Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, 16th Karmapa
The 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpei Dorje (1924-1981)(Wylie Rang 'byung rig pa'i rdo rje) , was born in Denkhok in the Dergé district of Kham (Eastern Tibet), near the Yangtze River. Former spiritual leader of the Karma Kagyu lineage, The 16th Karmapa fostered the transmission of Tibetan Buddhism to the West. He established Dharma centers and monasteries in various places around the world in order to protect, preserve, and spread the Buddha's teachings. Rangjung Rigpei Dorjé passed away on November 5th, 1981 in the United States in a hospital in Zion, Illinois. Doctors and nurses at the hospital remarked on his kindness (see the documentary film, The Lion's Roar)and how he seemed more concerned with their welfare than his own. One doctor was also struck by the Karmapa's refusal of pain medication, without any signs of being the pain that most patients in his condition report. When Trungpa Rinpoche's principle Western student, Osel Tendzin, visited the Karmapa in the hospital and expressed his sorrow over his upcoming death, the Karmapa told, 'Nothing happens,' prompting Tendzin to remark, 'At that point I knew again that he was a fully realized [i.e. enlightened} being.' Upon his death, against procedure, his body was left in the hospital for three days and his heart remained warm during this time.
 | This Tibet-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This Buddhism-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |