The passing of Lama Ole Nydahl

May 18, 2026

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, shares a message on the passing of Lama Ole Nydahl.

A transcript of the message follows:

Dear Dharma friends,

With deep sorrow, we received the news this morning that our dear Lama Ole Nydahl has passed beyond this life.

For more than five decades, Lama Ole worked tirelessly to bring the Buddha Dharma to innumerable people around the world. Through his courage, devotion, and boundless activity, he created countless access points to the Buddha’s teachings and to the Karma Kagyu lineage, allowing tens of thousands of students to establish a meaningful and lasting connection with the Dharma.

After meeting and spending several years with my predecessor, His Holiness the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, Lama Ole and Hannah dedicated their entire lives to fulfilling his wishes and bringing the Karma Kagyu teachings to the West and far beyond. Together, they carried the Buddha Dharma across continents with extraordinary dedication and unwavering trust in the lineage.

Through their activity, countless students found meaning, friendship, and a lifelong path through the Buddha’s teachings. Beyond his vast activity, everyone who met him will remember Lama Ole’s deeply human qualities; his honesty, directness, courage, humour, and his ability to inspire confidence and joy in others. The immense devotion that Lama Ole’s students continue to hold for him is itself a sign of the depth of his activity and dedication.

Many students now feel the pain of separation and loss. Yet I would like to remind everyone that the true way to cherish a teacher is not to cling to the outer person, but to recognise and preserve the essence of the teacher’s practice and realisation. As the Buddha himself taught, the deepest connection to the teacher is maintained through practicing the Dharma sincerely and keeping the teachings alive within one’s own experience. If you can do that, then wherever you turn, the teacher will still be there.

At this moment, I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude for our beloved Lama Ole’s life and activity, and my deepest condolences to all his students, friends, and loved ones around the world.

However, rather than focusing on the pain of separation, we should consider ourselves fortunate to have met such a teacher in this lifetime, and honour his legacy by continuing the values of courage, devotion, and openness that he embodied.

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