Miracles.pdf

A Few Accounts About the Wondrous Activities

of His Holiness the XVIth Gyalwa Karmapa,

Rangjung Rigpe Dorje

Narrated by

Zhanag Dzogpa Tenzin Namgyal

Zhanag Dzogpa Tenzin Namgyal (1933-2005) was the General Secretary of His Holiness the XVIth Gyalwa

Karmapa until He passed into Parinirvana in 1981. He was the first General Secretary of His Holiness the

XVIIth Gyalwa Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje until 2005. Tenzin Namgyal, Venerable Khenchen Thrangu

Rinpoche's brother-in-law, narrated this account at Thrangu Tashi Chöling in Bodnath, Nepal, in 1989.

Until 1981 I was the personal secretary of His Holiness the XVIth Gyalwa Karmapa. For the

last thirty years of my life, I was next to the Karmapa most of the time and wrote down almost

every word that he said, teachings that he gave, and letters that he wrote, including the

recognition letters of the various Tulkus . I have wanted to write an official biography of the

Gyalwa Karmapa and to speak about another side of the Karmapa, which I will do now.

The subject of my talk is about the activities of Buddha Karmapa, the ocean of unlimited

activities of the Karmapa’s three secrets of body, speech, and mind. It is something really

indescribable. No one would really be able to describe it, but the Karmapa appeared in this

world as a human being, and I had the good fortune of being his attendant for thirty years. So,

what I will describe is what I witnessed. In fact, it is impossible to convey everything, so all I

can do is share the main things I experienced with you by presenting a brief account.

One of the main activities of the Karmapa is to wear the Black Crown in order to benefit

many beings. I will give a brief history of the Black Crown.

The Black Crown

Many eons ago, during the time of the Buddha called Driamkyi Gyalpo, there was a king

called Yulpo Kyong (‘Protector of the Surrounding Land’). The king had a younger son called

Chökyi Lodro (‘Wisdom of Dharma’). Chökyi Lodro went into the mountains and meditated

vipassana (‘insight meditation’). He remained in samadhi for hundreds of thousands of years

and became known as Rishi Gompa-kye (‘Sage Who Gave Rise to Realization’). The Dakinis

had great faith in him and assembled before him; each Dakini pulled a strand of hair from

their head and offered it to him. He accepted their present and made a crown out of their hair.

They all had black hair, so the crown became known as “The Black Crown.” It is a

manifestation of self-arisen wisdom because all Dakinis who offered their hair were wisdom

Dakinis; therefore this crown is a manifestation of ultimate wisdom. They crowned the sage

and saint with this very crown of empowerment that is adorned with symbols of the sun and

the moon.

The Origin of the Inner and Outer Black Crown

In his next life, Rishi Gompa-kye was known as Pö Senge; in his next life he was Drupon

Sinam (‘Overcoming all Maras’). In his next life he was Drimed Karpo (‘Stainless White

One’). His next life was Pema Namdol (‘The Play of Lotuses’). His next life was Lu-yang

Ningpo (‘Essence Melody of the Nagas’). Then he was Karma Wanu (‘Cow’). Then he was

the great Brahmin Saraha. After his life as the great tantric master Saraha, he was reborn in

Tibet as Düsum Khyenpa, the First Glorious Karmapa.

The Black Crown was worn throughout all their lifetimes by the Karmapas; it was ever-

present as the spontaneous manifestation of ultimate wisdom and was not something that

could be obtained. The Karmapas have had the Black Crown from the First Karmapa and

through all successive lives. Having realization of ultimate wisdom, this crown is naturally

present. Therefore, all Karmapas have had the crown continuously, up to the XVIth Gyalwa

Karmapa. If someone has clear awareness and very pure karma, they can see it, which is the

spontaneous manifestation of wisdom. I have heard accounts of people having seen it.

The Vth Karmapa Deshin Shegpa was invited to China. The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty

during those times was an emanation of Manjushri, so he had very pure karma. He saw the

crown on the Karmapa’s head and said to him, “You are wearing a wonderful and excellent

crown. If it were possible to have people see it, if I could have one made that looks the same,

you could wear it so that others could see it. Would that bring great benefit to beings?”

Karmapa Deshin Shegpa replied, “It is all right for you to make one. It will be of great benefit

to beings.” So the emperor had a replica of the crown made, which is the outer crown that the

Karmapa puts on during a grand ceremony for people to see - they see the outer crown, which

is a replica of the inner wisdom crown. That was a description of the origin of the inner and

outer Black Crown, which is a manifestation of wisdom and is always inseparably present

with all Karmapas.

Question: “Did anyone see the inner crown during the life of the XVIth Karmapa?”

Tenzin Namgyal: Yes, there were people who saw it. I will describe this.

The tradition says that it is necessary for the Karmapa to visit and pay respect to the Dalai

Lama. All Karmapas would go to see him; they would take off their hat and prostrate to him.

When the XVIth Karmapa was in his 8th year, together with his father, he went to the Dalai

Lama, the XIIIth at that time. The Dalai Lama and his minister entered the audience room and

the Karmapa performed the prostrations. The Dalai Lama and his minister noticed that the

Karmapa was wearing a hat, so the minister said, “Why are you prostrating with your hat on?

That will not do!” He asked the father, “Where do you come from, a remote valley? Don’t

you know that it is not allowed to wear a hat when you prostrate? That is a big mistake.” The

father responded, “He is not wearing a hat. He hasn’t even brought a hat along. The Karmapas

always have a wisdom hat on, so probably this is the hat that you see him wearing.” Having

heard this, the Dalai Lama and his minister were amazed and felt great faith in the Karmapa.

Then the Dalai Lama wrote a long-life prayer for him. This was the first occasion on which

the secret hat was seen in the life of the XVIth Karmapa, so it is quite an extraordinary

incident.

Later, when the Karmapa was staying at Palpung Monastery to receive teachings from the

previous Tai Situ Rinpoche, he travelled to a monastery in Litang. On the way he and his

escorts passed Dzongsar Monastery, the monastery of Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche. The first

and previous Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche was there. At that time, Jamyang Khyentse saw the

Karmapa as Düsum Khyenpa, the First Karmapa, and saw the Black Crown floating in space

above his head while he was prostrating to him. So, he saw this and they heard Jamyang

Khyentse describe what he had seen.

In 1944, when the Karmapa was going on pilgrimage through the south of Tibet, the IInd

King of Bhutan, Jigme Wangchug, invited him to Bhutan. When the king met the Karmapa,

he saw the Karmapa’s crown and felt very great devotion for him from the depths of his heart.

When the Karmapa left, the king cried like a little child – he cried because of his great

devotion and perfect faith after having met the Gyalwa Karmapa.

In 1967, the Karmapa was invited to Ladakh. At that time, a girl from Kashmir without any

faith came to see him. As the Karmapa performed the Black Crown Ceremony, the girl saw

the inner wisdom hat inseparably on his head; when he placed the fabricated outer crown on

his head, she saw the inner one inside the outer crown. This happened in Ladakh at that time.

Tashi Lada, who was responsible for looking after the college in Rumtek, once lived near

Tsurphu. When he was 11 years old, he escorted his father to pay respects to the Karmapa.

Next to the Karmapa’s seat in his room was a statue of the Karmapa. When Tashi Lada

entered the room, he saw two statues and saw one moving about. He told his father, “There

are two statues of the Karmapa. One is motionless and the other one is moving about. Which

is the real one?” He had seen the statue with the Black Crown and he could see the real

Karmapa with the inner crown; they were identical, while one was moving about. He was

very young when this happened and did not know anything about the Black Crown at that

time. There are many other accounts about people actually seeing the inner Black Crown.

Wonders So True

When the Karmapa was 12 years old and travelling from Tsurphu to Kham in East Tibet, he

came to a village called Drome that is situated in an area called Tsumbu. At that time, the

river was frozen and he went to play on the ice. Later when the ice melted his footprints could

be seen on the water and they remained there. Apart from Padmasambhava, the Karmapa is

the only great master known to have left his footprints on water.

When the Karmapa was travelling in Kham, he reached a place called Chang Tang, the

location of the monastery of Dechen Rinpoche. The Karmapa had a young antelope that had

been given to him and also had his tiny pet puppy, called Yidrug, along with him. When they

arrived at the monastery with his dog and antelope, both animals left footprints on a stone,

which can still be seen.

When the Karmapa went to a nunnery to bless the site, he threw kernels of grain into the

room; they usually do not roll under objects. But when the Karmapa threw the grains there,

they rolled underneath all the objects in the room – they rolled under the feet of the statues

and many lay in the hands of the statues. Half of some and the whole of other kernels

transformed into ringse l (‘precious white relics’). Some have been preserved from that

consecration and are now at Rumtek.

