Karmapa, 8th
| Wylie | mi bskyod rdo rje |
|---|---|
| English Phonetics | Eighth Karmapa Mikyö Dorje |
| Sort Name | Karmapa, 8th |
| Chinese Script | 噶玛·弥觉多杰 |
| Chinese Transliteration | gá mǎ mí jiào duō jié |
- ཀརྨ་པ་བརྒྱད་པ་
- ཆོས་ཀྱི་གྲགས་པ་དཔལ་བཟང་པོ་
- karma pa brgyad pa
- chos kyi grags pa dpal bzang po
- Karmapa, 8th
| Birth: | 1507 |
|---|---|
| Death: | 1554 |
| Place of birth: | ngom chu g.yas lung (nang chen) |
Tibetan calendar dates
| Day | |
|---|---|
| Month | |
| Gender | Female |
| Element | Fire |
| Animal | Rabbit |
| Rab Jyung | 9 |
| Website: | Official Karmapa Office Page on the 8th Karmapa |
|---|
- Religious Affiliation
- Karma Kagyu
- Is emanation of
- Seventh Karmapa Chödrak Gyatso
- Has following emanations
- Ninth Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje
- Teachers
- Tai Situpa, 2nd · Sangye Nyenpa, 1st · Tai Situpa, 3rd · byams chen chos rje sna tshogs rang grol · karma phrin las pa
- Students
- Pawo Rinpoche, 2nd · Shamarpa, 5th · Tai Situpa, 4th
Biographical Information
The eighth member of the incarnation lineage of the Karmapas, Mikyö Dorje, was a prolific scholar and an acclaimed artist, often credited with the development of the Karma Gadri style of painting. Though he only lived into his mid-40's his contributions to the Karma Kagyu and Tibetan tradition, in general, were immense. His collected works are said to have originally filled thirty volumes and he is widely held to be one of the most significant of the Karmapa incarnations.
For a detailed discussion of The Eighth Karmapa's life, with interesting reference to source texts, see the 17th Karmapa's teachings from February 2021.
From the book, Karmapa: 900 Years (KTD Publications, 2016, revised 3rd edition):
Mikyö Dorje is among the greatest scholars Tibet has ever produced. He was an active participant in the rigorous intellectual debates of his day, making major contributions in virtually all areas of textual study. He was an accomplished Sanskritist, and wrote Sanskrit grammars alongside works ranging from poetry to art to tantra. The Eighth Karmapa’s voluminous writings include substantial commentaries on all the principal Sanskrit texts, clarifying points of confusion and deeply engaging with their inner meaning. The act of composing philosophical texts within the Karma Kagyu—a lineage so fully devoted to attaining realization through practice—is wholly unlike the act of producing philosophical texts in a modern academic or scholastic setting. Rather, the philosophical works of Mikyö Dorje point out the way to view reality in order to be liberated from the cycles of samsaric suffering. As such, his compositions are a supreme act of kindness. It is said that Mikyö Dorje’s deeds in recording his insight and understanding in his commentaries had the effect of doubling or tripling the lifespan of the Karma Kagyu lineage.(Source: Page 73, Karmapa: 900 Years (KTD Publications, 2016, revised 3rd edition). E-Book available online here: http://www.ktdpublications.com/karmapa-900-third-edition-e-book/ .
Mikyö Dorje left numerous Buddhist writings on all major and minor topics, including a biography of Bodong Chogle Namgyal (1376–1451), entitled Ocean of Miracles (ngo mtshar gyi rgya mtsho), a Gongchik commentary, and he introduced a special guru yoga in four sessions, which is the basis for contemporary Karma Kagyu practice. See a list of Tibetan works by the 8th Karmapa available as free ePubs on Tsadra Foundation's DharmaCloud website.
For more biographical information see the following sources:
- Rheingans, Jim. 2017. The Eighth Karmapa's Life and His Interpretation of the Great Seal: A Religious Life and Instructional Texts in Historical and Doctrinal Contexts. Bochum, Germany: Projekt Verlag.
- BDRC Person page for The 8th Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje
- WikiData entry for The 8th Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje
- Himalayan Art Resource page for The 8th Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje
- Tsadra Foundation person page for The 8th Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje
- Official Karmapa Office Page on the 8th Karmapa
- Tsurphu Monastery Page on the 8th Karmapa
Other Biographical info:
See the Karmapa Lineage page.
- BDRC Link (P385)
- https://library.bdrc.io/show/bdr:P385
- Treasury of Lives Link
- https://treasuryoflives.org/en/biographies/view/biography/6230
- Treasury of Lives Excerpt
- Himalayan Art Resources Link or Other Art Resource
- https://www.himalayanart.org/items/560
- Wiki Pages
- Person description or short bio
- The eighth member of the incarnation lineage of the Karmapas, Mikyö Dorje, was a prolific scholar and an acclaimed artist, often credited with the development of the Karma Gadri style of painting. Though he only lived into his mid-40's his contributions to the Karma Kagyu and Tibetan tradition, in general, were immense. His collected works are said to have originally filled thirty volumes and he is widely held to be one of the most significant of the Karmapa incarnations.
Expand to see this person's philosophical positions on Buddha-nature.
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| Svātantrika (རང་རྒྱུད་) vs Prāsaṅgika (ཐལ་འགྱུར་པ་) | |
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