Grebenshchikov's relationship to lama ole nidal. Buddha doesn't look into people's beds

Ole Nydahl: "I taught Grebenshchikov to die"

Lama Ole Nydahl is for Buddhists what Alla Pugacheva is for pop song lovers. Every word of the Danish King of the Diamond Way is worth its weight in gold. Ilya Stogov wrote about him in "Machos Don't Cry", Boris Grebenshchikov will not forget him until his death. Interview with a lama for “EcNo. magazine" happened in the car in which Ole Nydahl was returning from a lecture.

Ole, at the end of the lecture, a whole line of people who wanted to receive a blessing lined up for you. What is the use of it?

The blessing prolongs life, inspires confidence, helps people think more clearly, open up and forget about their little world. Sometimes it resembles drunkenness.

Let's say my leg hurts. Can I ask during this short blessing to heal my leg?

It seems that this trick does not work - it hurts me myself. A year ago I made an unsuccessful 88th parachute jump, and now my leg is stuffed with a lot of metal. I hurt my hip, my lungs... But I can teach you meditation to help you take pain less seriously.

Why did you get hurt? You are doing so many good things!

I just fell asleep in flight, and the reserve parachute opened only at an altitude of 180 meters. And this is a critical height.

Do movie and music stars, declaring their attraction to Buddhism, benefit it or vice versa?

Buddhism benefits them. The rest is unimportant: Buddhism cannot be harmed or improved upon.

What famous people have you been able to help?

Steven Seagal got some help from me. Also the Dalai Lama - we worked for the Tibetan government in Bolivia, Ecuador ... I helped Boris Grebenshchikov - I taught him conscious dying. He was pleased with it.

Only Grebenshchikov now knows how to die consciously, or is this revealed to many?

I taught this to 60,000 people in the world ... (At that moment, a tough fight began at the crossroads - Rybik's note). Wow. what is this?!! Yes, and so, next week I will teach residents of the Moscow region and Krasnoyarsk to consciously die - after all, everyone there will also die someday.

Have you ever managed to break up a fight with a kind word?

This fight arose somehow very quickly, and I did not quite understand what was happening. It seems that drunken people annoyed the non-drunk and beat them. But there were no knives, so I didn't ask the driver to stop.

What if there was a knife?

I would try to do something. A broken nose is not very serious. Also, no one kicked a lying person, and then, there were many people who spoke Ukrainian who could help.

Are you familiar with martial arts?

I have been boxing for 4 years.

Were there any injuries during training?

I regularly got it: attacking, I forgot about defense. I also had accidents on a motorcycle ... But this did not affect my good temper.

Are you often sad?

Never. My mind doesn't change. If my mind were to change, I could not be a refuge for others. But I feel empathy when I see people mistreating each other. On the one hand I see their buddha nature which is BEHIND everything they do, on the other hand I see how they harm themselves; they will meet in future lives and will again harm each other.

Are you familiar with the effects of drugs?

Yes, familiar. I wrote my thesis in Copenhagen. The only thing a drug can do is to give happiness in a short time, which in a different state we would experience for a long time. But then you feel bad. I lost part of my generation because of drugs. That's why I recommend extreme sports. Not stupid views when people climb uphill without insurance, but adequate ones. This is what expands life.

What is emptiness in Buddhism?

Emptiness is the potential from which everything emerges. Emptiness means that everything is space, there is a place for everything, which means that we are free. When one realizes the emptiness of one's own ego, liberation occurs. And if we realize the emptiness of everything in general - enlightenment.

Are there any things that you are not free from?

I really like to make love and really do not like when there is no such opportunity. I also sometimes need to eat and drink, spend time with friends.

Do you believe in dreams?

Only the last third of the night is interesting. What you dream about shortly before waking up may show the near future. And what you dream about just before awakening itself gives an idea of ​​​​the future.

Buddhists often talk about Tibetan miracles. What are these miracles?

For example, not so long ago, the 17th Karmapa Thaye Dorje tied a knife in a knot. (The 17th Karmapa is a spiritual teacher, including the Ukrainian school of the Diamond Way, - Rybik's note.)

Do you listen to music with headphones?

I never have time for music. But I really like to dance for a few hours at night. I like Eminem.

What's the most idiotic thing you've come across lately?

Politics is always deeply idiotic. There are no statesmen in the world capable of looking into the future further than two years.

Because politicians are not Buddhists?

They're smart, they know history, most of them have passed their college exams, but they're just thinking about their next election. They don't want to say things that people don't want to hear.

What are you afraid to hear?

I don't want to hear that the overpopulation of the planet continues. The equator is overpopulated, and people need to be paid to stop giving birth - otherwise the Earth simply cannot stand it. Two kids at the university are better than ten who are begging. I also don't like what Muslims do to each other. There are more and more of them, they are all very dangerous.

Do you distinguish Muslims from terrorists?

I make a distinction between people who read the Quran and those who do not read the Quran. The Quran is a criminal book. It says: "Kill Christians, Jews, infidels, oppress women!"

In conclusion, what question would you like to be answered yourself?

What is a good plan for the future world?

Thank you.

Thank you.

“…So, what is Buddhism? The Buddha himself used the best description. During the 1500 years of the existence of the teaching in India it was called Dharma, and in the next 1000 years in Tibet it was called Che. Both names mean: "how everything really is." Understanding "what things really are" is the key to all kinds of happiness. The Buddha himself is a teacher, example, protector and friend. Through it, beings can avoid suffering and enter into a state of increasing bliss, while liberating and leading to enlightenment in others,” from Ole Nydahl’s The Way Everything Really Is.

Report at the international conference "Totalitarian sects and a democratic state", held in Novosibirsk on November 9-11, 2004

"... the central path in Kagyu is the path of "Guru Yoga", meditation on the Lama. Through devotion and

ability to see the Lama as a Buddha is revealed

precious qualities of our mind, and we

we identify ourselves with the perfect state of the Lama."

Lama Ole Nidal

Honorable Fathers, Brothers and Sisters, Ladies and Gentlemen!

I have a task no less difficult than the one that Andrey Dmitrievich Redkozubov tried to solve, arguing on the topic whether Wahhabism belongs to sects in general and totalitarian and destructive in particular or not. In this case, we will have to find out the same about the mission, more precisely, the network of centers founded in Western countries, as well as here, in Russia, by a modern Buddhist missionary, a Dane by origin, lama Ole Nydahl.

This problem can be presented in the form of the following questions:

Can Ole Nydahl's mission be considered neo-Buddhist? Can Ole Nydahl's organization be considered a cult? If so, is it totalitarian? What are the social consequences of Ole Nydahl's activity, is it destructive?

Before attempting to answer these questions, a few preliminary remarks must be made about the history of Buddhism in Russia.

Buddhism has existed in Russia since the 17th-early 18th centuries, when the Mongolian tribes of nomadic herders came to our country: Kalmyks (Oirats) - in the lower reaches of the Volga and Buryats - in Transbaikalia. They brought with them Tibetan Buddhism, or Lamaism, and in the form of Gelug-pa (Tib. "Ge monastery school"), which began to spread among the Mongols from the second half of the 16th century. The term "Lamaism" comes from the word "lama" (Tib. "highest"), which is the Tibetan equivalent of the Sanskrit "guru" - "teacher". In Lamaism, the traditional three-part formula for confessing Buddhism, including the invocation of the "three jewels" - the Buddha, dharma (the teachings of the Buddha) and the sangha (the Buddhist community), is supplemented by a vow to the lama, and the lama is considered the quintessence of the first three refuges; without his help, it is impossible to achieve salvation, understood in northern Buddhism as the awakening of consciousness and the achievement of Buddhahood.

It should be clarified that there are four schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Gelugpa - the dominant school in Tibet - was created at the beginning of the 15th century. reformer Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), who streamlined various Buddhist traditions, restored the celibacy of lamas and created a system of 20-year regular education of the clergy. The Dalai Lama, one of the first hierarchs of the Gelug school, is the head of the Tibetan and Mongolian Buddhists.

Only Gelugpa Lamaism is a traditional religion for Russia, primarily in three regions of our country: Kalmykia, Buryatia and Tuva. Currently, most of the Gelugpa Buddhists are united in three ethnic communities: the largest is the Buddhist Traditional Sangha of Russia (Buryat associations), headed by Pandito Khambo Lama Damba Ayushev; Association of Buddhists of Kalmykia and Administration of the Kamba Lama of the Republic of Tyva.

Since the late 1980s, traditional Buddhism has been experiencing a revival in Russia, but at the same time, missions of other branches of Buddhism appeared, including the missions of the three so-called old, that is, pre-reform, schools of Lamaism. They are actively proselytizing both among the traditionally Buddhist peoples and among the Russians and other ethnic groups of Russia.

The number of Russian Buddhists today is several thousand people, while literally a few belong to traditional Buddhist associations in Russia. Of the more than two hundred Buddhist associations in Russia, less than half are traditional ethnic.

The largest non-traditional Buddhist organization in our country has become the "Russian Association of Buddhists of the Karma-Kagyu School", which includes 66 local organizations in Russia and Belarus. Thus, more than a quarter of all Buddhist associations in Russia are Karma-Kagyu communities. The formal head of the "Russian Association of Karma-Kagyu" is the president, but in reality all communities are subordinate to their founder - the Danish lama Ole Nydahl, the most active preacher of the Europeanized version of Karma-Kagyu in the West and in Russia.

What is the Karma Kagyu school and who is Lama Ole Nydahl?

Karma Kagyu is the largest and most influential sub-tradition within the Kagyu-pa, one of the three pre-reform schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The name "Kagyu-pa" means "School of Tantra", or "School of Succession". Its foundation is attributed to the famous tantric yogis from India, Tilopa and Naropa (XI century), who are considered magicians and miracle workers. In the same 11th century, thanks to another well-known figure of Tantric Buddhism, Marla, Karma-pa came to Tibet. Many tantric yogis were not monks or were so only formally. They got married or led a promiscuous life. In the reformed Gelug school, tantric practices are available only to those lamas who have shown the greatest success in mastering Buddhist philosophy and meditation, and the sexual elements are left in these practices only in a symbolic form. Whereas in the old pre-reform schools, including the Karma Kagyu, which are based on Tantrism, there are still, although not often, married lamas.

The Karma Kagyu school is headed by the First Hierarch with the title of Karmapa. Today it is the 17th Karmapa. According to his status, the Karmapa is considered the third hierarch of Tibet (after the Panchen Lama and the Dalai Lama). In the Karma Kagyu school, the worship of lamas is especially strongly developed, which is a characteristic feature of Tantric Buddhism. First of all, this reverence refers to the Karmapa, towards whom the followers of the Karma-Kagyu should, at least according to Ole Nydahl, show unlimited personal devotion.

After the occupation of Tibet by communist China in the middle of the 20th century, the Dalai Lama, Karmapa and many other lamas emigrated to India. After some time, some lamas moved from India to Western countries, where they began to acquire followers from among Europeans and Americans. On the other hand, since the 1960s, hippies and representatives of other youth subcultures have moved from the West to the "India of the Spirit" in search of adventure. Some of them were looking for a deeper "religious experience", someone psychedelic, someone "tantric" (in the sense of exotic forms of fornication), for some it was all one, and someone generally combined "pleasant with useful": "spiritual search" with the search for suppliers of cheap drugs to Western markets.

Initially, the object of interest of Western "seekers" were Hindu, even more often neo-Hindu gurus. But soon the pilgrimage became massive, and the Hindu gurus, especially the popular "business gurus", acquired in the eyes of nonconformists a shade of some "pop". And then the most stubborn "seekers" found Tibetan lamas in northern India.

