Taking Leave of Karmapa
In July 1981 Karmapa began the reconstruction of temples and meditation centers. He had thousands of Dharma texts printed and distributed, among these 500 copies of the Dege-edition of the Kanjur. Even during the last months of his life he worked hard to spread the Dharma.
He died in the USA in a hospital in Zion near Chicago on November 5th, 1981, at 8:30 p.m. local time. His death was a last teaching on impermanence for everybody present, and indeed for all of us.
As death approached, he had taken a half-dozen deadly diseases upon himself. Using his yogic power, he removed much of their harmfulness, at least for those in his powerfield. He also allowed the physicians to test their medicines on him. Some of their findings were amazing: even the highest doses of sedatives had absolutely no effect on him. He cared for their well-being and never talked about himself.
On the evening of November 5th, the day of Liberatrice, the doctors had routinely entered his room. Seeing that his machines had apparently turned themselves off, all had the same thought, "He's playing a joke on us." At the very moment, they started up again, worked for five minutes and then stopped completely. The next morning, when the staff wanted to remove his body from the bed, the lineage holders asked if all signs of death were present. They were not. Karmapa's body was still warm and supple, and especially his heart center was so hot that one could feel it at a good distance. This is how he stayed.
On November 9th, a helicopter landed at the military airport, on the other side from Rumtek of the large Sikkim valley. A line of cars left the airport, and about an hour later Karmapa arrived at Rumtek on a Mercedes truck. All four lineage holders sat next to the driver on its narrow seat.
Karmapa's body was put into a concentric structure - a mandala - in the upstairs hall in the Rumtek monastery. The cremation took place one and a half months later. Instead of falling apart during the forty-five days, Karmapa had shrunk and was now sitting in a two-foot high box, which had a window so one could see inside. A thin veil covered his face, which was of a deep grey hue and somewhat shrunken. The rest of the formerly powerful man was the size of a small child. After the "Diamond Songs of the Kagyu Masters" was read, and a meditation on the eight Karmapa, the box was carried outside and inserted into a recently built clay stupa on the monastery's roof terrace. Then a monk who had never had any contact with this Karmapa and was called upon to light the masses of dry sandalwood underneath the stupa.
Suddenly, in the middle of the ceremony, a giant rainbow surrounded the sun although the weather was clear and dry. The heart of the sixteenth Karmapa rolled out from the stupa on the side facing Tibet. Hundreds of Rinpoches and students, from all over the world, took part in this event.
"May all spiritual leaders enjoy long lives and prosperity. May the religious Order multiply and may all fulfil their duties. May the blessings of the Dharma liberate all departed souls. In this world may sickness, poverty, wars and evil influences be cut at the root, and permanently destroyed. May all things be Auspicious. May all aspirations be well fulfilled. May the darkness of this Kali Yuga, The Black Age, be dispersed!"
 The 16th Karmapa |  |
 Carrying him to Rumtek |
 The Cremation |