Following His Holiness the 16th Karmapa’s Heart Advice

Since August last year, I had the great fortune to stay at Dilyak Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal (with a visit to Taiwan in-between). Recently, together with my dharma friend Künchok, we placed new plants and flowers on the base of the ལྷ་བབ་མཆོད་རྟེན Lhabab Stūpa at the monastery, with relics of and dedicated to His Holiness the 16th Gyalwang Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje.

His Holiness’s enlightened activities included the preservation and continuation of the study and practices of the Dharma in general in the East, especially those of the Karmapa lineage.

He also inspired and gave guidance to many Kagyu masters for bringing the genuine lineage teachings of wisdom and compassion to Western countries, Africa, southeast Asia and Australia, established many centers, and made various world tours.

Passing into parinirvāṇa in Zion, Illinois, Karmapa Center 16 was established nearby, in the USA, to build a Parinirvāṇa Stūpa in his honor and be a place for pilgrimage, study, and practice. 

KC16’s project also includes building a house for the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, whose activities, in countless ways, can be clearly seen as a continuation of the enlightened activities of his previous life.

For the time being, I will be in Europe again for a little while. Yet, wherever we are, may we all together follow His Holiness’s Heart Advice to always study, practice, and strive to benefit the teachings and beings.

I will always exert myself in dharmic recitations, proclamations, and readings.

In mind, I will not flutter back and forth like a young bird on a branch. Not getting absorbed in discursive thoughts of good and bad, I will meditate, cultivating forbearance and relying on my own perceptions, not those of others. I will reflect on how best to benefit the teachings and beings.

In particular, the vital essence of the thought of all victorious ones is the true nature—the uncontrived, innate dharmakaya. Without ever lapsing, I will sustain it with one taste in equipoise and post-meditation.

–an excerpt from Heart Advice of the Karmapa, translated by Tyler Dewar

Karmapa Khyenno!

P.S. Written in gratitude to all dharma friends at Dilyak Monastery and Dilyak Drupon Rinpoche for their kind support.