Shamarpa

Shamarpa (bo-tw|t=ཞྭ་དམར་པ་|w=Zhwa-dmar-pa; literally, "Person (i.e. Holder) of the Red Crown")cite web
last =Karmapa International Buddhist Institute's translation team.
title = A Brief History of the Karmapa-Shamarpa Lineages
url=http://www.bodhipath-west.org/lineage2.htm
accessdate = 2008-05-23 ] , also known as "Shamar Rinpoche" or more formally H.H. Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche is a lineage holder of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism and the mind manifestation of Amitabha Buddha, He is traditionally associated with Yangpachen monastery near Lhasa.

The first Shamarpa, Khedrup Drakpa Senge (1283-1349), was the principal disciple of the third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje. Rangjung Dorje gave this disciple a ruby-red crown and the title Shamarpa, establishing the second line of reincarnate lamas in Tibetan Buddhism, Karmapa being the first. This as taken to be the fulfillment of a prediction of the second Karmapa, Karma Pakshi, who said "Future Karmapas will manifest in two forms". When the fourth Karmapa, Rolpe Dorje, returned the red crown to the second Shamarpa, he recalled Karma Pakshi's prediction, saying, "You are the one manifestation, while I am the other. Therefore, the responsibility to maintain the continuity of the teachings of the Kagyu lineage rests equally on you as it does on me."Fact|date=May 2008 The Shamarpa is often referred to as the "Red-hat Karmapa," especially in early Kagyu texts.

The Shamarpa lineage

The successive Shamarpa reincarnations are listed in "The Garland of Moon Water Crystal" by the 8th Tai Situpa Chökyi Jungne and Belo Tsewang Künkhyab. [cite web
last= Khenpo Chodrag Tenpel
title =A brief account of the successive Shamarpa reincarnations
url=http://www.vienna-dharma-projects.org/English/VDF/Portraits/shamarpahistory.htm
accessdate = 2008-05-23 ]

# Khedrup Drakpa Senge, (1284-1349)
# Shamar Khachö Wangpo, (1350-1405)
# Shamar Chöpal Yeshe, (1406-1452)
# Shamar Chokyi Drakpa Yeshe Pal Zangpo, (1453-1526)
# Shamar Köncho Yenlak,(1526-1583)
# Shamar Mipan Chökyi Wangchuk,(1584-1629)
# Shamar Yeshe Nyinpo, (1631-1694)
# Palchen Chökyi Döndrup, (1695-1732) was born in Yilmo, Nepal and was taken to Tibet aged 7. He received teachings and instructions from the 11th Karmapa before his death. The Shamarpa in turn, recognized and enthroned Changchub Dorje as the 12th Karmapa and acted as his Root-guru.
# Könchog Geway Yungnay,(1733-1741) was born in Paro in Bhutan, and was discovered by the 13th Karmapa, Dudul Dorje but lived only until age nine
# Mipam Chödrup Gyamtso,(1742-1793) was the stepbrother of the 6th Panchen Lama, Lobsang Palden Yeshe (1738–1780). A dispute over his claim to his stepbrother's material inheritance led to an armed conflict in which the Sharmapa conspired with the Nepalese Gurkha army in 1788 [Norbu, Thubten Jigme and Turnbull, Colin. 1968. "Tibet: Its History, Religion and People". Reprint: Penguin Books, 1987, p. 272.] [Stein, R. A. (1972) "Tibetan Civilization", p. 88. Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-0806-1 (cloth); ISBN 0-8047-0901-7 (pbk)] . This, and other disputes between the Gelug and Kagyu schools led to the exile from Tibet of the Shamarpa and a legal ban by the Tibetan government on further Shamarpa incarnations This ban remained in place until after the Dalai Lama lost power in Tibet during the 1950s, although it was later revealed that the Karmapa had recognized reincarnations of the Shamarpa secretly during the intervening period.Fact|date=June 2008
# Unknown, presumed forced into hiding by the Tibetan government.
# Tugsay Jamyang,(1895-1947) was the son of the 15th Karmapacite web
title = The Shamarpa Reincarnations
url=http://www.kagyu-asia.com/l_shamarpas.html
accessdate = 2008-05-24 ]
# Tinlay Kunchap, an infant who survived only a little over a year,(1948-1950)
# Mipham Chokyi Lodro, (1952 - )

Present Shamarpa

The present (14th) Shamarpa is Mipham Chokyi Lodro, born in Derge, Tibet in 1952. At age four he was recognized by his uncle the 16th Karmapa. cite web
title =Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche
url=http://www.shamarpa.org/present-sham/shamar.htm
accessdate = 2008-05-23 ] He remained with the 16th Karmapa until his death in 1981. He received the entire cycle of Kagyu teachings from H.H. 16th Karmapa.After the death of the 16th Karmapa, Shamarpa recognized Thaye Dorje as the 17th Karmapa in 1994 (see Karmapa controversy).

The 14th Shamarpa presently resides in India.

References

External links

* [http://www.shamarpa.org The Shamarpa Official web site]