One of these "seekers" was the Dane Ole Nydahl. He was born in 1941. From 1960 to 1969 he studied and then taught at the University of Copenhagen. In parallel with his studies, from the early 1960s, Nydahl joined the early movement of European hippies. He was also into racing motorcycles and was a regular participant in street fights. In his own words, he used all kinds of drugs, which, as he believed, following the preachers of the "psychedelic religion", open the "gates of perception", expand consciousness and facilitate "journeys" into completely unusual worlds. Finally, Nydahl took up smuggling gold and drugs from Asia to Europe. In search of new thrills and new sources of cheap drugs, he traveled around Asia with his wife Hannah. Once on one of his trips to Nepal, Nidal met a lama of the Karma Kagyu school. In 1969, during his third trip to Nepal, he met the 16th Karmapa and became his disciple. In 1970, Ole and Hanna converted to Buddhism. Prostrating before the Karmapa and taking a vow of complete and unconditional devotion to him, Ole received the name Karma Lodi Jamtso. At the end of the initiation ceremony, Karmapa said to Ola and Hanna, "You must have confidence in me as a Buddha."

Nydahl claims that already in 1972, that is, only two years after the formal adoption of Buddhism, Karmapa initiated him into a lama and sent him to Europe with the task of creating Karma-Kagyu centers in the West, which he began to actively engage in.

Soon Ole Nydahl obtained an audience with the Danish Queen Margaret and arranged for the Dalai Lama to visit his center in Copenhagen. In the 1970s Nidal organized the trips of the Karmapa and other Karma Kagyu lamas around Europe. In addition, until the early 1980s. Nydahl, along with his students, made annual pilgrimages to India to see the Karmapa, with brief visits to the Dalai Lama.

In the second half of the 1970s. The Karmapa declared Ole Nydahl to be the "radiation" of Mahakala. It should probably be clarified that Mahakala (Skt. "Great Black") is one of the dharmapalas, that is, "defenders of dharma (Buddhism)", with whom Buddhist missionaries at one time announced the demons of the Indians, Tibetans and Mongols. It was a kind of missionary technique - to declare that the gods and demons revered by this people adopted Buddhism, which means that the whole people should follow their example. The figures of Buddhism did not seek to eradicate local forms of witchcraft, shamanism and polytheism at all, but tried to introduce them into the Buddhist context. Thus, the veneration of dharmapalas was gradually rethought in a Buddhist way. Many of them have come to be regarded as wrathful forms of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. retaining their demonic appearance, which is reproduced in their images and in the mind of a Buddhist during meditation.

Mahakala, of whom Nidal claims to be a phenomenon, is the "Buddhist-converted" Shiva in his tantric form as the lord of demons. He is depicted with a body of black and blue, with a necklace of dead heads and earrings made of bones, with bloodshot three eyes, with a bared fanged mouth, with a ferocious muzzle, surrounded by tongues of flame. Mahakala holds a weapon in his hands to destroy internal and external obstacles in Buddhist practice, including the enemies of Buddhism.

Often Mahakala is depicted copulating with a dakina (demon) or with the Tibetan goddess Baldan Lhamo (riding a mule, in the middle of a sea of ​​blood and fire), which, according to the Tantrics, symbolize wisdom. From the point of view of Vajrayana (Tantric Buddhism), the veneration of the wrathful forms of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas should lead to the speedy realization of the nature of all beings without exception as a single, non-dual nature of the awakened Mind, that is, the Mind of the Buddha.

In the second half of the 1970s accounts for the foundation of the first center of Karma-Kagyu in Eastern Europe - in Poland. Then, according to Ole Nydahl, the Karmapa entrusted him with the entire "Eastern bloc", up to Japan.

Today, there are more than 400 centers around the world founded by Lama Ole Nydahl and his students. About half of them are in the countries of Eastern and Central Europe, including Russia. The number of Ole Nydahl's students in the world, in his own words, is 6 thousand people. It turns out that the average number of adepts in the Karma-Kagyu centers is 15 people. However, the number of people who come to Nidal's performances during his visits to local centers is an order of magnitude greater. For example, since 1983, more than 35,000 people have taken the course of Phowa (yoga of conscious dying) alone. Most of those who attended the speeches and courses of Lama Ole Nydahl, who listened to his lectures and received the initiations that he gives to everyone indiscriminately, did not become followers of the Karma Kagyu, many did not even become Buddhists. This audience perceives Nidal through the prism of the New Age worldview as one of a number of "spiritual teachers".

In 1988, Nydahl received state recognition of his status as a Buddhist clergyman in Denmark, which, in particular, gives him the right to officially perform funerals and marry (religious organizations recognized in Denmark are granted the right to register acts of civil status). In the same year, Ole Nydahl visited our country for the first time, entering incognito across the Finnish border. From morning to evening he preached and gave initiations in Leningrad apartments, and as a result, the first centers appeared in Leningrad and Tallinn.

In 1989, Ole Nydahl visited Moscow, where he gave a lecture in an architectural workshop located in the Nativity Monastery. But the center in Moscow appeared only in 1991. The "Moscow Buddhist Center" (officially the name of the organization of the Moscow followers of Ole Nydahl) moved from place to place until it occupied a large communal apartment on Petrovsky Boulevard. There are communities of the "Russian Association of Buddhists of the Karma Kagyu School" in all major cities of our country. They are divided into nine regions (including Belarus). The headquarters of the association is located in St. Petersburg. The association has its own educational institution - a branch of the "International Karmapa Institute" (Elista, Kalmykia), has its own websites on the Internet. The number of followers of Ole Nydahl in Russia and Belarus is about 2 thousand people.

Now we can return to the questions posed at the beginning of the speech.

According to Ole Nydahl, ethnic Buddhism in the countries of its traditional distribution has practically outlived itself, having become overly formalized, clinging to the outside. The culture of peoples who profess Buddhism has no special value and should not be transferred to the West. That is, Buddhism must be separated from the traditional culture it generated, in this case the Tibetan one, and in such a purified form combined with the European culture. Lama Ole says that he brings to the people a new, young, Western, advanced, fresh and strong Buddhism. Thus, he himself calls his version of Buddhism new. "New Buddhism" is neo-Buddhism, to put it briefly.

How is this attitude towards neo-Buddhism implemented by Ole Nydahl? First of all, in his way of life. He abandoned the traditional robes of the Buddhist clergy. In front of an audience, he usually performs in denim trousers, a jacket and a black T-shirt or vest. He behaves rather cheekily, for example, he can take off his socks and put his feet on the table for all to see.

He continues to engage in extreme sports: parachuting and riding motorcycles at a speed of 200 km / h on mountain roads, believing that he is guarded by the buddhas.

In his missionary work, Ole Nydahl uses elements of the methodology of American evangelical preachers. It is based on public speeches in front of large audiences, after which Nydahl calls for taking "Refuges", that is, Buddhism. In the early 1990s in Russia over a thousand people took "Refuge" within a few days after Ole Nydahl's speech. As already mentioned, not all of those who converted to Buddhism in this way went on to attend the local Karma Kagyu center or practice Buddhism in any other way.

But all this could be attributed to the category of special Buddhist techniques - "upaya" (Skt. "tricks") - to attract the public to the teachings of the Buddha, albeit not very successfully applied.

Much more serious are those aspects of the teachings and life of Ole Nydahl that are in conflict with traditional Buddhist (and not only Buddhist) ethics.

Ole Nydahl eats meat and drinks alcohol, referring to the example of the founders of the Kagyu school. However, for many centuries in the Karma Kagyu school, such defiant behavior that violates the basic precepts of Buddhism has been considered the special techniques of the great yogis of the past and is not approved for lamas. Moreover, Nidal drinks alcohol, of course, not alone. For example, Lama Ole began his first sermon in Moscow by treating all those present with cognac.

Ole Nidal is married. He denies the need for celibacy for lamas and generally preaches non-monastic, lay Buddhism, which, of course, is quite scandalous for Tibetan Buddhism: even in the old Tantric schools, married lamas are rare and do not occupy a serious position in the hierarchy. As a result of such views, soon after the start of Ole Nydahl's activities in the West, he began to disagree with those lamas of the Karma-Kagyu school who represented authentic Tibetan Buddhism in Europe, in particular with Lama Kalu Rinpoche, who at one time was one of Ole Nydahl's teachers. As a result, Ole Nydahl was forced to give up the title of lama for more than 10 years. However, despite conflicts with Buddhist teachers in Europe, Ole Nydahl retained some status through his personal devotion to the Karmapa. In the period from 1976 to 1981, Karmapa, while in the US and in France, several times publicly confirmed that Ole Nydahl was a lama.

However, it was only in 1988 that Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche, one of the supreme lamas of the Karma Kagyu, officially proclaimed Ole Nydahl a lama.

Further. In traditional Buddhism, activities such as drug trafficking and one's own body, that is, prostitution, are prohibited. Regarding the drug trade, Ole Nydahl does not say that it is strictly forbidden, he says that it is difficult to be a Buddhist and sell drugs at the same time. After all, he himself, having actually become a Buddhist, did not immediately stop smuggling drugs. But Ole Nydahl fully justifies prostitution and believes that prostitutes and those who use their services may well be Buddhists.

Ole Nydahl generally allows such types of sexual relations that are considered unacceptable in Buddhism. In fact, he promotes "free love" without any restrictions, except for sexual violence, incest and "destruction of other people's relationships."

Various forms of sexual perversion, including homosexuality, he also considers acceptable for a Buddhist. Ole Nydahl himself seems to set an example of "free love". He has a constant lover Katya Hartung accompanying him on trips (people who know him say this, and he himself does not really hide it) and, judging by his revelations with adepts and other indirect evidence, he enters into sexual relations with his followers. During one of the speeches, when asked if he had children, Ole Nydahl replied: “I think I have a child in Paris. Of course. Our family is very healthy, and sometimes you really think about passing on to someone if a smart woman comes to me with a desire to raise a child from me, without involving me in legal formalities - I will give her this child ... I cannot afford to have many children, since in many places I sign as responsible for property for the Karmapa. If I have heirs, it will be problematic."

The advent of AIDS, as you know, forced the supporters of "free love" to remember to be careful. Ole Nydahl, among others, became an ardent supporter of condoms, which he even supplied to our country as humanitarian aid. Lama Ole welcomes the use of all contraceptives, without going into the fact that many of them are abortive, while, according to Buddhist teachings, the mind is connected to the body at the moment of conception and, therefore, abortion is murder (which Ole Nydahl does not deny) .

Such "emancipation" of Ole Nydahl, of course, cannot but cause embarrassment and even indignation among traditional Buddhists in Russia. Sanjey Lama, Moscow representative of the Khambo Lama Damba Ayushev. To the question of the author of the report about the attitude of the Buddhist traditional sangha of Russia to the activities of Ole Nydahl, he replied that although Ole is a legitimately initiated lama, "he corrupts our youth." Indeed, Ole Nydahl preaches a morality uncharacteristic of Buddhism in the regions where Buddhism is traditionally spread.

In addition, the Sanjay Lama referred to the position of the Dalai Lama, which has changed in recent years, and no longer supports Ole Nydahl. The latter, in turn, criticizes the Dalai Lama for his ongoing efforts to normalize relations with the Chinese government. In fact, Lama Ole Nydahl found himself at odds with most Tibetan Buddhists. This split, which arose back in the early 1990s, became especially acute in 2000, in connection with the flight of the young 17th Karmapa from China.

Here it is necessary to make a small digression and recall that in the Middle Ages in Tibet, thanks to the Karma-Kagyu school, the institution of "incarnations" was established. It is believed that the highest lamas after their death are consciously reborn in new bodies. In order to search for such a "rebirth", the indications given by the late hierarch before his death, oracle prophecies, astrological calculations, as well as special procedures for identifying applicants, are of great importance. During the search and education of the successor of the next hierarch, it is up to the regents to fulfill his duties. It happened that various interested groups among the Buddhist clergy, for political and other reasons, entered into a struggle among themselves for the recognition of their candidate as a "reborn". This happened in the case of the search for a successor to the 16th Karmapa, who died of cancer in Chicago in 1981.

