan and English, so that we have the transmission together with the understanding of what is going on. The English would also give the personal motivation.
Sure, we can gradually proceed toward that. We will do our best to accommodate both needs.
We have also started doing prostrations and other meditations in our languages so that we understand what we are repeating.
Again, I think we should combine both, some repetitions in your own language and some in Tibetan. You do not need to divide the repetitions in exact numbers, but you should keep the transmission from the Tibetan.
What types of empowerments are given?
Most of the empowerments are empowerments on yidams, the wisdom aspects, and there are a few Guru Yoga empowerments, of course, for instance Karma Pakshi. There are empowerments given in accordance with four different tantras—Kriya, Charya, Yoga, and Anuttarayoga.
Could you tell us the meaning of those rainbows around the sun that sometimes appear in connection with empowerments?
I personally think that if you are at a perfect angle, you can see them almost every day. As with the empowerments, it is a combination of both the dharma, the teachings that you receive, and the way they are given. If they are given from a pure intention and we receive them in the same way, this brings all kinds of results and auspicious effects. A rainbow is one of many signs. The most auspicious is when flowers rain down on us. You can also hear musical instruments in space, and there can be very mild earthquakes as well.
What determines the differences between empowerments? Do they correspond with the different tantra classes?
There are different empowerments according to the four tantra classes. They are given because people are diverse and have different capacities. It also depends on their aspirations to perfect various activities.
Can we take an empowerment as a commitment to practice? Would there be a difference in how you give the empowerment?
When it is given as a blessing or when it is given as an empowerment for practice, there is almost no difference. But if you take a blessing empowerment and then after a certain time you decide that you would like to do the practice, you have to take the empowerment together with the commitment. Afterwards, you will receive the necessary instructions.
Sometimes we receive a blessing empowerment for the same aspect several times. Is it beneficial? Or does it matter which aspects we get?
Actually, I would say that receiving the same empowerment over and over again has more benefit than receiving different empowerments. It is a fascination for all of us to receive new empowerments, but it does not necessarily benefit us. The point of receiving an empowerment is to purify our view. If we receive the same empowerment time and time again, it helps our practice and is easier to meditate afterwards.
What is the difference between a guru yoga and a yidam practice?
It is actually the same. Most of the time when you practice a yidam you do it in a wisdom form, and if you practice a guru yoga you do it in a human form. The only difference is that through the lama you receive a blessing (Tib. jinlab), and through yidams you receive an accomplishment (Tib. ngodrup). An accomplishment can be anything; it can be something general or particular. In some cases, it can be just to develop power, to be able to dissolve ignorance or remove obstacles.
Could you say how a yidam practice works on our mind?
Yidam is the sambhogakaya form of the buddhas. It is actually a form that only appears to realized bodhisattvas. For those who haven’t purified their afflicting emotions, there is a bit of a distance to the yidams. Here, the way to relate would be through the lamas, the teachers or nirmanakaya forms. Thus, there are no particular yidam practices in the Small Way. We find them in the Great Way and more importantly in the Vajrayana, or the Diamond Way. Only practitioners who have committed themselves toward the way of a Bodhisattva will refer to a yidam form and do what a realized bodhisattva would do. Yidams are mere references; the only goal is to fully develop one’s true qualities, the nature of our mind. We try to acknowledge that this happens now and not in the future. We get acquainted with it. We identify with the result until we achieve it.
How do the yidams work on our mind? Is it a logical process that can be explained? Or does it work on a subconscious level? For example, buddhas and bodhisattvas have different forms; it can be explained why Red Wisdom is red, why she holds certain attributes. But the Diamond Way teachings go beyond the logic.
In some ways, it is very logical. But it is a logic on its own that we have to understand from a different level. For example, the meaning of Prajnaparamita, or Highest Wisdom, is described in Tibetan as “ma tsam jen me,” meaning something that words cannot describe, but it can only be experienced by our mind. Literally, ma tsam means: wanting to express thorough words and jen me means: but cannot be explained. In some ways, it sounds illogical, but it goes beyond logic.
There are two explanations of certain buddha aspects like Loving Eyes. They have their life stories and yet they are timeless….
It is said that at one point all buddhas and bodhisattvas were like us. Therefore, there is a history of how they became Avalokiteshvara, Tara, etc. But in actual fact, it happened further back in time than we can imagine. Therefore, we refer to them as enlightened at all times. For example, Manjushri or Chenrezig are already enlightened, but they appear to us in the forms of bodhisattvas so that we can relate to them. They manifest for everyone’s benefit in the two kayas: sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya.
The essence of all buddha aspects is the same. Although sentient beings before, once they became enlightened, they are buddhas.
