Mikyö Dorje, 8th Karmapa Lama

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Mikyö Dorje (Wylie: mi bskyod rdo rje, 1507–1554) was the eighth Karmapa, head of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism.

Biography

Mikyö Dorje was born in Satam, Kham. According to the legend, he said after being born: "I am Karmapa." and was recognized by Tai Situpa. In this case there was another child from Amdo who also claimed to be Karmapa. Gyaltsab Rinpoche, the regent of the region, thought of a test to decide who was the real Karmapa. This was the first time that a test was used to determine a reincarnation. Later this became the standard method for all major lamas.

Mikyö Dorje left numerous Buddhist writings on Gongchik commentary Madhyamaka, Abhidharma, Tantric and Mahamudra texts, poetry (verses of profound wisdom) and even linguistics. He introduced special guru yoga in four sessions, which is the basis for Karma Kagyu teachings.^[1] He was also a skillful painter and metal craftsman with many famous thangkas and statues. The eighth Karmapa strongly influenced all arts of his time. He was invited by the emperor of China, however he said that the emperor would die before he could get to him; and according to the legend it happened as well.

He selected as lineage holder the fifth Shamarpa, Konchog Yenlag, whom he had identified, and to whom he had passed on the Kagyu transmission, stating that the Karmapa and Shamarpa incarnations are inseparable, and of the same mindstream.^[2]

He compiled a biography of Bodong Chogle Namgyal (1376–1451), one of the main teachers of Dorje Pakmo, entitled Ocean of Miracles (ngo mtshar gyi rgya mtsho).

For more biographical information see the following sources:

• BDRC Person page for The 8th Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje
• WikiData entry for The 8th Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje
• https://www.himalayanart.org/items/560 Himalayan Art Resource page for The 8th Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje]
• Tsadra Foundation person page for The 8th Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje

From the book, Karmapa: 900 Years (KTD Publications, 2016, revised 3rd edition):
Mikyö Dorje is among the greatest scholars Tibet has ever produced. He was an active participant in the rigorous intellectual debates of his day, making major contributions in virtually all areas of textual study. He was an accomplished Sanskritist, and wrote Sanskrit grammars alongside works ranging from poetry to art to tantra. The Eighth Karmapa’s voluminous writings include substantial commentaries on all the principal Sanskrit texts, clarifying points of confusion and deeply engaging with their inner meaning. The act of composing philosophical texts within the Karma Kagyu—a lineage so fully devoted to attaining realization through practice—is wholly unlike the act of producing philosophical texts in a modern academic or scholastic setting. Rather, the philosophical works of Mikyö Dorje point out the way to view reality in order to be liberated from the cycles of samsaric suffering. As such, his compositions are a supreme act of kindness. It is said that Mikyö Dorje’s deeds in recording his insight and understanding in his commentaries had the effect of doubling or tripling the lifespan of the Karma Kagyu lineage.^[3]

Works

• Catalog of Tibetan Texts on BDRC

Digital Publications Available Online

• 8th Karmapa list of works on DharmaCloud.Tsadra.org
• Vajra Vidya Series from 8th Karmapa on DharmaCloud.Tsadra.org
• 8th Karmapa's collected works on DharmaDownload.net
• Other books from Karmapas at Dharma eBooks.org

References

Further reading

• Rheingans, Jim (2017). The Eighth Karmapa's Life and His Interpretation of the Great Seal: A Religious Life and Instructional Texts in Historical and Doctrinal Contexts. Bochum, Germany: Projekt Verlag. p. 243. ISBN 9783897334229.
• Higgins, David and Martina Draszczyk (2016). Mahāmudrā and the Middle Way: Post-Classical Kagyü Discourses on Mind, Emptiness and Buddha-Nature. Vienna, Austria: Arbeitskreis für Tibetische und Buddhistische Studien Universität Wien. p. 254. ISBN 978-3-902501-28-8.
• Thinley, Karma (2008). The History of Sixteen Karmapas of Tibet. USA: Prajna Press. p. 150. ISBN 978-1-57062-644-9.

External links

• http://www.karmapa.org
• Mantra Karmapa mkyen no (Karmapa Chenno)
• TBRC (now BDRC) - Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center entry for Mikyö Dorje