RADIANT COMPASSION: GLIMPSES OF THE LIFE OF THE 16TH GYALWA KARMAPA
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        • Peace!
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Dzigar Kongtrül Rinpoche's very inspiring homage to HH the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa:


Footage from ceremonies in the first Copenhagen Karma Kagyü Center
Footage from ceremonies in the first Copenhagen Karma Kagyü Center.
Excerpt of:  Rejsen til det univers about HH the 16th Karmapa's and Kalu Rinpoche's first visit to Denmark in 1974. Author unknown. (Subtitles added).

Thanks to Benny Gunno for sending this video. More about HH the 16th Karmapa's life on www.karmapabiographie.de



Links to various videos with or about HH the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa:
Radiant Compassion YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-LrcpEtV8_Zjv5Cwd4IvTA
Vermont Educational Television: Interview with the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XokE6yKhH8g
Black Cap Ceremony in New Hampshire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kzjr8_Y4EfA
Several excerpts from Recalling a Buddha (16th Karmapa playlist): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5DTNCfu0wHP18MYhj-XSG5-EyOsWOdDd
Lions Roar. The Classic Portrait of the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJvlhnwmUl8
Excerpts from A. Desjardins: Enfants de sagesse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF-LZC8mbkw
Deborah Peck: Interview with HH the 16th Karmapa, 1980 in New York:
https://meridian-trust.org/video/wish-fulfilling-gem-an-interview-with-h-h-the-16th-gyalwa-karmapa_dldv000167/ and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19z0yzfMrKM&t=337s (Polish subtitles)
Dzigar Kongtrül Rinpoche talks about the Gyalwa Karmapa: https://youtu.be/X6kWR4GXrro
Dr. Kotwal about the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa's illness (interview for Radiant Compassion): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8z4W6qHck0


Dr Raj Kotwal, physician of the late Karmapa, recalls the inspiring lasts day of one of the greatest masters of the 20th century.
Transcript (please don't publish it elsewhere without permission)
In Hong Kong happened the story that Cyrus Huskell [Ward] came. I did not know who was this tall Afro-American. I was introduced to him as a doctor from Sikkim who accompanied His Holiness..
The moment he came in and stood then at the foot end of the bed, the Karmapa closed the book he was reading, and the man started crying, weeping, tears were running. He asked him: 'How are you?' But the man wasn't able to answer whatsoever, finally some words came over his lips: 'Your Holiness, you are dying!' But Karmapa laughed.
Karmapa consoled him for some time.
A tall and healthy man with 30-35 years crying like a small kid...
Is there any place in the world where we can do something for His Holiness – I come on behalf of the people of New York City.' He asked me. He didn't tell who he was. But as I was practicing in a very small place, I couldn't answer him. He was the deputy mayor of New York.
[In Zion, Nov 5t, 1981]

He started to have this [his heart stood still] and for 45 min [Dr Levy] we had to give reanimation cordosepia Then they started to remove the tubes – but the heart came back! There was a beat and a pulse! But then the monitor went flat again
Then the Rinpoches – Topgala and Situ Rinpoche and Jamgön Kongtrül Rinpoche, Levy, McKee, myself and the nurses. They said he was in Tukdam – in post mortem meditation.



Vermont Educational Television: Interview with the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa


Radiant Compassion's interview with Bardor Tulku Rinpoche

Transcript: [Even in the hospital in Zion near Chicago he practiced until the last day], We had to take our turn in serving him. In the beginning he still could speak, but eventually he was not able to speak any more. [and could not hold his practice text (?)]. So I held his text, he put his fingers on my elbow  and every time he wanted me to turn the page, he pressed my arm with one finger, when it was too early [and he wanted to return to the previous page], he pressed my arm with another finger.
He did that for quite a number of days. One day he opened [let me open?] the text and read only a few pages. Then he told me to close it and wrap it in the cloths, in the cover, then he put it like this [on the forehead to bless himself with the text]. He was praying a long time and wanted me to put it away.
It was almost like [the ceremony of the] opening of the Kangyur text, where you open it a little, read a little on the beginning, a little at the end and then pile it up. It was a bit like this that day, and then he passed away.
On one side it’s quite auspicious – he gave me an opportunity to serve him quite closely and accompanying him reading the text and on the other side it was, it was quite painful: It was a sign that he would not live any longer, a sign of his leaving. But this is how samsara is – even Buddha showed the impermanence. For the whole interview, please click here.


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  • Welcome
  • the latest posts
  • Words of His Holiness
    • Prophecies >
      • Prophecy 1944
    • Vajrasongs >
      • Spontaneous Vajrasong at the Ground Breaking Ceremony of the Shri Nalanda Shedra in Rumtek
      • More vajrasongs and teachings
    • Words of Advice >
      • Towards Illumination
      • Short Wisdom Quotes
      • Interview 1980
      • Compassion -- the Language of the Bodhisattva
      • Western Visitor's Interview
    • Long-life prayers by HH the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa
    • Letter to European Disciples 1978
    • Words of His Holiness the 16th Karmapa: From Social Media, Part One
    • Guidelines for Buddhist Studies in the Karma Kagyu School
  • A book about HH the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa
    • Presentation of the book about HH the 16th Karmapa >
      • Interviews
  • Short Biography of HH the 16th Karmapa
  • Extracts from Radiant Compassion
    • Table of Contents
    • prefaces and introduction
    • From Volume One, Chapter One >
      • Enthronement in Tsurphu
      • Lama Tönsang about Tsurphu
      • Tireless Dharma activity despite escalating violence
      • Garchen
    • From Volume One, Chaper Two: Travel to Nepal, Bhutan and India >
      • Birth of a Buddha
      • Construction of the Rumtek Monastery
      • travels
      • Minor Obstacles Abroad
      • The First Western Students
      • The 16th Karmapa in the USA 1974
      • extracts of volume two >
        • Vienna 1977
        • Laying of the Foundation Stone of the KIBI
        • HH the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa's Parinirvana
        • Birdstories
        • Steve Roth Supreme Lord of Compassion
        • The Black Crown of the Karmapas
        • Moments that Changed Entire Lives
        • Bardor Rinpoche
        • Peace!
  • Who's the Karmapa?
  • Press articles about HH the 16th Karmapa
    • Visit in Rumtek 1965
    • The Priest and the Pekinese
    • Sickness and Parirvana
    • Visit in Rumtek 1965
  • Videos
  • background
    • rumtek shedra >
      • additional information >
        • dates
        • risks
  • bibliography
  • background informations
    • Predictions of the Karmapa by Buddha Shakyamuni and Padmasambhava
  • mistakes and modifications
  • links
  • about the author
  • contact, disclaimer, copyright
    • Contact
    • Disclaimer
  • Dana - Donations
  • Acknowledgements
  • Feedback and Reviews
  • sitemap
    • original documents >
      • Karmapa Charitable Trust
      • ranking
      • Letter to Practitiones in Scandinavia
  • additional interviews and accounts
    • Account of Kenneth Green
    • Letter to Prime Minister Nehru
  • Victory banner of the Dharma
  • Interview with HH the 16th Karmapa, New York City 1980.
  • 50 years Karmapas in the West
    • Achi Tsepal: Karmapa in New York 1974
    • Visit to the Hopi Nation
    • Meeting with the Pope 1975
    • Karmapa in the UK by Samten de Wet
    • In Dordogne
    • Last Stop in Europe
    • 100th birthday of HH the 16th Karmapa >
      • 100th-anniversary-of-hh-the-16th-karmapa
  • Bookorders Volume One and Two
    • Prices
    • Volume Two