Hannah Nydahl

Hannah Nydahl (1946-2007), together with her husband, Lama Ole Nydahl, brought
Diamond Way Buddhism to the West and was an influential translator and teacher of the
Karma Kagyü lineage.

Hannah was born in Struer, North-Western Denmark, in 1946 and met Ole at the age of five, when he was 10 years old. Many years later, when they were both studying at the Copenhagen university in Denmark, they felt in love, married and traveled to Nepal on their honeymoon in 1968.

There, together with Ole, she met the 16th Karmapa for the first time and immediately felt great trust and became Karmapa’s disciple.

At the request of the Gyalwa Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, they founded Diamond Way Buddhism within the Karma Kagyü school and began to spread the precious teachings in the West by establishing Buddhist centers for lay practitioners around the world.

It was both her translation work for Karmapa, Löpon Tsechu Rinpoche, and Kalu Rinpoche during their travels to Western countries and her work on the traditional texts and meditation manuals that became very important in the process of transforming and assimilating the traditional teachings and methods into a culture-free form. This made it possible to practice Diamond Way Buddhist teachings in the West.

Hannah was also a Buddhist teacher (lamini), but she once explained in an interview, “I do not mind teaching but when I am together with Ole it is more natural that he teaches.“

Hannah divided her time, translating for the lamas at the Karmapa International Buddhist
Institute in New Delhi, India, participating in various Buddhist text translation projects,
organizing appointments and visits to high Rinpoches in the lineage, and traveling around
the world with Lama Ole.

Hannah passed away in 2007 after being diagnosed with lung cancer three months earlier.
A few days before her death, the Diamond Way Buddhism Foundation found a plot of land
in the German Alps that was to become the Europe center of Diamond Way Buddhism, a
project of the international Diamond Way Buddhist Sangha, which plays an important role,
primarily as the center of Lama Ole’s activity. It is said that Hannah was the one who knew
that this was the right place and shortly before her death made the decision to buy it.

Hannah was widely respected for her work, devotion and her accomplishments as
a Buddhist practioner. Not only by her students in the Diamond Way, who had the
opportunity to meet her, but also within the Buddhist and non-Buddhist world. There is
a documentary film titled „Hannah: Buddhism‘s Untold Story“, which won the audience
award for the „Best Documentary“ film of the ARPA International Film Festival in 2014. The
film was later screened around the world. In this way Hannah continues to be an inspiration
– including those who never have had contact with Buddhism before.

Lama Ole once said about Hannah, “She is probably the only person in the world who was liked by everyone
who met her.”