When sentient beings accumulate causes to become enlightened beings, then they do establish an enlightened life story (Tib. khyerab). It is like a biography. It describes all events from the very first moment they awaken bodhicitta until they reach full enlightenment. The only way to become a wisdom aspect is to start with the Bodhisattva Promise. All that happens between those two points is khyerab. Most of the wisdom aspects have their own khyerab. As for ourselves, at one point we took the Bodhisattva Promise and with great understanding and full heart we committed ourselves to the Bodhisattva Way. And so, all that occurs to us from that moment until enlightenment is our khyerab.
So, a long time before, a normal being became Loving Eyes? Is that true?
Yes, I am sure. We have the historical Buddha Shakyamuni who was inspired by a previous Buddha Shakyamuni, and so it goes that way.
So, he came to represent Buddha Shakyamuni even though Buddha Shakyamuni had been Buddha Shakyamuni before?
Yes, the Buddha Shakyamuni we know is an emanation of an earlier Buddha Shakyamuni, the potential of Buddha Shakyamuni.
Sometimes we say that teachers are emanations of certain buddha forms. What does that mean?
It needs a wider explanation. Sometimes, someone is truly an emanation, meaning that for example Avalokiteshvara is appearing to us in a human form. Therefore, there can be countless emanations. We can refer to almost everyone as an emanation, meaning we all have the potential to be exactly like Avalokiteshvara. We are all potentially emanations even though we are samsaric beings.
There are five different kinds of buddhas. Buddha nature shines somewhat differently for a certain being, so someone is more like Amitabha, someone more like Vairocana. Therefore, there are different emanations.
Does it mean one becomes an emanation similar to a buddha one is connected to?
As I said, all sentient beings have the potential for that and potentially we could be emanations, depending on our aspiration. We have the potential, but because of circumstances we cannot exactly call every sentient being an emanation.
Does a person develop loving kindness, start showing the qualities of Loving Eyes, and is therefore an emanation? Or is it like Loving Eyes sends out an emanation?
It is both. There are two forms: One is simply an emanation that has been projected, has never been a sentient being. It is like a hologram sent out by Loving Eyes. The other form is a being who has the potential that, once realized, becomes Loving Eyes.
Sometimes it is difficult to concentrate during empowerments or to be aware of all details. Does this matter? Does it only work on a conscious level or also on a subconscious level?
We must do our best to be focused. When we are not, we are not. It is as simple as that. We do our best to prepare ourselves. For example, with a sickness, you can keep that secret, but you cannot deny the fact that you are ill. However, there are ways to prepare for it and avoid it, and there are remedies against it. So, an empowerment works on both levels. But the strength of the blessing is so much greater when we are focused.
How can we become more focused?
In order to be more focused, simply think of the four basic thoughts. That is the biggest help. You must motivate yourself to concentrate more. There are also meditations that can help you achieve that.
But if one is not really focused, do we get the empowerment anyway?
There is always a blessing, but the power or energy of the blessing is less.
What does it mean to “get” an empowerment? You can sit there, trying to be aware of what is going on, but still think of something else. You can even focus, not getting distracted, but you may only take it formally, maybe no realization comes, and you do not “get” the empowerment? How does one get an empowerment? And how is one getting a blessing (jenang)?
If you get an empowerment, you need to be focused. If you get a jenang, the more concentrated you are, the more blessing you get.
Could you explain lung, tri, and wang?
Wang is the full empowerment of wisdom aspects; lung is the reading of the text, the oral transmission; tri is the set of instructions, the guiding process through the meditation.
How can we use a blessing empowerment in daily life?
A blessing is a blessing, and it helps in many ways. How to use it? We can practice the wisdom aspect of the empowerment, or we can include that blessing in our Guru Yoga or in the practice we are already doing.
When you give an empowerment, does it matter if you see an audience of 3,000 or just 10 people?
There is no real difference if one comes with the right motivation. Also, when you have thousands of people, there are many who are focused and even though focused, some may still yawn. The right motivation is what counts.
Did all the empowerments into different buddha aspects we receive exist at the time of the historical Buddha?
For our period, all the transmissions came from the Buddha himself, and some even from before.
When we are participating in an empowerment, can we disturb the powerfield? Should children be present?
As for children, I cannot say much. I remember in Tibet, there were hundreds of children during empowerments, crying and screaming. But there are some completely inappropriate things to do, like drinking, smoking, taking drugs, or engaging in conversations not related to the empowerment or teachings. Then one disturbs the powerfield and doesn’t get the empowerment.
Why are we so keen on getting empowerments?
For most people this means to get the first connection with the teacher, the first contact to Buddhism. However, the wish to receive an empowerment should be the result of one’s understanding of the dharma.
What does an empowerment do to our ego? Does it harness it or uproot it?
Of course, an empowerment is going to transform the ego into bodhichitta. At the beginning, it will partly suppress it. Later, one becomes more comfortable and can transform it.
So, we tame the ego first, then we can harness the developed bodhicitta?
Yes.
Thank you very much for giving us this interview.