Buddhist lamas of Tibet, and with them the Dalai Lama, who referred to the secret letter of the 16th Karmapa, recognized Urgyen Trinley as the seventeenth incarnation of the Karmapa. As such, he was recognized by the Chinese authorities. However, some of the emigrant lamas, who were sharply anti-Chinese, were declared the 17th Karmapa Thaye Dorje. Lama Ole Nydahl joined the latter. In 1992, Thaye Dorje, at the age of nine, in turn recognized the authority of Ole Nydahl. In January 2000, Urgyen Trinley fled Tibet for India. To date, most lamas, led by the Dalai Lama, recognize Urgyen Trinley as the legitimate 17th Karmapa, and schismatic lamas, including Ole Nydahl, consider him an agent of the Chinese secret services.

We will not consider the question of the authenticity of Ole Nydahl's transmission of Buddhism in the version of the Karma Kagyu school, since this would take too much time. We only note that Lama Ole strives for the maximum simplification of Buddhist teachings, even translating into European languages ​​the names of his own characters in the pantheon of Lamaism.

So, the mission of Lama Ole Nydahl can be considered with complete certainty neo-Buddhist in socio-cultural terms.

We have in mind the concept of "sect" as a religious term. A sect is characterized, firstly, by opposing itself to the religious tradition from which the given sect has separated; second, opposition to culture-forming religions that are traditional for a given country or region (the "maternal" and "dominant" religious traditions in a country can be one and the same). In the second case, we are talking about, in relation to the West, Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, in relation to Russia - about Orthodoxy and, at the regional level, about Islam and Lamaism of the Gelug school.

The fact that Ole Nydahl in a certain way opposes his "new Buddhism" to the traditional one and even ended up in a split with the Dalai Lama was mentioned above. It may be added that in 1989 he published a book in which he criticized the mission of traditional Buddhists in the West and, as a result, his relations with many traditional lamas deteriorated further.

There is one more circumstance. Newly converted Europeans and Russians to Buddhism are characterized by multi-schoolness. Even if the new converts identify themselves with a certain branch of Buddhism, they, as a rule, take initiations in several schools, often even of different regional traditions (both Tibetan and Far Eastern). Rime, a movement of Tibetan Buddhism that arose in the 19th century, is popular. and advocating joining all three pre-reform schools of Lamaism (for example, rock musician Boris Grebenshchikov belongs to Rome).

But Ole Nydahl does not allow his followers to take initiations in other schools and use the instructions of their teachers. In addition, he recommends reading only his own books.

Since 1978, Nidal has written several books, some of which are now published in Russian. True, after the student has mastered them well, he is allowed to read the books of other teachers of Tibetan Buddhism, primarily the Karma Kagyu school.

As for Christianity, Ole Nydahl, recognizing its success in social work and superiority in organization, believes that in everything else it is inferior to Buddhism: Christianity is illogical, based on blind faith, not experience, therefore Christians believe in "a god with a beard ", and in general, Christianity is the lot of the stupid and narrow-minded, and Buddhism is for the smart and with broad views.

True, Ole Nydahl understands Buddhism mainly as Western neo-Buddhism, and he also calls traditional Buddhists not very smart, stupid, and the like.

Nidal tends to be very harsh about other religions and their leaders. He calls the Pope "completely insane" because he does not allow Roman Catholics to use condoms. He attributes to the Russian Orthodox Church "a pronounced paranoia in relation to other religions", apparently referring to the fears of Orthodox Christians about his activities. But Ole Nydahl is especially negative about Islam. His claims
come down to three points: 1) Muslims persecuted Buddhists in the Middle Ages (Ole Nydahl also blames the oppression of Buddhism in the past and present against Hinduism, which dominates in India and Nepal, the countries that gave shelter to Tibetan immigrants); 2) Islam treats women badly, especially because it "forces" them to give birth to many children (and it also blames Hindus for this); 3) Islam threatens Western liberal values ​​and therefore must be expelled from Europe. It should be added that some of Lama Ole's statements about "black and brown" (in his terminology) peoples, especially about the Arabs, border on racism.

It turns out that all the major religions of the world have become the object of attacks by Ole Nydahl. At the same time, he spoke very favorably, albeit with slight irony, about Shoko Asahara and wished him success (though even before Aum Shinrikyo was convicted of terrorism) and about Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the leader of the pseudo-Hindu sect "Transcendental Meditation" .

On the other hand, Ole Nydahl, as you probably already understood, is not an opponent or critic of the way of life that prevails in the West and is based on liberalism and the rejection of the basic moral values ​​of Christianity. His followers should almost never change their lives, except to give up some extremes. Even though Nydahl does not welcome the use of drugs, he does not prohibit it either. Thus, Ole Nydahl's organization, operating in the West, does not have such a sign of a sect as closeness to the outside world.

However, it cannot be said about Russia that the lifestyle of the majority of its citizens is determined by specific Western liberal values, the adoption of which in their totality means a departure from traditional religious ethics. For the youth of Russian megacities, most of whom are far from traditional culture and have no religious roots of morality, joining Ole Nydahl's organization does not mean a change in the cultural and ethical paradigm. But for the youth of medium and small towns in Russia, this is apparently the case to a large extent. Once again I recall the words of the Sanjay Lama about Ole Nidal: "He corrupts our youth."

In view of the foregoing, Ole Nydahl's organization in Russia can be considered a sect, albeit with some reservations.

3. Is Ole Nydahl's sect totalitarian?

The presence in the group of an authoritarian leader, endowed with a halo of mystical power, is, as you know, one of the main characteristics of a totalitarian sect. In traditional Lamaism, the principle of honoring the teacher is limited by many factors, including the presence of other authorities. Lama Ole Nydahl focuses in his missionary work to a large extent on countercultural youth, which, on the one hand, is characterized by the rejection of all kinds of authorities, especially family ones, and, on the other hand, infantilism and an unconscious craving for authority. This makes possible the adoration of an authoritarian leader, in this case Ole Nydahl, and blind obedience to him, which, in turn, gives scope for abuse and all forms of exploitation by the leader of his followers, including sexual exploitation.

Nidal demands complete devotion and obedience to the lama. To strengthen the connection with the lama, it is necessary to give him gifts, donate money and work in the centers. All who work in Karma-Kagyu centers do it for free. Moreover, all lectures and classes are paid. In Russia, a four-day course now costs 900 rubles.

As the number of paid programs attending Karma-Kagyu centers grew, Nydahl got the opportunity to live the life of an itinerant preacher: practically every two or three days he finds himself in another city or even in another country. Sometimes he stays a little longer to conduct an intensive multi-day course. Gradually, Nydahl also made some of his students traveling teachers.

A characteristic feature of a totalitarian sect is moral relativism, which is expressed primarily in the use of lies and omissions in order to achieve the goals of the organization. Lama Ole teaches his followers to avoid only lying about their experiences during meditation and lies that are aimed at harming living beings. Any other lie can be tolerated.

For example, the official position of the Russian Association of the Followers of Ole Nydahl is that Buddhism of the Karma-Kagyu school has existed in our country since the 13th century. among the Kalmyks and, thus, is traditional for Russia. Even if we assume that among the Kalmyks from the XIII century. there were individual followers of the Karma-Kagyu school, then, most likely, in the 17th century, when this people came to the territory of Russia, they were gone, since at that time Buddhism of the Gelug school was practiced there. There is a deliberate misleading of the authorities and society.

Karma-Kagyu Buddhism is not traditional for any of the peoples or regions of our country, and although this fact does not bear any legal consequences, it must be clearly understood that the neo-Buddhist mission of Ole Nydahl has nothing to do with the Buddhism that is mentioned among other traditional Religions of Russia in the Preamble to the Federal Law "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations" (1997).

If we talk about mind control in totalitarian sects, then you need to pay attention to Nydahl's instruction to his students "not to listen to people who spread doubts and argue about the teachings." But at the same time, as far as is known from those. who has become a follower of Nidal is not required to break off relations with his former environment.

The question is about the extent of Ole Nydahl's control over his followers, also. as well as the presence in his organization of other signs of a totalitarian sect, remains open and requires further study. So far, there are no sufficient grounds for qualifying his sect as totalitarian.

4. What are the social consequences of Ole Nydahl's activities? Is she destructive?

Ole Nydahl's active work can lead, and is already leading, to conflicts with traditional Buddhists in Russia and an increase in inter-religious tension.

Ole Nydahl promotes contraceptives because, in his opinion, a woman should have as few or no children as possible in order not to lose her "freedom". He calls women who give birth to many children "hens that lay eggs all the time." He says that the birth of a woman in "black" and "brown" countries is a consequence of bad karma, because they give birth a lot. In the context of the current demographic catastrophe in Russia, this position, of course, cannot be considered constructive.

The only socially positive consequence of Ole Nydahl's activities can be considered that some of the countercultural youth who use drugs attracted by him reduce their use or stop it altogether, since Nydahl promotes meditation as a more effective and qualitatively better means of changing the state of consciousness than drugs and says that drugs interfere with meditation.

So, the teachings (especially ethical) and the practice of Ole Nydahl's mission are destructive in relation to the traditional moral values ​​of the peoples of Russia, including those who profess Buddhism.

And, finally, we can draw the final conclusion: the mission of Lama Ole Nydahl is a non-traditional neo-Buddhist sect for Russia, whose vigorous activity has generally negative social consequences.

Mikhail Plotnikov, deacon,

Candidate of Theology, Senior Lecturer

Orthodox St. Tikhon Humanitarian University,

Vice President of the Center for Religious Studies

in the name of St. Irenaeus of Lyons

Photo Lama Ole Nydahl - www.wday.ru

Ole Nydahl grew up in Denmark. From 1960 to 1969 he studied at the University of Copenhagen, and for several semesters in Tübingen and Munich in Germany. Main subjects: philosophy, English and German.

Ole Nydahl took an active part in the spiritual search of hippies - including with the help of drugs, having problems with health and the law. The continuation of spiritual searches was a trip to the Himalayas.

In 1961 he met his future wife Hannah. After the wedding in 1968, they went on a honeymoon trip to Nepal, where they met their first Buddhist teacher, Lopen Tsechu Rinpoche, the Lama of the Drukpa Kagyu school. On their next trip, they meet and become the first Western students of the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, head of the Karma Kagyu school.

Ole and Hanna Nydahl became close students of the 16th Karmapa. At the same time, they met other Kagyu teachers such as Kalu Rinpoche, Kunzig Shamarpa, Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, Situ Rinpoche and others. Both also become students of Lopen Tsechu Rinpoche and Kunzig Shamarpa.

Ole and Hanna Nydahl received traditional Buddhist education under Kalu Rinpoche. Being close students of the 16th Karmapa, they also received many teachings, empowerments and informal transmissions.

According to Kyuzig Shamar Rinpoche and Khenpo Chodrag, speaking on behalf of the Buddhist institutions of the Gyalwa Karmapa, and the Gyalwa Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje himself, Ole Nydahl is recognized as a teacher of Diamond Way Buddhism (Vajrayana) within one of the parts of the Karma Kagyu school.

Diamond Way Centers

According to many accounts, he was commissioned by the 16th Karmapa to establish Karma Kagyu centers in the west. More about this can be found in a letter from Khenpo Chodrag.

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Since 1973, Ole Nydahl has been traveling giving lectures. Soon the first meditation center in Copenhagen was formed, which was subsequently visited by the Fourteenth Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso. In 1974, 1976, 1977 and 1980 the 16th Karmapa visited centers in Europe and the USA. In January 2000, the first trip of the 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje to the European centers founded by Lama Ole Nydahl took place.

The centers founded by Ole Nydahl are called the Karma Kagyu Diamond Way Centers. The Diamond Way is a Sanskrit translation of the term Vajrayana.

