17th Karmapa meets Dalai Lama in Zurich, triggers talk of return to India

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, August 30

Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the 17th Karmapa who has been out of India since 2017, met Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama during the latter’s brief stay at Zurich in Switzerland on August 25.

It was the first time the Karmapa met the Dalai Lama after leaving India and taking up the citizenship of Dominican Republic. The Dalai Lama’s secretary, Tenzin Takla, confirmed the meeting, which has fuelled speculation of the Karmapa’s return to India in the near future. However, Tenzin said he couldn’t confirm the Karmapa’s return.

The Karmapa, who heads the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, is the third-highest authority after the Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama. As Panchen Lama has been in Chinese custody following his recognition by the Dalai Lama, the Karmapa’s importance has increased. He has an important role to play in the selection of the next Dalai Lama in accordance with Tibetan customs. After taking the citizenship of Dominican Republic, the Karmapa had applied for an Indian visa in 2018, which he was denied. In May 2017, the Karmapa had left on a three-month visit to Europe. Sources said the Indian authorities initially tried to persuade him to return, but he kept on extending his stay, citing poor health and pending treatment in the US. It is learnt the Government of India had even offered the Karmapa land at Dwarka (near Delhi) to set up a monastery.

The sources said the higher lamas of the Karma Kagyu sect weren’t too pleased with the Karmapa leaving India. As the Karmapa’s seat-in-exile is at the Rumtek monastery in Sikkim, lamas believe he “won’t be able to do justice to his position by staying outside India”. The sources also said Sikkim politicians had been urging the Centre to allow the Karmapa to return.

In a recent post to his followers, the Karmapa shared that he had the blessed opportunity to once again see the Dalai Lama and listen to his teachings. “Seeing him in person this time, rather than watching on television, I noticed he appeared much older. Even while speaking, his voice was quite weak — very different from before. This was quite difficult to bear,” he posted.

The Karmapa said noticing the Dalai Lama in such a frail condition filled him with “anguish and a renewed sense of gratitude for his kindness”.