His Holiness, Karmapa XVII

Head of the Karma Kagyu lineage

photo: Kagyu Office

Though only in his early 20's, His Holiness is already making a powerful impact in the lives of his countless disciplines all over the globe.   Since his dramatic escape to India in 2001, he has shown an increasing ability to bridge cultures and eras, recasting ancient practices, and expressing visionary insights into contemperary issues.

In 1985, a boy named "Apo Gaga" was born into a nomadic family in eastern Tibet. In 1992 that boy was recognized as the 17th Karmapa. His biography can nevertheless properly be said to start some eight centuries earlier, according to the tradition in Tibet that enlightened masters ("tulkus") can reincarnate in order to extend the time in which they can benefit beings. The Karmapas have incarnated in this form of nirmanakaya, or manifestation body, for seventeen lifetimes, as of the present, and all have played an most important role in preserving and propagating the Buddhist teachings of Tibet.

website: kagyuoffice.org