Since the 1970s, Ole Nydahl and his wife Hannah have founded over 600 Buddhist meditation groups in Central and Western Europe, Asia, America, Australia and South Africa. Ole Nydahl prefers not to lecture or open Diamond Way meditation centers in predominantly Muslim countries. In his opinion, he would not be able to effectively protect his students in these countries in the event of harassment - even in those countries of the Middle East and North Africa where there is no harassment and other Buddhist centers coexist with Islam. Thus, despite the existence of Buddhist centers in the "Islamic world", Ole Nydahl argues that opening centers there would be an irresponsible move on his part. The exceptions are the traditionally Muslim republics of the Russian Federation (for example, Bashkortostan) and the former USSR (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan), where there are groups that have received the blessing of Lama Ole Nydahl.

There are 73 centers and meditation groups in Russia, opened with the blessing of Lama Ole Nydahl.

Teaching activity

Ole Nydahl constantly travels to various countries, teaching his students, as well as people who are interested in Buddhism. The purpose of Ole Nydahl's courses on various topics such as Mahamudra (The Great Seal) is to promote a deeper understanding of Diamond Way Buddhism.

Since 1978, Ole Nydahl has written several books on Buddhism, some of them autobiographical. Some of his books have also been published in Russian. Ole Nydahl does not recommend reading texts on the subject of Vajrayana from other Vajrayana schools for people who are starting to practice. He explains this by saying that it is better to understand one thing well than to get confused about many things. In different schools, such terms are used in different senses, which sometimes escapes the attention of beginner Buddhists.

Ole Nydahl's students are, without exception, lay people who live mostly in Western culture. Monastic Buddhist education with the adoption of a vow of celibacy, according to Ole Nydahl, does not fit the way of life in Western society.

Ole Nydahl supports Trinley Thaye Dorje on the issue of recognition of the 17th Karmapa.

Karma Kagyu in Russia today

Most of the Karma Kagyu communities currently in Russia and other CIS countries were founded by Lama Ole Nydahl. His status is a teacher of the Karma Kagyu tradition, who received the right to do so from the head of the school of the Sixteenth Karmapa, who left in 1981. The first of the Karma Kagyu communities in Russia appeared in Leningrad (St. Petersburg) in 1989.

The current European and Russian centers of Karma Kagyu, as well as other Buddhist centers of Sakya, Nyingma, also existing in Russia (with the exception of the traditional Gelug school for Russia), are very different in style from the school that arose in the 11th-12th centuries. in Tibet. But this is natural, because any religious organization, wherever and whenever it arises, once it enters a different cultural space, will adapt to it, otherwise it will be doomed to disappear. European and Russian Karma Kagyu centers are focused on small groups of secular followers of this trend of Buddhism, on practicing Buddhist meditation, mastering Buddhist theory as needed, not connected either with going to monasticism (hermitage), or with renunciation of their civic duties. This is a natural and calm form of seeking religious truth within Buddhism.

The embarrassment about the practice of Buddhism by a layman and the belittling of this kind against monasticism (hermitage) have a stereotypical basis that supposedly a Buddhist is only one who is a monk. In the history of Buddhism there is also a place for secular Buddhism, for example, thanks to it, Buddhism was able not to disappear in view of the Islamization of India. Lay Buddhism on the practical side has no contradictions with the teaching, which claims that there are many types of mind and, accordingly, many approaches to working with this mind, one of which is lay Buddhism. Some people think that to become a Buddhist you need to become a monk or go into seclusion, which is a big misconception, since you can work with the mind without a monk's dress, sitting at home, and not in a cave, meditating. This is one of the indicators of a logical approach to everything in Buddhism, because you can be a doctor without a bathrobe, this requires knowledge and experience, the same is true in Karma Kagyu - knowledge and experience are needed. This is where the seeming freedom of worldly Buddhism ends, because the layman, just like the monk, must do the practice given to him by the teacher, otherwise he will not achieve the goal of recognizing the nature of the mind. In Karma Kagyu, a special place is allocated for the teacher - he is the main figure, thanks to his experience, the practitioner can quickly follow the path of development, using the quality of the mind - identification. It must also be remembered that the entire Buddhist pantheon has nothing to do with the pantheon of saints in other religions, since in Buddhism the main driving force of development is the mind of the individual who has embarked on the path of Buddhism, who practices (develops) or does not practice (does not develop). This conclusion is directly related to the law of cause and effect (one of the key concepts in Buddhism). If we talk about "Saints", then you need to understand that they indicate the enlightened qualities of your mind and help with their blessings, not because of their divine grace, but because of their enlightened mood, which by definition causes a desire to help all beings as equals.

Disagreements

Ole Nydahl is one of Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje's supporters on the issue of identifying the 17th Karmapa. According to the position of Ole Nydahl and the second most important lama in the Karma Kagyu school, Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche, the Dalai Lama is not authorized to recognize (and never participated in recognizing) the head of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th Dalai Lama confirmed the recognition of Urgyen Trinley Dorje as Karmapa at the request of Situ Rinpoche and Gyaltsab Rinpoche.

Criticism

Oliver Freiberger, a research fellow at the University of Texas at Austin, points out that there is "an ongoing controversy" regarding Ole Nydahl. Freiberger reports that the Lotusblätter magazine of the German Buddhist Union states that Nydahl's statements and activities offend some German Buddhists who believe that his behavior is not befitting of a Buddhist teacher. “Nydahl is accused not only of self-assured and militaristic speeches, but also of being right-wing, racist, sexist and hostile to foreigners. His unusual activities (e.g. bungee jumping, parachuting, riding high-speed motorcycles) also irritate Buddhists who are not his students - regardless of whether they belong to the Karma Kagyu school. Ole Nydahl evokes the same attitude among a number of Russian Buddhists who are not his students.

Martin Baumann, a professor at the University of Bern (Switzerland), noted in an interview in 2005 that critics accuse Ole Nydahl of teaching "Buddhism-light" or "instant Buddhism" and that he agrees with this when he hears some of Nydahl's "suspiciously superficial phrases" .

