His Holiness The 17th Karmapa

By Susan Gonzalez

April 8, 2015

As a child living in a rural area in eastern Tibet, His Holiness the 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje recalls a natural environment that was pristine and untarnished by modern development.

It was there, he said during his Chubb Fellowship Lecture at Yale on April 7, that he first experienced a feeling of “intimate connection” with and respect for the natural world.

“Where I was born, we regarded and experienced our environment as a living system, a living being: The mountains, the sources of water were all regarded as the dwelling places of what I would call holy spirits of various kinds,” the Karmapa told the packed audience in Woolsey Hall. “We therefore respected every aspect of the environment as part of a living system. We didn’t wash our clothes or even our hands in flowing water sources. We didn’t cast any kind of garbage or any kind of other pollutant into our fire in our hearth. We regarded the entire environment as innately sacred.”

Today, the Buddhist leader hopes to inspire others to see the interconnectedness of humans and their environment, and discussed that theme in his Chubb Lecture on “Compassion in Action: Buddhism and the Environment.”

Addressing the audience through an interpreter, the Karmapa decried the human-contrived distinction between their own being and the external world and described environmental stewardship as a moral responsibility.

“For us to acquire or eat any food, have clothes to wear, or even to have the bodies we do, all of these require the interconnectedness of many things and many people within the environment,” he said. “The value of understanding interdependence in this regard is that we often feel at some distance from our environment. We divide the world into subject and object, and we feel that the external environment is an object separated from us by some kind of boundary and some distance from ourselves as subjects. We need to dissolve this artificial boundary and decrease the distance from ourselves and our environment.”

In Tibet, he told his audience, people compare the interconnectedness of humans and their environment to a container and its contents — where one cannot be separated from the other. To think of our interconnectedness with the environment in those terms, he said, makes it easier to understand our responsibility for protecting it.

“We … need to acknowledge that our environment can affect us, and we can also affect our environment,” he commented. “Some people have the idea that the environment is so vast and so primordial that nothing we do is actually going to affect it. Unfortunately, that’s been proven not to be the case, and we need to begin to acknowledge the aspect of interdependence that is our effect on the environment even as the environment affects us.”

Having scientific knowledge of the symbiotic relationship between humans and their environment is not enough, however, to make people feel protective of all that surrounds them, the 29-year-old Karmapa acknowledged.

“Obviously, as a child I had no knowledge of philosophy or science, but I had a strong emotional connection with and strong feeling for the environment, which means that now that I’ve begun to acquire a little bit of knowledge, it isn’t just knowledge for me, it’s [a connection to the environment] based on my strong feelings.”

Unless a concern for and connection to the environment becomes part of our daily lives, we will be unable to protect it from increasing harm and degradation, he told his audience.

“Our knowledge, our understanding, has to become so intimate, so personal to us that it naturally changes our behavior, so that we feel it emotionally and in our hearts,” he said.

The Karmapa blamed human greed for the degradation of the environment and said that spiritual and religious leaders can have a role to play in inspiring better care for the environment.

“When I say religious traditions, I don’t just mean Buddhist traditions; I mean every religious tradition in the world can play its part. And I’m confident that if we do this — if we can work together, if we can apply the knowledge that is embodied in the many indigenous cultures that have survived, the ancient wisdom of our ancestors — we will be able to discover together that environmental protection is not just a point of view, not just science, but must be a way of life.

"At various times in our history, science and religion have seemed to be contradictory to each other, have even become enemies — attacked one another or, to be more polite, refuted one another,” he continued. “But really there is a great commonality of experience that we all share. We are all human beings living in this same world, relying on this same environment. And, therefore, on that basis, on the basis of acknowledging our shared or common experience, we have to accept that the protection of this environment is beyond the views of any one religion.”

He added that there would be “no contradiction” between science and spirituality if the task of environmental stewardship is approached “by being loving and compassionate” and by making practical use of scientific knowledge and “not living as though are in denial about it.”

In his native Tibet, where the Himalayas feed the largest Asian rivers, representatives of Buddhist monasteries have been trained in best practices for water conservation and relay the importance of the water supply to local and neighboring communities, the Karmapa told his audience.

