Karmapa returns from Europe tour

GANGTOK, 10 June: The 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, arrived in Delhi today after a two-week tour of Europe, where he gave Dharma teachings in Germany and met with Jewish and Catholic leaders.

As per a press release, disciples of his predecessor, the 16th Karmapa traveled from 22 European countries for this long-awaited opportunity to meet the 17th Karmapa. Thousands of people across Europe also viewed his activities via live webcast with translations into eight languages.

The Karmapa began his first European teaching on 28 May with the first leg focused on formal Buddhist teachings and abhisheka (empowerments) while based at his European seat of Kamalashila in the Eifel region of Germany. The second leg was spent in Berlin addressing wider audiences and included cultural events, encounters with youth as well as public talks. 

The Karmapa joined Benedictine monks for vespers service at Maria Laach, the second oldest monastery in Germany on 31 May.  On 02 June, the Karmapa visited the Cologne Cathedral where he met the acting head of the Archdiocese and gave a lecture at the Catholic University of Cologne, the release mentions.

In Berlin, the Karmapa met with Rabbi Ben-Chorin and other members of the Jewish Community of Berlin, and prayed at the city’s haunting Holocaust Monument. After observing the Jewish tradition of placing a stone on a grave while making prayers for the deceased, the Karmapa noted that Tibetans similarly place stones while making prayers on mountains peaks and said “this is only a small indicator of what Tibetan Buddhism and Judaism have in common”.

For his concluding teaching on 08 June, the 29-year-old Karmapa had a lively interaction in Berlin with the youth of Europe. Echoing the theme of the visit “The Future is Now” – the Karmapa exhorted the young people to assume social responsibility and make their lives meaningful. 

Reflecting on his difficult escape from Tibet in January 2000, the Karmapa expressed deep appreciation of the Government of India for its hospitality to him and his fellow Tibetans.

Throughout his teachings in Germany, the Karmapa reiterated his concern for the environment and his appeal for a world with less greed and more compassion.  Stressing personal responsibility in caring for the environment, he urged - “We should never exploit the world we live in for the purpose of short-term benefits. Rather than considering the Earth as a material thing, we should consider it as a mother who nurtures us; from generation to generation we need this loving mother”.