Air India crash: Karmapa’s message

June 14, 2025

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, shares the following message after the deadly plane crash in India.

Dear Dharma friends,

It is with tremendous sadness that I have been following the events unfolding since last Thursday, when an Air India plane bound for London crashed in the Indian city of Ahmedabad.
It was the worst aviation disaster in India in three decades, and the images of the plane crashing mere moments into the flight and hitting a medical college in a residential area before erupting into a ball of fire, have gone around the world and will stay with us for a long time.

So far at least 270 bodies have been recovered at the site of the crash, including all the passengers except one and all the crew members on board the plane, as well as dozens of people on the ground. Many more were injured, with some of them still in critical care.

Most bodies were charred or mutilated, and the local authorities are still working to identify them, as their relatives wait to perform their last rites.

Some families and friends, both of those who were on board and those on the ground when the plane hit, are still awaiting information about their loved ones, with some clinging to the fragile hope of survival. This feeling of uncertainty further adds to the suffering of the affected communities.

Of course, as Buddhists we are continuously reminded to keep in mind the impermanence and the uncertainty of life – cultivating this constant awareness is one of the most important trainings on our path. However, when impermanence strikes in such a brutal and violent way, it is especially hard to deal with the ensuing loss and grief, and all words of comfort and encouragement ring hollow in the face of this pain.

Therefore, dear Dharma friends, rather than making many words, let us dedicate our aspirations and the merit of our practice to all the victims of this disaster, the deceased and the bereaved alike, and let us make the fervent wish that they may find the peace that they are yearning for.

With prayers

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa