The Karmapa Lama

A lineage nine centuries old

• The Karmapa heads the Karma Kagyu school. Kagyu is one of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The others are Nyingma, Sakya and Gelug.
• The first Karmapa was Düsum Khyenpa (1110-1193).
• The second, Karma Pakshi, is said to be the first lama to predict his own rebirth. That started the tulku tradition.
• The Karmapa holds the famous Black Crown. Tradition says it was woven from the hair of dakinis. (Source: Wikipedia: Karmapa)

The seat in exile

• The 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, fled Tibet in 1959 and came to Sikkim.
• With help from the Sikkim royal family he rebuilt a ruined monastery at Rumtek, near Gangtok.
• He inaugurated it in 1966. Rumtek became the Karma Kagyu seat in exile. (Source: Wikipedia: Rumtek Monastery)

1981: the Karmapa dies

• The 16th Karmapa died in 1981.
• Four senior lamas formed a regency to find his rebirth. They included Shamar Rinpoche and Tai Situpa.
• In 1992 Tai Situpa produced a prediction letter that the 16th Karmapa had written. It named the place and parents of the next Karmapa.
• The search committee recognised Ogyen Trinley Dorje, a boy born in 1985 in eastern Tibet.
• The Dalai Lama and China both accepted him. He was enthroned at Tsurphu monastery on 27 September 1992. (Source: Wikipedia: Karmapa controversy)

1994: a rival

• Shamar Rinpoche doubted the letter. He asked for a handwriting test, which Tai Situpa refused.
• In 1994 Shamar Rinpoche recognised another boy, Trinley Thaye Dorje, as the 17th Karmapa.
• So two men now hold the title. One is called the “Beijing Karmapa”, the other the “Delhi Karmapa”.
• The two groups also fought over Rumtek. The monastery has long been under armed patrol to keep the peace. (Source: Wikipedia: Karmapa controversy) (Source: Wikipedia: Rumtek Monastery)

Reaching out

• In October 2018 the two Karmapas met in France. They pledged to heal the split.
• On 4 December 2023 they jointly announced that they recognise the 15th Shamar Rinpoche.
• It was a small but rare joint step. The title is still disputed. (Source: Wikipedia: Karmapa controversy)

December 1999: out of Tsurphu

• The Chinese-backed Karmapa lived at Tsurphu as a teenager. He said he could not get the spiritual training he needed.
• At age 14, in December 1999, he slipped away at night.
• Reports say he used cars, walked, rode horses, took a helicopter and a train, and finished by taxi. The trip was about 1,100 km.
• He went through Nepal and reached McLeod Ganj, near Dharamsala, on 5 January 2000. (Source: Wikipedia: Ogyen Trinley Dorje)

Asylum, but not Rumtek

• India took him in as an honoured guest.
• But India has not let him go to Rumtek in Sikkim. Security worries about his past in China-held Tibet were part of the reason.
• Backing him fully would upset China. Backing the rival would anger many followers. So India kept both at a distance.
• He lived near Dharamsala until 2017. In 2018 he took citizenship of Dominica through an investment route. (Source: Wikipedia: Ogyen Trinley Dorje)

Why exams care

• Asylum is not the same as free movement. India gave him safety but limited where he could go.
• Rumtek today is run by the Karmapa Charitable Trust, which backs the rival, Thaye Dorje.
• The dispute is part of India’s China and Tibet policy, not just a religious matter. See India-China Relations.

Latest: a visit to Rumtek?

• In September 2025 the Sikkim government said it was working with New Delhi to bring the Karmapa to Rumtek.
• It set up a committee and set aside ₹1 crore, with up to ₹2 crore a year.
• The Karmapa is not in India now. Sikkim’s Dharma minister plans to invite him in person once his location is confirmed.
• No visit date has been announced. The decision still rests with New Delhi. (Source: Phayul)