“When this subject was first introduced to representatives of these monasteries, they were immediately emotionally affected and demonstrated tremendous commitment to environmental stewardship in their region,” the Karmapa said. “But at the same time, we lack scientific knowledge and technical expertise. So in order to this, we need the support of the scientific community and the assistance of the scientific community. I mention this as an example of how, in order to preserve our environment, we all need to work together and offer our individual skills and knowledge.”

Following his address, the Karmapa answered questions posed by Mary Evelyn Tucker, a senior lecturer and senior research scholar at the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and the Divinity School, and Andrew Quintman, assistant professor of religious studies, who also introduced the Buddhist spiritual leader.

Quintman asked the Karmapa how to bridge good intention and action with regards to environmental stewardship. The Buddhist leader answered by describing his own decision to become a vegetarian after many years of eating meat.

“I knew it was wrong but I still ate [meat],” the Karmapa said. “In that type of case, I think that the bridge is a type of compassion, a type of courage, by the power of your heart. By the power of your heart I mean that which enables us to decide once and for all to take responsibility for our own actions, to be able to commit ourselves to accepting and fulfilling our responsibilities as a person. The bridge is a mere understanding that becomes more emotionally felt. And a deep understanding based on emotional feeling will inspire us to take action once we listen to the advice of our hearts.”

Questions from audience members, submitted in advance, centered on the issue of climate change and how best to take effective action to protect the environment. Asked how to convince politicians and others who deny climate change of its reality, Karmapa laughed and said, “I don’t have all the answers.” He then responded: “There are really two levels of denial here. There’s the denial of those who are actually climate change deniers — politicians and others — and then there’s the denial that most of us live with, where because we don’t actually feel [climate change], it’s not on our minds most of the time. And there are little pockets of odd reactions. For example, Tibet is a cold country. It’s often hard to get warm enough. So some Tibetans have greeted global warming with enthusiasm, saying it doesn’t get as cold as it used to, and it’s much more pleasant. As to what to do about politicians and others who are climate change deniers, the best thing might be to appeal to support from spiritual and religious leaders because they have so much influence over their respective communities or devotees.”

Asked how students can organize to take fruitful action, the Karmapa said they can respond by taking part in traditional activism, such as by holding demonstrations, but more importantly, they should think about taking action on an individual level.

“Fundamentally, each of us has to start with ourselves, because the only solid basis for the type of courage it’s going to take to make these changes comes when you have made changes in your own life and have begun to feel the effects of that. That courage can’t be taken away from you, so you won’t lose in in the process of a long career of activism. Otherwise, if we attempt to change or convince others to change without having changed the way we live our lives ourselves, we will be fueling ourselves not with an internal courage but with expectations, and when others don’t change, we become disillusioned and possibly burned out altogether. So whatever we may do on a social or communal level, we have to begin by making changes in our own lives.”

The full address can be watched here.

http://news.yale.edu/2015/04/08/protecting-environment-begins-heart-says-buddhist-leader

It’s said that the visit of a great teacher produces a lot of ripples, like dropping a stone in a still pond. How those ripples come to fruition is interesting,” said Kathleen Wesley, communications coordinator of the Karma Triyana Dharmachakra (KTD) Monastery in Woodstock, where community members are preparing for a visit from the leader of their Tibetan Buddhist lineage. His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, of the 900-year-old Karma Kagyu school, will give a public teaching on compassion, along with bestowal of refuge vows, on Saturday, April 18, at Kingston’s UPAC Center.

The 29-year-old religious leader is in the midst of a two-month tour across America, giving teachings at universities and Buddhist communities on his third visit to the U.S., following trips in 2008 and 2011. Deki Chungyalpa, spokesperson for the tour, said the Karmapa’s focus this time is to meet college students, while addressing issues of environmental sustainability and women’s empowerment.

“He wants to learn what student life is like and what the younger generation cares about,” said Chungyalpa. The tour includes visits to six universities, including Harvard, Princeton, and Yale.

