The Eighth Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje

(1507-1554)

The Karmapa is the spiritual head of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism.

Karmapa Mikyo Dorje was an exceptional master, famous for his great insight, compassion and miraculous powers.

He was an outstanding student. Even at a young age, he could maintain his concentration for long periods of study, understand difficult texts and illuminate complicated points of philosophy.

He was also a prolific scholar, producing thirty volumes of writings on Buddhist philosophy, as well as texts on Sanskrit grammar, art and poetry. Alongside his scholarly activities, he devoted himself to meditation practice and became an accomplished master, highly respected for his deep realisation.

As a monk, he lived an exemplary life of virtue, austerity and simplicity. There are many stories about the miraculous powers of Eighth Karmapa..  

In 1554, following  an outbreak of leprosy in southern Tibet, Karmapa  travelled there to bring the epidemic to an end.  He  prayed with great compassion and absorbed into his own body the imbalance that was causing the disease. The epidemic quickly cleared – but then Karmapa  began to exhibit signs of leprosy and soon was unable to walk.

Karmapa Mikyo Dorje passed away at the age of forty-seven. His corpse was cremated at Tsurphu Monastery in Tibetand his relics were enshrined in a silver stūpa (a Buddhist monument representing enlightened mind).

During his life, the Eighth Karmapa had a profound influence on the lives of both lay and monastic people in Tibet. He encouraged political and cultural leaders to practise virtue and non-aggression and to benefit others.

He encouraged healthy religious debate amongst the different traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, as well as influencing the Karma Gadri art movement. He also reinvigorated the Madhyamaka philosophical view which continues to thrive to this day.