Karmapa, 8th

PersonType	Category:Classical Tibetan Authors Category:Tulkus
MainNamePhon	Eighth Karmapa Mikyö Dorje
MainNameTib	མི་བསྐྱོད་རྡོ་རྗེ་
MainNameWylie	mi bskyod rdo rje
MainNameChi	噶玛·弥觉多杰
MainNamePin	gá mǎ mí jiào duō jié
SortName	Karmapa, 8th
AltNamesTib	ཀརྨ་པ་བརྒྱད་པ་  ·  ཆོས་ཀྱི་གྲགས་པ་དཔལ་བཟང་པོ་
AltNamesWylie	karma pa brgyad pa  ·  chos kyi grags pa dpal bzang po
AltNamesOther	Karmapa, 8th
bio	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/ . List of Tibetan works available as free ePubs on Tsadra Foundation's DharmaCloud. 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. He was also a skillful painter and metal craftsman with many famous thangkas and statues attributed to his hands. The Eighth Karmapa influenced the arts of his time. For more biographical information see the following sources: 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
BiographicalInfo	See the Karmapa Lineage page.
YearBirth	1507
YearDeath	1554
BornIn	ngom chu g.yas lung (nang chen)
TibDateGender	Female
TibDateElement	Fire
TibDateAnimal	Rabbit
TibDateRabjung	9
associatedwebsite	https://kagyuoffice.org/life-of-mikyo-dorje/
ReligiousAffiliation	Karma Kagyu
EmanationOf	Seventh Karmapa Chödrak Gyatso
Has emanations	Ninth Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje
StudentOf	Second Tai Situ Tashi Namgyal  ·  Sangye Nyenpa, 1st  ·  Third Tai Situ Tashi Paljor  ·  byams chen chos rje sna tshogs rang grol  ·  karma phrin las pa
TeacherOf	The Second Pawo Tsuklak Trengwa  ·  Fifth Shamarpa Könchok Yenlak  ·  Fourth Tai Situ Mitruk Chokyi Gocha
BDRC	https://library.bdrc.io/show/bdr:P385
Treasury of Lives	https://treasuryoflives.org/en/biographies/view/biography/6230
Himalayan Art Resources	https://www.himalayanart.org/items/560
IsInGyatsa	No
BnwShortPersonBio	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.
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Tantra, when juxtaposed with Sūtra, generally refers to the scriptures and texts which discuss esoteric topics. While the term is used to refer to texts on other topics, it is mostly used to refer to the genre of scriptures and texts on themes and topics associated with Vajrayāna Buddhism.

The Kagyu school traces its origin to the eleventh-century translator Marpa, who studied in India with Nāropa. Marpa's student Milarepa trained Gampopa, who founded the first monastery of the Kagyu order. As many as twelve subtraditions grew out from there, the best known being the Karma Kagyu, the Drikung, and the Drukpa.