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The Karmapas
Karmapa means "the one who carries out buddha-activity" or "the embodiment of
all the activities of the buddhas." In Vajrayana tradition, great enlightened teachers
are said to be able to consciously arrange to be reborn as a teacher who can carry
on the teachings of a predecessor in a prior life. Pursuant to this tradition, the
Karmapas have incarnated in this form of manifestation body (Skt. nirmanakaya),
for seventeen lifetimes, as of the present, and all have played the most important
role in preserving and propagating the Buddhist teachings of Tibet.
Prior to the birth of the first Karmapa, the arrival of a Buddhist master who would
be known as the Karmapa was prophesied by the historic Buddha Shakyamuni
and the great tantric master of India, Guru Padmasambhava. Throughout the
centuries, Karmapas have been the central figure in the continuation of the
vajrayana lineage in general and Kagyu lineage in particular, and have played a
very important role in the preservation of the study and practice lineages of
Buddhism.
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