One time the Karmapa went to Phayul Monastery. The abbot there was a famous and great

Siddha. When the Karmapa arrived, he tied the sword he had into a knot. He gave it to the

Siddha and told him, “I am a Siddha, too.”

When the Karmapa went to a Bonpo Monastery in Nitang with Tai Situ Rinpoche, they both

left footprints in the stone; their horses did too.

How the XVIth Karmapa Recognized Reincarnations

The Karmapa recognized the XIIth Tai Situ Rinpoche after he returned from a visit to China.

He did not perform a divination with a mala or throw dice, as is sometimes the case. The

same morning the child was born, the Karmapa chanted, rested in meditation, and

immediately described where the Tai Situpa could be found. I was the secretary and had to

write it all down - where he was born, what his name was, his father’s name, his mother’s

name, what direction his house faced, and how far away they were, what year, whether the

family was noble, poor, or wealthy. He described everything while in meditation, and I wrote

it all down. He saw everything very clearly, like looking into a mirror.

It is quite marvellous how the Karmapa recognized the Rinpoches Tai Situ, Jamgon Kongtrul,

and the Sharmapa. For example, after recognizing Tai Situ Rinpoche and Shamar, the

Karmapa found Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche in the same way. He specified all the details of

where he was born. He said that there were seven people in the family of Jamgon Kongtrul

Rinpoche, so a search team was sent to find the family according to these instructions.

However, they found the family, but there were only six members. The search party returned

to the Karmapa and told him that everything accorded with his description, the position of the

house in relation to the Jobo Temple in Lhasa, and so on. They told him that there were only

six instead of seven family members, though. The Karmapa answered, “One is inside the

mother.” He was Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche’s younger brother.

Then there was the recognition of Gyaltsab Rinpoche. In his letter, the Karmapa described

everything, even told the name of his father, Tutob Lodrö. The search party found the house

and the mother living with the baby, but the father’s name was Tenzin Chögyä. They found

out that Tenzin Chögyä was Tutob Lodrö’s brother. Tutob Lodrö had left to live somewhere

else, so people assumed that Tenzin Chögyä was the father of Gyaltsab Rinpoche. The

Karmapa identified the real father. Not only was he able to recognize the birth of a Tulku, he

also recognized the father.

When seeing the rebirth of Sangyä Nyenpa Rinpoche, in his letter the Karmapa said that his

father’s name was Sangyä Legpa, the Tibetan name for the Buddha. The party with the letter

in their hands went to Bhutan; they looked all around the area for someone with that name,

but they could not find him. In fact, the father was the steward of the Guru Rinpoche Temple,

and everyone called him Kungnyo (‘Steward’); nobody called him by his real name. The

search party gave up and reported back that they could not find anybody with the name

Sangyä Legpa; only a steward looking after the Guru Rinpoche Temple lived there. The

Karmapa replied, “It is the steward. Go back and ask him his name.” They did and found out

that his name was Sangyä Legpa.

The Karmapa recognized Sönam Garwang when his father visited him. He told his father that

the baby his wife was carrying in her body was Tulku Sönam Garwang. In this way, he

recognized Pawo Rinpoche and many other Tulkus, too. There isn’t a tradition of sorting out

the children to recognize who is who. The Karmapa recognizes them directly through his

clairvoyance. This is truly amazing.

The monasteries of the Karmapa and Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche in Tibet are very far apart.

One time someone came to the Karmapa to find the incarnation of Traleg Rinpoche. At that

time, the Chinese were always in the country, so the search party asked the Karmapa to please

give them a direct answer due to all the difficult circumstances in those times. The Karmapa

did this; he wrote that Traleg Rinpoche was still in the body of his mother and that they may

only open the letter on the 12 th day of the 1 st month of the following year. They did as told and

on that particular day they opened the letter stating where he had been born. In fact, Traleg

Rinpoche was born on the 8 th day of that month, exactly 4 days before they opened the letter.

There are many Throne-Holders and great masters of the teachings, but the Karmapa is the

most significant when it comes to recognizing Tulkus. When Düsum Khyenpa, the First

Karmapa, lived, there was no tradition or institution of Tulkus. When the First Karmapa was

born as the IInd Karmapa, this was the beginning of the institution of Tulkus, reincarnate

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