In a long awaited meeting, Tibetan religious head and 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje called on the Dalai Lama in Zurich, Switzerland, the first meeting between the two spiritual leaders in seven years.
By — Shyamal Sinha
Tibetan religious head and 17th Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje called on the Dalai Lama in Zurich, Switzerland. This was the first meeting between the two spiritual leaders in seven years. The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the representative of Tibetan people both in and outside Tibet headquartered in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, shared photos of the meeting on Monday.
The meeting held on August 25, the first since January 2017, has revived hopes among his followers that the Karmapa, considered the third most important Buddhist figure after the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama, may return to India soon.
He has a significant following in the country, particularly in Sikkim. The Dalai Lama and the Karmapa last met during 34th Kalachakra teachings in Bodhgaya in 2017.
In 1959, the Dalai Lama along with thousands of others fled Tibet, crossing the Himalayas and taking refuge in Dharamsala. Likewise, the Karmapa, whose literal meaning is ‘one who carries out Buddha activity’, fled Tibet and sought refuge in India in January 2000. He has mostly lived at the monastery in Sidhbari near Dharamsala with the Indian government treating him as an ‘honoured guest’.
The Karmapa left for the US in 2017 for medical treatment and later took up citizenship of the Commonwealth of Dominica. According to believers, the escapes of the Dalai Lama (89) and the Karmapa (38) from Tibet at different times show they are more than religious figures, and their presence exemplifies Tibet’s ongoing struggle. “The meeting is a reaffirmation of the Karmapa’s love and loyalty to the Dalai Lama and to the Tibetan struggle,” remarked an observer of Tibetan affairs. Click here to read more.
