Karmapa

Today the HH Karmapa gave an empowerment and talk at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle. Like Ponlop Rinpoche, whose Nalandabodhi center was sponsoring the event, Urgyen Trinley Dorje, the XVIIth Karmapa, was charming and humble. He seemed to question his own divinity. If I am a Buddha why do I have these problems?

So in the Tibetan tradition the great reincarnated masters, are they there for the lay people? Someone, a near god, to believe in, be inspired by? If the idea of a lineage is institutionalized someone has to fill the role. Maybe they aren't true reincarnates, or perhaps they are, but the ones I have any experience seem to be sincere, erudite and humble. So at the very least they become a sort of super-monk, incredibly well schooled and trained. They sacrifice their privacy and a simple life, for the benefit of those that believe in them.

It's a very generous thing to do. I don't claim to understand it.

Karmapa described his view of the world as a stage with the stars as a backdrop. What dramas do we chose to enact on this great stage? Are they uplifting or disturbing? Are we looking for short term pleasure at the cost of the world and others?