1st Karmapa Düsum Khyenpa

Born the son of a yogi and yogini in Ratay, in East Tibet, the boy named Gephel received his first dharma teachings from his father, who was mainly meditating on Yamantaka. He continued his education with other Buddhist teachers of the region until his twentieth year. Beginning in early childhood, the future Karmapa received transmissions on many buddha aspects and studied various texts such as Prajnaparamita, Maitreya and the Six Teachings of Nagarjuna. 

Moving to Central Tibet, he was ordained as a monk by the abbot Mal Düldzin, who guided him in studying the Vinaya teachings. Düsum Khyenpa spent the next 12 years in meditation and learning with well-known scholars, among them Chawa Chökyi Senge and Patsab Lotsawa Nyima Trag (Ga Lotsawa), from whom he received Kalachakra teachings. In addition, he studied the Path and Fruit teachings of the Sakya tradition and received tantric teachings of the Kadampa lineage from Geshe Sharawa.

At the age of 30, Düsum Khyenpa was given Kagyü teachings for the first time by Gampopa, who became his root lama. From him he received the empowerment and teachings of the buddha aspect Hevajra, as well as instructions for the meditation of Shinay and Lhaktong. Düsum Khyenpa practiced them with untiring diligence. Moreover, Gampopa offered teachings that he had received from Rechungpa and from other students of Milarepa. Düsum Khyenpa became the next lineage holder and the first of the Karma Kagyü tradition.

At 44, he left Central Tibet to return to Kham, the region of his birth, where he established monasteries (e.g. Karma Gön), shared the Kagyü teachings, and trained his students. Of these, Drogön Rechen became the next lineage holder. Towards the end of his life, Düsum Khyenpa returned to Central Tibet. There he established his principal seat at Tsurphu, which remained the seat of the Karmapas until 1959. Tsurphu was one of five monasteries he erected for his five aspects - body, speech, mind, qualities, and activities.

It is said that at the age of 50 he attained enlightenment through the practice of Dream Yoga and that his realization corresponded to the fourth level of Mahamudra, which is known as “beyond meditation” or “non-meditation”. Spiritually, the moment of his enlightenment was symbolized by the visionary offering of dakinis of a Black Vajra Crown woven out of their hair.

By virtue of his spiritual realization, Düsum Khyenpa became known as the Knower of the Three Times; past, present and future, which means that he had overcome the concept of time through his understanding of the unborn nature of mind.

Düsum Khyenpa was recognized and proclaimed ‘Karmapa’ by the Kashmiri scholar Shakya Shri, the abbot of Vikramashila, who declared him to be “the one of buddha activity” (Karmapa), as prophesied in the Samadhiraja Sutra. In addition, Lama Zhang also identified Düsum Khyenpa as the Karmapa.

Düsum Khyenpa made several predictions about the future Karmapas. This was the beginning of an uninterrupted series of Karmapa rebirths as already stated by Buddha Shakyamuni and Guru Rinpoche. As foretold, there will be 20 more to follow. The 1st Karmapa was the first one to present a prediction letter detailing his future incarnation.

Karmapa’s life showed that even enlightened teachers have to overcome many obstacles in order to reach their goal and to benefit beings in the best way possible.

His adolescence was characterized by emotional storms. For example, he lost a young woman to another young man. He experienced it that way that the woman had been ‘stolen away’ with a furious jealous rage. He learned black magic, used it and the young man died. Only at the age of 16, when he took monastic ordination, did his inner life begin to settle down. He received many transmissions, which formed his intellectual knowledge of the Dharma. Only after that, when he met Gampopa (who became his root lama) did his learning turned into realized insight.