Karmapa and Thugseyla arrive at The Europe Center (photos and report)

August 3, 2019

During the night of 1 August, Lama Ole and the gathered group of students beamed with delight as Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, together with his wife Sangyumla and baby son Thugseyla, arrived at The Europe Center in Immenstadt, Germany.

The joyful mood continued the following afternoon, when more than 6,000 students from 40 countries participated in a traditional welcome ceremony for Karmapa and his son Thugseyla.

There were speeches by a representative of The Europe Center, together with short remarks from Lama Ole and Karmapa.

In Lama Ole’s speech, in praising Karmapa and the qualities of other realised masters, he said:

And all of these teachers do the same thing: they make us understand that our minds are clear light, that they cannot be harmed, cannot be disturbed on their ultimate level, and they give us methods to begin to identify and realise this reality.

Karmapa, who sat on the throne with an inquisitive Thugseyla on his lap, expressed his appreciation for everyone making the effort to be together at The Europe Center. He rejoiced in the opportunity to share the Buddha Dharma with everyone, and concluded his talk by saying:

All of the struggles that we go through, that we have gone through in our lineage, have meant to deliver something that is pure, that is genuine, and I really strongly feel that has come. Therefore, I am very happy for this homecoming. And I would like to ask all of you to continue to pray, because at the end, if we try to go beyond the physical, the result really comes from aspirations, our collective and single-pointed aspirations.

There were Mandala offerings and offerings of Ku Sung Thuk to Karmapa and Thugseyla, together with the serving of traditional tea and rice.

Following a group photo, Karmapa departed. Karmapa then shared dinner with Lama Ole and guests.

Everyone eagerly awaited Karmapa’s teaching the following day on 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva, as part of The Europe Center Summer Course.