2nd Karmapa Karma Pakshi

1204 - 1283

From a very young age, the 2nd Karmapa was very skilled in his dharma practice. When he met Pomdrakpa, who became his root lama, he (Pomdrakpa) had a vision, that this talented child was an incarnation of Düsum Khyenpa, the 1st Karmapa. 

When he was around 22 years old, Karma Pakshi’s main practice became Tummo. 

Karma Pakshi traveled extensively, built, and restored monasteries, and was famous for introducing the public chanting of the Om Mani Peme Hung mantra throughout Tibet. 

He was also able to master the elements. He once ordered a Buddha statue made out of brass to be built and when the head of the Buddha statue was askew on the neck, he put it straight just through meditation. 

He showed the Mongol Emperor, Kublai Khan his power by performing miracles, and became, in a limited sense, his teacher, (though Kublai Khan initially wanted to kill him because Karma Pakshi didn’t follow the Khan’s wishes). Before Karma Pakshi died, he announced that his future rebirth would occur in two incarnations: as Karmapa and Shamarpa.

“As all things appearing are the spontaneous play of the mind, you may as well enjoy them.”

- The 2nd Karmapa Karma Pakshi

Born in Eastern Tibet, the 2nd Karmapa was something of a child prodigy. By the age of six, he had taught himself to read and write. At 10, he was displaying a photographic memory for texts, and he was said to have already grasped the essence of the Buddhist doctrine.

In addition to his intellectual ability, the young boy had the intuitive aptitude for resting the mind in stillness. Therefore, when Pomdrakpa introduced him to the nature of his own mind, he was able to develop spontaneous insight. On his way to Central Tibet for further education, he had encountered Pomdrakpa, who had been told in a vision by Düsum Khyenpa, the 1st Karmapa, that this boy would become the next lineage holder. In another vision, Düsum Khyenpa revealed to Pomdrakpa that the boy was in fact his incarnation. From this time on, Pomdrakpa recognized him as the 2nd Karmapa, thus establishing the first line of reincarnated lamas in Tibet.

For 11 years Karma Pakshi studied with Pomdrakpa, specializing in the Mahamudra teachings of Saraha and Gampopa, and received the entire Kagyü transmission. Karma Pakshi also travelled in Kham. As he and his monks chanted the mantra of Loving Eyes, “Om Mani Peme Hung,” while travelling, the communal recitation of this mantra became customary in Tibet.

In Kham, Karma Pakshi built new monasteries, restored old ones, and was engaged in intensive meditation practice. In time, he became renowned for his powers. He was invited to his court by the Mongolian Prince Kublai. Over the years, Karma Pakshi became the teacher of Mongka Khan and Kublai Khan and travelled widely throughout the northern and eastern part of Tibet. In time, he attracted many students throughout Tibet, China and Mongolia. Before his death, Karma Pakshi transmitted the lineage to his student Drubtob Urgyenpa and informed him that his next incarnation would come from western Tibet.

“Indifferent how they appear – whether pleasant or unpleasant – all appearing things are unreal. Look straight at them and rest in self-awareness. Then the appearing things are the lama who. manifests in the phenomena. Don't cling to anything that appears, then everything is liberated in itself."

- The 2nd Karmapa Karma Pakshi

STORY

When Karmapa reached a pilgrim’s place by the name of Sharchog Pung Ri, he saw many dancing dakinis and Mahakala who were building a house. Karma Pakshi sensed that this for sure was a very special place and he decided to found a monastery there. The dakinis told him that the singing of mantras during the building-up phase would be very helpful. This way it worked out that the monastery was accomplished in a remarkably short time.

Karmapa stayed at this place for eleven years and practiced the Subtle Breathing. Often one could see rainbows around him as well as colorful light that was streaming out of him. Karmapa’s fame continued to spread and many pilgrims came to receive a blessing.

Around 1260 Karmapa arrived at the Tibetan-Chinese border region Ila. There he was told that the Chinese emperor Mongka had died, and his younger brother, Ariq Boga was his successor. However, he immediately lost a war against Kublai Khan, who appointed himself as the highest khan and emperor of Mongolia and China. Karmapa was hit hard by the war and the bloodshed. He spent seven days in meditation and made wishes for peace in China. On the last day of his retreat Buddha appeared to him. He stood in front of him and requested Karmapa to build a ten-meter-high Buddha statue for permanent peace and for the well-being of the many thousands of people who had died during the war.

When Kublai Khan heard that Karmapa was in Ila he recalled that Karmapa seven years earlier did not fulfill his wish to stay longer in China. He sent 30,000 soldiers to take Karmapa prisoner. When he stood opposite them, with a two-finger-mudra he put them into a state of rigor. But Karmapa felt compassion for them, let them move again and allowed them to arrest him. The soldiers wrapped him in fabric and wanted to hang him. Suddenly Karmapa’s body became a rainbow, without solid mass, and nothing happened to him. Then they forced him to drink poison; but the expected result did not happen. Instead, his body radiated blazing light-beams, which scared the soldiers. They led Karmapa to a high mountain and pushed him down. Karmapa floated down, landed on a lake, and crossed it swimming like a duck. Finally, they wanted to burn Karmapa and threw him and his two companions Urgyenpa Rinchen Pal and Yeshe Wangchuk into a burning fire. However, water shot out of their bodies and extinguished the flames.

When Kublai Khan heard of these processes, he ordered his men to incarcerate Karmapa without food. For seven days they could watch how dakinis served Karmapa food and drink. Eventually the khan backed down and became Karmapa’s student. He published the following decree, “In Tibet and other countries from now on you can practice your religion unfetteredly and make wishes for me.”

Key Transmissions

Received transmissions (an excerpt)

As for all future lineage holders the following four are the core transmissions of the Kagyü and later the Karma Kagyü Lineage:

  • Mahamudra

  • Six Teachings of Naropa (including Father, Mother and Non-Dual Tantras)

  • Path of Insight > Shinay/Lhaktong

  • Secret Path > Guru Yoga

 

  • chants of realization = dohas (from Saraha)

  • As a 10-year-old: Karma Pakshi understands the essence of the Buddhist teachings

  • As an 11-year-old: Mahamudra teachings from Saraha and Gampopa – he realizes them at once

  • As a 22-year-old: Tummo

  • all high teachings from Tilopa

  • high teachings from Gampopa

  • complete Kagyü  and Nyingma transmissions

Additional Given Transmissions (an excerpt)

  • All That is Contained in Father Tantras, Mother Tantras and Tantras of Inseparability of Methods and Wisdom

  • Guru Yoga: Meditation on the 2nd Karmapa (to mainly develop his enlightened pacifying and protecting activity)

Additional Special Abilities

  • mastering the elements (after 11 years of intense meditation)

  • Key-instructions how to conquer death
  • Fundamental Verses of the Middle Way (Mūlamādhyamakakārikā or Madhyamaka)
  • Mahamudra-Transmission in meditation/in a vision from Ratnamati in Southern India (where Ratnamati had lived)
  • Tripitaka-texts (Triple Basket)
  • Seventy Verses on Emptiness (Shunyatasapati)
  • Two Truths Doctrine - about relative and absolute level (= level with delusion and level without delusion)“
  • Six Collections on Reasoning (text)
  • Root Verses on the Middle Way, called "Discriminating Awareness"
  • Precious Garland
  • Refutation of Objections
  • Seventy Verses on Emptiness
  • Sutra Called “Finely Woven”
  • Sixty Verses of Reasoning
  • Collections of Praises (text)
  • Praise to the Sphere of Reality
  • Praise to the Deepest Truth
  • Praise to the Supramundane (Buddha)
  • Collections of Didactic Explanations (text)
  • A Commentary on (the Two) Bodhichittas
  • Selected text-collection of Sutras
  • Letter to a Friend
  • all Mahakali and Mahakala-Tantras
  • Guyhasamaja-Tantras

Historical events at this time

Foundation of the Tsurphu monastery (1189)

The 1st Karmapa gave the order to build the main seat for all future Karmapas around ten years before passing away.

Invasion of Turkic Muslims in Northeast India (1197-1206)

The Invasion of Turkic Muslims 1197 in Northeast India by Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalj led to the destruction of the famous Nalanda and other Buddhist universities. Persecution and systematic killing of monks in the area. De facto the end of Buddhism in India, besides a few isolated communities in Southern India and Kashmir. 

Around 1200 Buddhism was wiped out at a large extent in India

After a couple of Muslim-invasions it was not possible anymore to travel to India for Buddhist studies, the Tibetan Buddhism started to develop independently. The full transmission within the Karma Kagyü Lineage still existed. 

13th century

In our tradition the principle of succession through reincarnation was evolved. The 2nd Karmapa revealed himself as the rebirth of Düsum Khyenpa in the early 13th century (the lineage-holder Pomdrakpa had found the prediction-letter, which was in the hands of the Tsurphu abbott (who has forgotten about it); Shamar Tulku became a second lineage of rebirths during the 14th century. The tulku system in all other traditions appeared later.
1292 Marco Polo visited India around 1292-1294 during his return journey from China to Europe.

The Mongols under Genghis Khan appear on the borders of Tibet

The Tibetan princes decide to pay tribute to the Mongols in order to secure peace (for 20 years) .

Mongols conquered Tibet

1240: Mongol ruler Godan Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan invaded and conquered Tibet with 30.000 troops, looting monasteries and caused many victims. 
1244 Godan Khan considered religion a tool to control people. He wrote a letter to Sakya Pandita dema nding him to travel to Mongolia. The lama understood he could not decline the “offer” and traveled to the curt of the Khan in Lanzhou (Gansu), where he arrived in 1247. He was accompanied by Phagpa Lama, his nephew. Godan obviously was personally impressed by the Sakya Pandita and became his student. The Khan died shortly after the Sakya Pandita. His cousin Kublai Khan followed him on the throne. Thus a special relationship is installed which secured the supremacy of the Sakya-School in Tibet, the troops returned and annexed Kha m and Amdo. 
1247 Godan Khan bestows Sakya Pandita with the right to rule over the 13 Myriarchies (districts) of Tibet: reconstruction of (more or less) centralized rule over major parts of the country.
1254 Kublai Khan became a student of Chogyal Phagpa Rinpoche (1235 – 1280), the nephew of Sakya Pandita. Kublai made Phagpa the ruler or regent, ‘Desi’, of Tibet.
1281 Mongols controlled China completely under the Yuan Dynasty (1281-1368)
1287 A revolt of the Drikung Kagyüs with the support of Duwa Khan ended in 1290 when the Sakyas and Eastern Mongols burned down Drikung monastery and killed many people.

1322 Changchub Gyaltsen (1302-1364) was the founder of the Phagmodrupa dynasty in Tibet. He became the ruler of Central Tibet after overthrowing the Mongol-backed Sakya regime around 1354. He overthrew the weakening Sakya government, reorganized and reformed it: secular administration, like fiefdoms; improved, fairer tax-system; created agricultural farms; social reforms; art and sciences flourished; peace. Changchub Gyaltsen was an admirer of the Karmapas.

1357-1419 Tsongkhapa founded the Yellow Sect (Gelug) and in 1407 he founded the Ganden monastery. At the time of his death the new Gelug School had already remarkable influence around Lhasa.

1358-1430 Central Tibet came under control of the Phagmodrubpas (a Kagyü branch-line until 1432/35). The following decades were of relative stability. The Tibetans call this period of the Phagmodrupa-reign "an old woman who carries gold"; this means Tibet was so safe and civilized that an old woman could have carried a bag of gold unscathed from one end of Tibet to the other. 

 

1368 When the Mongols' Yuan Empire fell to the Chinese Ming dynasty, Tibet reclaimed independence and refused to pay further tribute to the new Chinese Emperor. The Ming Dynasty lasted until 1688. Several emperors kept close bonds to prominent  lamas, e.g. some of the Karmapas, and supported monasteries financially.

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