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THE SNOW LION NEWSLETTER
Writing About the Gyalwang Karmapa
It's hard to say when something starts, as there are always causes behind causes, but to choose one, in July '92, I went to Tsurphu [the Karmapa's monastery in Tibet], about a month after His Holiness had returned. At that time, I was working with a film crew and translating. The Karmapa's parents were staying at the monastery and I spent time with them, in particular, with his mother. One day, with a very direct gaze, she said, "When His Holiness goes abroad, please help him." I promised to do so, not having any idea what it would mean. So all along in the background, that commitment was there.
After the Karmapa escaped to India in January 2000, I went to Dharamsala with
Thrangu Rinpoche, who was traveling to a gathering of Kagyu lamas.
Decisions were needed now that the Karmapa was in India. At the end of the
meetings, there was an special evening at the Tibetan Institute for Performing
Arts to entertain all the lamas who had come. As part of the performance,
they put to music a song that the Karmapa had written while escaping. It
was very beautiful and I thought, "I'd love to translate that." And so the
process began. His poetry was so resonant and deep, I thought it would be
wonderful to translate more and make his writing available to a wider
audience. It's not possible for many people to go to Gyutö and meet
him, but a book can travel everywhere. The Karmapa knew that I liked
his poems. Sometimes at Gyuto I'd be walking down the hall and he would
suddenly appear. As he passed by, he would pull a poem out of his pocket
and pass it over.
The contents of the book are so rich,
ranging from the dramatic stories of his escape, to his recent teachings, to the
history of the Karmapas. How did you find all this great
material?
There were many sources. His sister was very helpful as she had taken
care of the Karmapa when he was young and remembered many stories about
him. I also talked to the people who had escaped with him and to those who
were involved in the Karmapa's recognition of three young tulkus. The Karmapa is
well-known for his ability to recognize tulkus. For people who have
questions about rebirth, it's interesting to contemplate these stories.
The other sections of the book also came about rather naturally.
Previously, I had met some reporters who were covering the Karmapa in Sarnath
and they did not know who he was. For those who came to write about
him, it seemed useful to give background information on the Karmapa, so Dzogchen
Ponlop Rinpoche wrote a brief history of the previous sixteen Karmapas.
Then, so that people could see how Tibetans view their own history—in quite a
mythopoetic way from our western standpoint—a more traditional narrative was
also included. This last section on history—preceded by his life story,
teachings, and poetry—ends with three poems of the 16th Karmapa that were
prophetic of the future. With these, the book circles around to its
beginning where the sixteenth Karmapa gives the letter predicting his future
rebirth to Tai Situ Rinpoche.
You translated for His Holiness the Karmapa. What's that
like?
He has such a powerful presence. He would talk and then turn and look
at me to make it clear that he had finished. He was so stunning that it
was very hard to keep any words in my mind. It took a while to get used to just
being with him.
I never knew what he was going to talk about. Often a lama will teach a
particular text, so you can prepare and know ahead of time more or less what
they'll be speaking about. The Karmapa was spontaneous and talked about whatever
he had in mind that day. And he seemed to be able to choose a topic that
fit the individuals who had come. It is said that the good teachings meet
the minds of the people who are present and that seemed to be what was
happening.
How did it happen that you went to Tsurphu
in Tibet to see the young 17th Karmapa?
I had been staying in Rumtek from February to June of 1992, and during this
time, the letter of prediction was opened and the search was conducted. In
June, the first photo of the Karmapa, sitting in his family's tent, arrived in
Rumtek. On seeing it, somehow I felt an immediate connection. I had no
doubt that he was the Karmapa; it was one of those occasions when tears come to
your eyes and you're completely touched.
How old was he when you first met
him?
He was seven years old.
And what was he like?
Completely spontaneous, very energetic, very bright, quick, curious about
everything around him, and very independent.
He also had great self-confidence in relating to people. When he met with the
Chinese officials during the enthronement ceremony, he related to them perfectly
naturally even though it was a completely new environment for him. He'd
grown up in the distant mountains and here he was all of a sudden with high
government officials and he remained totally himself. There was no sense that he
was swayed by the situation; he was just matter-of-factly relating to whatever
it was that came to him. He picked up on everything amazingly quickly in a
completely natural way.
Was it was difficult for you to get access
to him initially?
Things were very open at that time. In Tibet, the early eighties were
years when there was an opening to freedom of religious practice. The Karmapa
was discovered then and the Chinese government recognized him. He was the first
tulku that the Chinese government had accepted. This side of things was not too
difficult in '92 either, though change was happening. Because he was the
Karmapa, there were formalities, but there wasn't the sense of him being closed
in or overly protected as he is now. We were able to ask questions and hang out
a bit.
What was Tsurphu like?
It's a very special place. I went there first in 1988, before the seventeenth
Karmapa was discovered. It's a spare landscape—a very simple backdrop for
practice. And yet it's a very powerful place, too; a natural clarity seems to
appear when you stay at Tsurphu. There are also caves where the previous
Karmapas meditated and the living presence of the masters who have practiced
there is palpable. I think that's one of the reasons we go on pilgrimage:
the blessings are still there.
How did it evolve that you eventually became
a translator for him?
In 2001, the labrang, his administration, asked me to come and
translate for him at Gyuto. I had had plans of going on retreat for some
months but I dropped them and went to Gyuto instead.
You've seen the Dalai Lama and the Karmapa
interact. What is that like?
It's like an uncle with his favorite nephew. There's a very warm connection
between them. The Dalai Lama is very concerned about the Karmapa's studies
and development and also concerned that he receives what he needs. The Dalai
Lama has been extremely generous in seeing the Karmapa whenever it was
needed—even if he was on retreat he'd open the doors. And the Dalai Lama had
also given him important initiations as well as his monks' vows. They have an
extremely close connection.
Any good stories about the
Karmapa?
There are many in the book, of course. One that is only mentioned briefly
concerns one of the Karmapa's many excursions into the mountains surrounding
Tsurphu. This time, he was walking with a group of monks and they passed by a
big boulder that was sitting next to the trail. The Karmapa casually passed his
monk's shawl or zen across the face of the rock, and the person behind him saw
that the name Karmapa, in deep maroon letters the same color as the shawl, had
been written on the rock. When I was there in 1996, I walked up and looked at
the boulder and the letters are distinct: you can see the name Karmapa clearly
in between patches of gray-green lichen. It's quite amazing when you see
these things with your own eyes. I'm a bit skeptical-as many Westerners are—but
seeing something like this, or his handprints in stone, is impressive.
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