“Karmapa” literally means “He Who Performs the Activities of the Buddha,” and the lineage is known for putting Buddhist principles into action, according to an online biography. In January 2015, the Karmapa made the historic announcement that he will establish full ordination for women, a long-awaited step within Tibetan Buddhism. “In the past, women have not been able to take the most important vows,” said Chungyalpa, “so they could not take a leadership role. This step will allow women to be seen as equals in the religious system.”

In India, where he lives in Dharamsala, the same town as his mentor, the Dalai Lama, the Karmapa has organized annual conferences since 2009, gathering representatives of the 55 Himalayan Tibetan monasteries to address issues of climate change and fresh water. “The Himalayas contain the headwaters of seven great Asian rivers,” said Chungyalpa, “including the Ganges, the Indus, and the Mekong. The glaciers are melting, causing flooding and drought, so these two issues are interconnected.” The Karmapa also speaks on wildlife protection and the vanishing of species, urging people not to buy ivory or the fur of endangered animals.

“The 17th Karmapa was born in 1985 to a family of nomads in the remote highlands of the Tibetan plateau,” states his official biography. The boy was seven when he was recognized as the reincarnation of the 16th Karmapa and left his nomadic lifestyle behind. Once installed at Tsurphu Monastery in central Tibet, at the age of eight, he delivered his first public religious discourse to an audience of over 20,000 people.

The Karmapa was 14 when he realized that Chinese authorities were likely to prevent him from meeting his religious obligations. He escaped from Tibet and settled in India. A citizen of the 21st century, he is no stranger to technology as a means of spreading Buddhist principles. When he delivered a talk at a TED conference in Bangalore in 2009, he was the youngest speaker to have done so at that time. His teachings are often webcast live with translation into a dozen languages.

Attendees at the UPAC presentation will be able to take the Buddhist vow of refuge, which is usually given in religious settings and rarely at a public venue where anyone present may take the vow that launches the aspirant on the spiritual path. Wesley is affiliated with a monastery located in Columbus, Ohio, where the previous Karmapa offered refuge vows at a teaching held in a public ballroom in 1980. “Even the janitor came forward and took refuge,” recalled Wesley. “He was watching the ceremony from a doorway and became a Buddhist. I’m sure not what he planned when he went to work that day. Even if person can’t totally follow up on it, taking refuge is still a great blessing, turning the mind toward the spiritual.”

Mantra rolls and relic pills

While His Holiness, the Karmapa is in town for the UPAC teaching, he will reside at KTD, which was established in 1978 under the auspices of the 16th Karmapa. The 20 resident monks and laypeople are busy making preparations for his arrival. “For people at the monastery,” said Wesley, “it’s like having a parent return home — someone who cares for us and has been always there for us, has been an inspiration.” Residents are painting rooms, cleaning, locating silverware and linens, unfurling welcome banners, and organizing a fundraising luncheon for members and donors.

The Karmapa will bless statues of the Buddha and religious figures, known as bodhisattvas, for some of the members and donors to take home to their shrines. Residents have been filling the statues with sacred items, including mantra rolls, relic pills, juniper, and semi-precious stones. Mantras, or sacred phrases, are written on strips of paper and rolled up. “When a great master dies, there are often relics left in the ashes,” explained Wesley. “Small pinches of those relics are made into spherical pills and placed inside the statues. The Karmapa will say prayers of consecration over them, spreading the blessings of the Buddha over a large number of people.”

Wesley said that just seeing or hearing the Karmapa can convey blessings. “Some people take advantage of this opportunity to make resolutions for their lives or improve habits. It’s a special chance to renew one’s spiritual life. He brings a blessing to the locality as well.” She compared his presence to the Dalai Lama’s visit to Woodstock in 2006, when a substantial crowd attended an impromptu teaching at Andy Lee Field. “Even today,” observed Wesley, “they may remember it fondly for spiritual inspiration.”

His Holiness the 17th Karmapa will bestow refuge vows and give a teaching on “The Development of Genuine Compassion” on Saturday, April 18, 10 a.m.-noon and 3 p.m.-5 p.m. at Ulster Performing Arts Center (UPAC), 601 Broadway, Kingston. Tickets range from $30 to $180 and may be purchased at http://www.bardavon.org.

http://www.woodstockx.com/2015/04/09/his-holiness-17th-karmapa-visits-to-bestow-refuge-vows/

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