The Life of the Sixteenth Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje

Meng Wang

doi:10.5771/9781666913460

Summary

The Sixteenth Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, was the first Tibetan Buddhist leader to make extensive teaching tours to the West. His three tours to Europe and North America from 1974 to 1980 led to the global expansion of Tibetan Buddhist schools. This book presents the most in-depth analysis of the Karmapa’s contribution to the preservation and transmission of Tibetan Buddhism in exile. It is the first study to combine Tibetan life-writing and biographical materials in English with a thorough examination of the transformation of Tibetan Buddhism in the modern era of globalization. Drawing on a wide range of data from written accounts, collections of photographs, recordings of interviews, and documentaries, the author discusses the life and activity of the Karmapa through the lens of cross-cultural interaction between Buddhism and the West with a particular focus on Asian agency. The study shows that the Karmapa’s transmission strategies emphasized continuity with tradition with some openness for adaptation. His traditionalist approach and his success on the global scale challenge the popular assumption that the transmission of Buddhism is primarily a matter of Westernization, which, in turn, calls for a broader view that recognizes its complex and dynamic nature.

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Bibliographic data

Copyright year: 2022
ISBN-Print: 978-1-6669-1345-3
ISBN-Online: 978-1-6669-1346-0
Publisher: Lexington, Lanham
Language: English
Pages: 304
Product type: Book Titles

1. Contents No access
2. Acknowledgements No access
1. 1. 1.1. Overview of Life-Writing in Tibetan Buddhism No access
  2. 1.2. Spiritual Qualities of the Teacher No access
  3. 1.3. Interplay between the Spiritual and the Historical No access
  4. 1.4. Portrayal of the Karmapa No access
  5. Notes No access
2. 1. 1. 2.1.1. Western Imagination No access
    2. 2.1.2. Tibetan Contribution No access
  2. 1. 2.2.1. The United States No access
    2. 2.2.2. Great Britain No access
  3. Notes No access
1. 1. 3.1. Identification with Enlightened Beings No access
  2. 3.2. Self-Prediction of Rebirth No access
  3. Notes No access
2. 1. 4.1. Black Crown Ceremony No access
  2. 4.2. Death and Thukdam No access
  3. Notes No access
1. 1. 5.1. Dissociation from the Exile Government No access
  2. 1. 5.2.1. Historical Connections with Bhutan and Sikkim No access
    2. 5.2.2. Flight and Resettlement No access
    3. 5.2.3. Building of Monasteries No access
  3. Notes No access
2. 1. 1. 6.1.1. Building New Rumtek No access
    2. 6.1.2. Strengthening Monastic Discipline No access
    3. 6.1.3. Training the Sangha No access
  2. 6.2. Non-Sectarian Approach No access
  3. Notes No access
1. 1. 7.1. Freda Bedi No access
  2. 7.2. Chögyam Trungpa No access
  3. 7.3. Akong Tulku No access
  4. 7.4. Kalu Rinpoche No access
  5. Notes No access
2. 1. 8.1. Prioritisation of Tantric Rituals No access
  2. 8.2. Founding of Monasteries and Dharma Centres No access
  3. 8.3. Friendship with Other Buddhist Traditions and Different Religions No access
  4. 8.4. Engagement with Governments and Politicians No access
  5. Notes No access
3. Conclusion No access
1. Notes No access
1. Notes No access
1. Tibetan Sources: No access
2. Chinese Sources: No access
3. English Sources: No access
Index No access Pages 287 - 302
About the Author No access Pages 303 - 304