On recent disasters

November 30, 2025

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, shares the following message about recent natural and man-made disasters.

A transcript of the letter follows:

Dear Dharma friends,

Over the course of the past month alone, we have witnessed countless natural disasters, from the cyclones in India and Sri Lanka, the typhoons and floods in South East Asia, in particular in the Philippines and Indonesia, to the recent earthquakes in Japan and Afghanistan, to name just a few.

In addition, we have also witnessed a series of man-made disasters, including train and plane crashes, the car explosion in New Delhi on 10 November, and, most recently, the catastrophic fire at a large housing complex in Hong Kong which broke out last Wednesday and has left at least 128 people dead, with many more injured and about 200 still missing.

It feels like new tragedies are unfolding before our eyes almost every day, and all of them cause incalculable suffering to countless beings.

Whether we are Buddhists or not, it is indeed heart-breaking to witness such tremendous pain and loss, and it is only natural to feel powerless in the face of so much suffering. It is also normal for us as human beings to feel a need to search for some kind of meaning or justification, a search for who is to blame, in the hope of finding an absolute cause which will enable us to prevent such things from happening in the future.

However, I feel that we will never find an absolute justification or solution. We might come up with explanations, justifications, faults; we can try to cast blame – but all of these will be just relative perspectives, and they will do little to truly alleviate the pain and suffering of those affected by these tragedies.

Rather than search for a meaning or an absolute cause, it is more beneficial to dedicate our merits and prayers to those who suffer.

Therefore, as a Buddhist practitioner, I offer my aspirations and prayers for all those who have been affected by these calamities, and I ask all of my students to do so as well.

In particular, I ask you to focus on the six-syllable mantra of Chenresig, and to dedicate the merit to the victims of all natural and man-made disasters.

With prayers
Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa