Diamond Way Ireland

Diamond Way Buddhism Karma Kagyu Lineage Ireland, Lama Ole Nydahl, 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Trinlay Thaye Dorje

[Diamond Way Ireland @DWBEIRE]

Friday 5th of December 2025 at 8pm in 2 Corn Exchange Place, Dublin 2. More info https://t.co/iKSPpMQ3Qg #diamondway #Buddhism #meditation #BuddhismIreland #BuddhismIreland https://t.co/5T5Or4l44A

[Karmapa @karmapaorg]

Following the passing of Lama Ole Nydahl on 18 May, Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, made a visit at short notice to the Europe Center, the international meeting place for Diamond Way Buddhists, and Lama Ole’s main residence in recent years.

During his stay, Karmapa spent time in front of Lama Ole’s mortal remains while the Amitabha Puja was carried out in the adjoining shrine room. He also gave a White Tara empowerment and offered Dharma advice and reading transmissions for key Diamond Way practices, with approximately five thousand practitioners participating.

Karmapa expressed gratitude for Lama Ole’s lifelong activity, recalling how, after meeting his predecessor, the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, Lama Ole and Hannah devoted their lives to fulfilling his wishes and bringing the Karma Kagyu teachings to the West and beyond with immense dedication and trust in the lineage.

He advised the gathered practitioners not to look for a successor, as Lama Ole’s qualities, role, and activity were unique and cannot be replaced. At the same time, he reassured students that they already have everything necessary to continue on the path, encouraging them to deepen and maintain their practice with confidence and dedication.

https://t.co/tkcVEtkh6q

[Karmapa @karmapaorg]

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

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

https://t.co/xbLWZPu4aF

[Diamond Way Ireland @DWBEIRE]

Deeply moved, we share the news that our teacher Lama Ole, has left his body. “In a completely natural and peaceful way – marked as always, by immense love and strength”, he passed away surrounded by his family on 18 May 2026 ..
https://t.co/uS1hnNkjji

[Karmapa @karmapaorg]

Dear Dharma friends,

Venerable Maniwa Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche – or simply ‘Lama Rinpoche’, as he was affectionately known – was one of the most beloved and highly respected masters within our Karma Kagyu lineage. His life story and his vast activities abundantly illustrate his profound commitment to the Buddha Dharma and the benefit of sentient beings.

I have known Lama Rinpoche since I was a child, and ever since our first meeting Lama Rinpoche has always looked after me, like a loving grandfather, with the sole aspiration to fulfil the late Shamar Rinpoche’s wishes, right up until to the last breath of his life. Fulfiling these wishes, as well as the commitment he had made to the great 16th Karmapa, meant nothing other than dedicating his life to the practice of Dharma – and Lama Rinpoche was the very embodiment of this dedication.

Now his physical presence has gone from this world, and this loss has left all of us with a sense of deep sorrow, a sense of what it means to have a spiritual friend, and a sense of what it means to lose the tangible manifestation of such a friend.

Although the form of Lama Rinpoche that we came to know and got used to has dissolved, his activity will surely continue in ways that we cannot imagine. A Bodhisattva’s activity doesn’t wane, and if we have enough merit, their activity will manifest even in ways that we are used to.

While Lama Rinpoche inspired countless individuals and helped them to connect with the Buddha Dharma, he was and always remained one of the very few who never ever expected us to worship or idolise him in any way.

His own love, respect and devotion to the 16th Karmapa were immense, beyond anything we are able to comprehend. Why? Because we all have a preconceived notion of what devotion is – and even if we think we understand devotion, there is no way we can actually know it. In fact, we cannot really say what devotion is – we can only say what it is not, and it is definitely nothing like worship or idolatry.

Dear Dharma friends, this period following the Parinirvana of Lama Rinpoche is not a time of celebration for us. Of course, death in itself is not a bad thing, and people like Rinpoche have no fear of dying; they actually accept and even celebrate death in the same way they accept and celebrate birth. However, from our mundane perspective, we have preconceived notions about death, and due to that it can be a source of great emotion.

And so therefore, rather than a time of celebration, for us as the next generation this Parinirvana is an opportunity to reflect on what this moment means for us. The generation of our elders is leaving, one by one, and this should make us wonder whether we will be able to continue what they have achieved.

It is true that from a profound Buddhist perspective the reason why Manjushri is portrayed as a young boy is that wisdom is said to be found in youth, because of the freshness, curiosity, and willpower embodied by youth. However, even though many of the young generation may possess these qualities, nevertheless the Parinirvana of Lama Rinpoche and other parent figures in our lineage who have recently passed should really lead us to ask ourselves the question, “Are we ready?”

Personally, I have a lot of doubts, not in terms of our capabilities, but in terms of whether we are experienced enough. When I say ‘experience’ I’m not talking about something dry and sterile, but about how much time we have spent on our practice. If we have spent enough time on it, then all the rest will flow from that naturally.

Lama Rinpoche’s Parinirvana is a great cause for us, to really take time and cherish however many parent figures we have left in our lineage, to learn from them, and to follow their example. This is not about whether we can manage our Buddhist organisations or support our Buddhist societies. It means to follow their spiritual example, or their example of practicing, because teachers like the late Lama Rinpoche and his peers are models of having been able to implement the examples of practice from their own elders.

That’s the heart of it; otherwise, no matter how many monasteries and Dharma centres we may establish, they will just be another company, another organisation. We will have an abundance of tools but we won’t know what to do with them.

So, in terms of loss – will we really lose our precious Lama Rinpoche? I think that if we are not able to apply the practice as he and his predecessors did, it’s the same as losing him for good. But if we are able to be curious, thoughtful, to observe and pay attention, then maybe there is a hope of not really losing him.

Therefore, I feel that the real teaching of Lama Rinpoche’s Parinirvana is that Dharma practice is the key, and it’s also a reminder that soon there will be no qualified spiritual friend who will check on us to see whether we are practising or not, or whether our practice is going in the right direction. The generation of true practitioners is becoming thinner and thinner, so it’s up to us to check whether we are practising, and if we are practising well.

However, if we know that we are practising, and most of all, if we enjoy practising, like the late Lama Rinpoche and those like him, then I feel we don’t have much to worry about. Whether there will be good days or not, whether there will be good weather or not, whether the coming season will be good or not – as long as we enjoy the practice, it won’t matter all that much.

With prayers,

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa

https://t.co/Xwod2L2hx9

[Karmapa @karmapaorg]

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, shares the following message on the occasion of the 84th birthday of Lama Ole Nydahl.

Dear Dharma friends,
Today is the birthday of Lama Ole – an auspicious day that we should all celebrate by calling to mind his example of tireless dedication to the Buddha Dharma. I rejoice in Lama Ole’s great courage and determination, through which he has accumulated tremendous merit, inspiration, and joy over the past many decades.

As I have said on several previous occasions, all of his students should cherish their good fortune in finding such a teacher in this lifetime. I would also like to take this opportunity to remind all of you again that appreciating one’s teacher means not focusing on the person or the form of the teacher but on his or her practice, on his or her essence.

So that’s something all of you need to always keep in mind, and if you do that, then the teacher will always be there with you, beyond all limitations of time and space.

On this auspicious occasion, I would like to ask all students to join me in praying for our dear Lama Ole’s good health and longevity. May his presence continue to bring great benefit to sentient beings.

https://t.co/qAx54Yp3Aq

[Karmapa @karmapaorg]

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, shares this animated message on the occasion of Losar, Tibetan New Year, 2025.

"May the Wish-Fulfilling Wheel of White Tara,
The embodiment of All-Accomplishing Wisdom
Grant us longevity, prosperity, and wisdom.
On this occasion of the beginning of the Female Wood Snake year, I would like to offer greetings and a wish for all of us.
It is completely up to us how we would like to view this so-called “life”. Nevertheless, it may be inspiring to view it as our opportunity to generate and enjoy both temporary happiness and ultimate happiness, which arises from the combination of our effort and the Buddha’s blessings.
Therefore, may our realisation of Buddha-nature grow effortlessly for the beauty of the enlightened lineage and to complement the happiness of sentient beings.
- Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje"

Credits:
Animation: Sebastian Łukaszuk
Music: Marcin Macuk
Sound design: Sebastian Witkowski
Paintings: Karmapa, Sebastian Łukaszuk and Leo Grzyb
Writing and direction: Karmapa

[Karmapa @karmapaorg]

Many students from East and West have gathered again at the Karmapa International Buddhist Institute (KIBI) this year for the annual Public Meditation Course, which started on the 1st of December, 2024.

Every day, Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, leads the last of the four daily sessions. He generally starts the session by giving a Dharma talk and answering the student’s questions, and then guides a practice of Chenrezig, the meditation aspect embodying enlightened compassion. Karmapa’s sessions are streamed live on this page:https://t.co/62QyxGsTsw

In the morning, Ven. Drubpon Nyigyam Rinpoche from Sharminub Retreat Centre in Kathmandu confers Sojong vows to the participants who wish to engage in this practice. He also gives instructions on the third of the Four Foundational Practices (Ngondro), the Mandala Offering.

Furthermore, Ven. Khenpo Tsering Samdrup gives explanations on Tilopa’s “Ganges Mahamudra”, and Ven. Khenpo Chochok continues his teaching on the “Gyu Lama” (Uttaratantra Shastra), the “Treatise on the Sublime Continuum”.

Please enjoy a selection of pictures from the first few days of the Public Meditation Course.

https://t.co/KgS7hxtzYY

[Diamond Way Ireland @DWBEIRE]

Friday 6th of December 2024 at 8pm in 2 Corn Exchange Place, Dublin 2. More info https://t.co/iKSPpMPw0I #diamondway #Buddhism #meditation #BuddhismIreland #BuddhismIreland

[Karmapa @karmapaorg]

We are happy to announce that the annual Kagyu Monlam will take place again in December in Bodhgaya, the site of the historical Buddha’s supreme enlightenment more than 2,500 years ago. All sessions will be streamed on Karmapa’s website.

The Kagyu Monlam is the highlight of the Dharma calendar, where monks, nuns and lay practitioners from India and around the world gather in the shade of the Bodhi Tree to offer special aspiration prayers for the benefit of all sentient beings.

This year’s Kagyu Monlam will take place from the 15th to 21st December 2024 and it will be the 22nd Kagyu Monlam since 1996, when the late Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche gathered the resources for all Karma Kagyu practitioners to come together for the first time at the sacred venue of Bodhgaya.

Karmapa will once again lead the aspiration prayers, joined by many Rinpoches, Khenpos and Lamas.

The main prayer recited at the Kagyu Monlam is known as the ‘King of Aspiration Prayers’ or the ‘Samantabhadra Wishing Prayer’.

As Karmapa has said:

Let us use these days of the Kagyu Monlam to fully express our human nature by joining in the perfect aspirations of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, without any sense of a mission to accomplish, without any doubt or hesitation, but with whole-hearted enjoyment.

Please enjoy these photos of the 2023 Kagyu Monlam.

https://t.co/ynX3x1SrYB

[Karmapa @karmapaorg]

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, shares the following teaching on memory:

There is no memory without concepts. And since we humans are the masters of concepts, we are generally quite fond of our memories.

And it’s true that taking a trip down memory lane can be a wonderful thing, but nevertheless, there are some questions we might want to ask ourselves:

Do we want to remember everything?
Do we need to remember everything?
How much do we want to remember?
Is it possible that an excess of memory could become a burden?
So therefore, can we forget?
Can we let go of memory if we want to?

I feel that due to having accumulated too many memories, due to having had too much experience, there comes a point when we become tired of it, a time when it has become too much for us to carry.

And so therefore, I suppose, at some point there is a wish to let go of these memories.

Consciously, unconsciously, or subconsciously, such a wish will be there, and then it will just happen, either through the so-called physical death, or before that, through memory loss or dementia.

In a way, it’s like gravity: if there is too much water collected in one place, one way or another the earth will give way. It will either create a channel for the water to flow, or the water will flood, or evaporate through heat caused by friction – whichever way, something happens.

And I believe that a similar thing happens in our brain, our body, our mind. Due to our education, we are so used to thinking, so used to labelling everything: now we’re feeling this, now we’re feeling that, now we are experiencing this, now we are encountering that, and so after some time we have too much memory, and we don’t want to remember anything… This creates friction, a kind of mental heat, which will eventually evaporate our memory.

So, in short: memory is very interesting, it can be fun, but it cannot last, it cannot stay with us forever: at some point it just goes, upward, downward, sideways, either via memory loss, dementia or physical death – one way or another we give up, or we are parted from memory.

When we say that without concepts there is no memory, what it means is that memory is just another technology, it’s just a part of our condition – beyond that, it has nothing to do with anything.

The only question is, “Do you want memory?” If the answer is yes, if you like memory, then go and be a human being – but then accept that at some point you’ll have an overload of memory and will want to give up that memory again. There is no further reasoning required, such as, “Is memory good, is it healthy, will it help us improve?” Nothing like that – memory is just what it is, nothing more and nothing less.

It is said that through the practice of samadhi you can remember a hundred thousand lives, then multiply that by another hundred thousand times, and so on. That kind of description might give you a sense that you did exist before. But I feel that the reality of it – what it’s really trying to say – is that you realise more and more how much you have been all others, how the others have othered you and how you have you’d them.

So basically, you realise that you have already arrived where you have been wanting to go, so therefore there is not much point in trying to go anywhere now.

And so, once you arrive there, then one popular way of saying it is that everything is alright, and that there is no need to change anything whatsoever.

Another way of putting it is that you are free, you can just be yourself by then, and so whether you want to make memories or you don’t want make memories is completely up to you.

It’s your privilege.

But at that point it could be wonderful to add memory, because you can make believe anything.

https://t.co/4jQC6Jn7Up

[Diamond Way Ireland @DWBEIRE]

Introduction to Buddhism and Meditation - Friday 30th of August 2024 at 8pm in 2 Corn Exchange Place, Dublin 2. More info https://t.co/iKSPpMQ3Qg #diamondway #Buddhism #meditation #BuddhismIreland #BuddhismIreland

[Karmapa @karmapaorg]

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, arrived at the Europe Center, international meeting place for Diamond Way Buddhists from around the world, late in the evening of the 23rd of July, 2024.

Karmapa’s programme in the Europe Center was part of the 2024 International Summer Course. This two-week course is held at the Europe Center every year, and offers Dharma friends from around the world the opportunity to come together, meet with their beloved teacher Lama Ole Nydahl, practice and share the Buddha Dharma, and further strengthen their bonds of friendship.

During his stay at the Europe Center, Karmapa gave two Dharma talks on the topic of the practice of Guru Yoga, followed by extensive question-and-answer sessions covering a wide range of subjects.

On Thursday, the 25th of July, he granted the empowerment of Buddha Amitabha (the Buddha of Infinite Light), Lord of the Pure Land of Dewachen.

Two days later, on the 27th of July, he transmitted the empowerment of Vajrasattva (Tib. Dorje Sempa), the wisdom aspect associated with the purification of veils and negativities, to a gathering of over 7,000 practitioners. Karmapa once again took time to explain the various stages of the ritual and emphasised the importance of taking refuge and developing Bodhicitta as the core of any Buddhist practice.

During his time at Europe Center, Karmapa paid several private visits to Lama Ole.

He also took time for meetings with various teams and groups and gave them advice on how to best carry forward the vast activity established by Lama Ole and his late wife Hannah over the last 50 years. On several occasions during these meetings he expressed his sincere appreciation for the enthusiasm of the Diamond Way practitioners, and for their unwavering devotion to their spiritual friend, Lama Ole Nydahl.

Karmapa departed the Europe Center by car on the afternoon of the 30th of July. His first stop was Schwarzenberg Bodhi Path Buddhist Center in Allgäu. There he was given a guided tour of the centre, followed by tea and a lively exchange with the group of practitioners who had gathered to receive him there.

He then set out for Dhagpo Möhra, in Thuringia, Germany.

https://t.co/oTbbW9H1xj

[Karmapa @karmapaorg]

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, arrived in Harrogate on the 18th of July by train from London, and was welcomed at the station by Lama Jampa Thaye, the founder of Kagyu Dechen Buddhism, as well as representatives of Kagyu Ling and Kagyu Dechen Dzong.

Karmapa was then escorted directly to the venue, the Pavilions of Harrogate, a beautiful showground located on the outskirts of the town and surrounded by countryside, where he granted the empowerment of Green Tara to the assembled practitioners.

Once all the participants had received the blessing with the ritual implements, Karmapa was driven to Kagyu Ling Buddhist Centre in Manchester, where he would stay for the next five days. Kagyu Ling, like Kagyu Dechen Dzong, is part of the Dechen association of Buddhist centres in the United Kingdom established by Lama Jampa Thaye.

Over the course of the following weekend, Karmapa gave two Dharma talks about the Buddhist way of life at the Manchester Central convention centre. Once again, he offered the participants plenty of opportunity to deepen their understanding of the Buddha Dharma by asking questions related to their practice.

Karmapa also transmitted the empowerments of Sangye Menla, usually translated into English as the Medicine Buddha, and Chenresig, the wisdom aspect representing enlightened compassion. On both occasions, Karmapa gave detailed explanations about the meaning and the stages of the practices, so the assembled practitioners had a clear understanding of what to focus on.

On the following day, he granted the initiation of Dorje Phagmo (Sanskrit Vajravarahi) to a smaller gathering of practitioners.

During his stay at Kagyu Ling Buddhist Centre, Karmapa also consecrated the newly finished stupa on the premises of Kagyu Ling, and was given a presentation of the project of the Mikyo Dorje Institute, which will be a new Dechen centre located in the heart of England and dedicated to the study and practice of authentic Tibetan Buddhism.

https://t.co/DgKPFgz5EQ

[Karmapa @karmapaorg]

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, arrived at the Beaufoy Institute in London on the late evening of the 10th of July, 2024, and was warmly welcomed by the residents and a team of volunteers and devotees. Despite the late hour of his arrival, Karmapa decided to go on a guided tour of the entire premises. The team led him through all the rooms of the building and gave him detailed explanations about the renovation work accomplished over the past twelve years, as well as the work projects in progress and those still in the planning stage.

The Beaufoy is a Grade II listed historic building, which now serves as home to the London Diamond Way Buddhist Centre, and the UK headquarters of Diamond Way Buddhism.

On the 12th of July Karmapa met with representatives of all the UK Diamond Way centres. The spokespersons of the various groups gave him an overview of the history of their centres and their current activities and projects.

Over the course of the next two days, on the weekend of the 13th and 14th of July, a public programme was held on the premises of the Beaufoy.

On Saturday Karmapa gave a Dharma talk on the topic of Buddhist refuge and held a question-and-answer session. This was followed by a special children’s blessing, where youngsters of all age groups – babies, toddlers and preteens alike – got an opportunity to spend a moment with Karmapa and receive a candy or two from him.

On Sunday Karmapa transmitted the empowerment of Buddha Amitayus, one of the wisdom aspects embodying longevity, to a gathering of over one thousand practitioners. Once again, he gave detailed explanations on the meaning of the practice and the various stages of the ritual, with a particular focus on the practice of refuge and Bodhicitta.

After two more days spent at the Beaufoy Institute, Karmapa departed London by train on the 18th of July for Harrogate in Yorkshire, the next stop on his tour.

https://t.co/k0OPjcHXjd

[Karmapa @karmapaorg]

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, arrived in the Diamond Way retreat centre of Karma Guen in southern Spain in the evening of the 18th of June, 2024, and despite the late hour was welcomed by an enthusiastic crowd of devotees.

Over the next few days, Karmapa granted the empowerments of Mahakala Bernagchen, the main Dharma protector of the Karma Kagyu lineage, and Avalokiteshvara (Tib. Chenresig), the wisdom aspect embodying the enlightened compassion of all Buddhas, to a large gathering of practitioners in the big Gompa of Karma Guen.

During his stay in southern Spain, Karmapa also gave several Dharma talks, and led extensive question-and-answer sessions with the participants, helping them deepen their understanding of the Buddha Dharma.

On the 23rd of June Karmapa travelled from Karma Guen to Benalmádena, to transmit the empowerment of Amitabha, Lord of the Pure Land of Dewachen, at the Enlightenment Stupa. A large crowd of practitioners was gathered around the stupa to listen to Karmapa’s extensive explanations and receive the blessing-empowerment of the Buddha of Limitless Light.

Karmapa also had several private meetings with Lama Ole and his close team, and met with representatives of various project groups and boards.

As a special surprise, he joined a session of the Guru Yoga on the 16th Karmapa on the 26th of June, the first day after the end of the public programme. Before the session, he once again gave the assembled practitioners ample opportunity to ask him questions related to their practice of the Buddha Dharma.

Karmapa departed Karma Guen on the 28thth of June for the next stop on this year’s summer tour, Dhagpo Kundrol Ling in Auvergne, France.

https://t.co/ukMxXDmd2Z

[Diamond Way Ireland @DWBEIRE]

Friday 7th of June 2024 at 8pm in 2 Corn Exchange Place, Dublin 2. More info https://t.co/iKSPpMQ3Qg #diamondway #Buddhism #meditation #BuddhismIreland #BuddhismIreland

[Karmapa @karmapaorg]

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, gives the following message on the occasion of Vesak, 2024.

https://t.co/GP5Xj7loxe

[Karmapa @karmapaorg]

Tomorrow, May 6th, is the 41st birthday of Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa. On this occasion, Karmapa asks his students around the world to practice the Guru Yoga of the 16th Karmapa.

https://t.co/MKxoUzdu9u

[Karmapa @karmapaorg]

Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, continued to preside over the prayers under the Bodhi Tree on days two, three and four of the 2023 Kagyu Monlam.

https://t.co/oUbI7lTgKk