Photographs from His Holiness Karmapa's UK visit 2017

Friday 10 June 2016

Rinpoche Accompanies Karmapa's European visit 2016

Pierfranco Alloa with Ringu Tulku Rinpoche in Paris.
Updating His Holiness Karmapa on KFE work.        
photo: Francois Henrard/KFE
Since the 21st May 2016 Ringu Tulku has for three weeks accompanied His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, on visits to Geneva and Zurich in Switzerland, and to Paris, France, on the Karmapa's 3rd visit to Europe. As with previous visits, the schedule was tightly packed with public teachings on each of the three weekends,   interspersed with visits to various dharma centres and sightseeing locations in the days between. He was invited to  tour  a Tibetan medicine laboratory, Padma Company Wetzikon, just outside Zurich and to the headquarters of Rokpa in Zurich. Rokpa is the charity founded in 1980 by Akong Rinpoche with Lea Wyler, originally to feed and care for local communities  struggling to survive in poverty stricken  Kathmandu, Nepal, but the work was later extended to Tibet and Africa, as well as on a smaller scale to local European countries.  

At all places he visited this time His Holiness Karmapa took pains to ensure that everyone belonging to the extensive Tibetan communities in Switzerland and France were given special attention and it was clear that he was very happy to connect with them, as well as  old and new western dharma students and friends.  Despite describing  himself as a little under the weather after such a rigorous fortnight preceding the final weekend in Paris, His Holiness' teachings shone in their simplicity and profundity, and can all be accessed as webcasts and written reports here.
Also in Paris a number of Karmapa Foundation Europe members were able to enjoy a brief audience with His Holiness when the General Secretary Pierfranco Alloa appraised him of recent KFE activities. The Karmapa was asked if he has any current projects that KFE can be involved with, and he re-emphasised  that the full ordination of nuns  is currently his priority, and that he sincerely hopes it will happen early in 2017.  His Holiness also heard that 34,000,000 mantra recitations have been pledged by students from around the globe,  as an offering for his long life and continuing activities.
The Karmapa's last words to the Paris audience were that he prays and hopes to see everyone again in the future.

Ringu Tulku Rinpoche now continues his own travel schedule in the UK, to arrive in Ireland on Monday 20th June, when he will be at Dublin Kagyu Samye Dzong for four nights, and will continue to teach on the final chapters of The Heart Treasure of the Enlightened Ones by Patrul Rinpoche, with commentary by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.  He then travels to Dzogchen Beara for the weekend 24th -26th June. The topic there is Dealing with the Emotions, by Ringu Tulku Rinpoche - in his own words!
Bookings
KSD Dublin: info@buddhism.ie  Tel: 01 453 7427
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