In Buddhism, it is forbidden to kill living beings, but Ole Nydahl allows abortions prescribed for medical reasons to save the life of the mother or associated with defects in the development of the fetus. When asked about the dangers of abortion, he answers the following: “There are many families who would like to have children, but cannot have them. If the child is clearly defective, ask the doctor what he thinks. But if the child is clearly healthy, then do not kill him, give him to someone who clearly wants a child.

Ole Nydahl's position towards Islam

Ole Nydahl's position in relation to Islam and Muslims sometimes surprises the audience and critics, he makes politically incorrect statements, which were also regarded by critics as racist and xenophobic.

In one published interview, he stated: “I have two fears for the world: overpopulation and Islam. These two things could destroy a world that might otherwise be a great place." He explains that "men who repress women are more likely to become repressed women in their next life."

1. Is there any difference between non-Buddhist parents and Buddhist parents?

Lama Ole Nydahl: What matters most is what bonds—good and bad—bring the family together. If, as is often the case, they are diverse - both sweet and bitter - then Buddhist non-dual education, of course, brings the most rapid development. The ability to say "both" instead of "either-or" is a great wealth.

2. What is the most important thing to give children?

Lama Ole Nydahl: The fundamental trust that life has meaning, as well as an understanding of the law of cause and effect, and the belief that parents and their life values ​​are unshakable. Understanding that every moment, here and now, we, according to our abilities, create our future, turns us into generous people who think about others.

3. Do children need to be raised in a “Buddhist way” or is it better to wait until they start asking questions themselves?

Lama Ole Nydahl: Everything should happen as naturally and without pressure as possible. If kids feel that parents can answer questions that others avoid, they will be proud of them. The daily behavior of parents has the greatest influence on children. No special Buddhist seal is needed here. Often they just like it when their parents meditate and they sit next to each other. Later we can explain what exactly we are doing and why. Domestic animals also willingly join us, they enjoy the waves that the brain radiates during meditation.

4. When it comes to why parents are not Christians and what Buddhism means, kids often don't know how to explain it. To what extent can parents allow their child to be different from their peers in kindergarten and school?

Lama Ole Nydahl: You should tell the child that all people eat, wear, think and do different things and that if they behave well at the same time, it only benefits society.

()

• July 21st, 2019, 08:55 am

The ability of the Buddha to protect is very important, because when you enter the spiritual path, impressions that have been there from beginningless time emerge from the storage consciousness. Negative impressions are removed that would otherwise surface as mid-life crises or difficulties associated with old age, illness and death. The faster and more efficient this path of development, the more everything is scraped out of the subconscious. When it all comes up in a completely random way, it's easy to lose clarity and stop understanding what's going on. This happens very often when people open their minds with drugs or other strong impressions. Then things can happen that they cannot handle because they have no control over them.

Protectors in our lives remove all those situations that are not necessary for our development, because they are just meaningless problems. However, what we need in order to become more human and develop further, they constantly “put on the table” of the mind in such a way that we can learn as much as possible. The stronger the inner development, the more everything flows in from within and the more important are the protecting energies.

In accordance with the blessings and initiations we have received, we are surrounded by the field of power of the Protectors.

• May 15th, 2018 07:39 am

Vajrayana is only suitable for those who feel responsible
for universal human values ​​and wants to know how things really are.

Ole Nidal

• November 8th, 2017 08:49 pm

• October 12th, 2017 03:25 am

What happens when you start working with your whole mind by meditating and relaxing in your own mind? All other aspects also begin to develop. It's funny then to see how completely smart, reasonable and very effective people begin to go through all the same levels (as in childhood - approx.) in their development, but now it affects all aspects of the mind. While all the frozen qualities are released and unfolded, many things that were not allowed to develop and many feelings in connection with these stages are also released.

First comes a kind of magical state: the mantra will give everything. Of course, as long as the karma is good and the person is true to his connection, it gives everything. The person then begins to project all the feelings he had about his parents onto the Lama. Different kinds of attachment: "He looks at me, he does not look at me", "He loves me, he does not love me" - these are all these things. Then there is a period of rejection that most children go through around the age of two, I think: “I know better than him”, “He made a mistake”, etc. And one day in the midst of all kinds of stages of development, you suddenly realize that the Lama, in general - That's a good person. He works very hard, loves you, thinks more about you than about himself, and in fact also knows better, at least within the area he is working with, which is the nature of the mind. And then we become colleagues on the path, working together. And it's useful. The right kind of development.

If the karmic connections are very strong, you can cut through these things very quickly. ()

• March 20th, 2017 07:47 am

Check if people are developing in the freedom they get, or if they are using the new space to conserve bad habits.

Empathy without meaning is the act of allowing people to reinforce their negative or stupid ideas. This is not useful for them at all.

The best advice comes from an old German saying: "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger." The most difficult school is the best school, and the best and fastest way is through endurance.

Lama Ole Nydahl turned 76 the other day. He is one of the few Westerners who are fully qualified lamas and meditation teachers in the Karma Kagyu tradition of Buddhism.

In 1969, Ole Nydahl and his wife Hanna became the first Western students of His Holiness the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa. Ole Nydahl studied Buddhist philosophy for three years and underwent intensive meditation training. After completing his studies, at the request of the Karmapa, he began to teach Buddhism in Europe. Since then, Lama Ole has continuously passed on the blessing of the lineage - annually makes lecture tours, giving lectures and conducting meditation courses.

In 2015, Lama Ole Nydahl received the UNESCO Association Award for Supporting Intercultural Dialogue and Peaceful Coexistence. The award also went to Hanna Nydahl, who passed away in 2007. The prize was given, in addition, for the significance of the contribution of Lama Ole Nydahl and his wife Hannah to freedom of speech, mind, religion and personality; for actively showing compassion in the pursuit of peace and prosperity.

In 2016, Lama Ole Nydahl was awarded the Order of the Agvan Dorzhiev Foundation for spreading the teachings of the Buddha around the world, creating about 700 Buddhist centers in many countries, bringing timeless benefits to a huge number of people. The first such order was awarded to the 14th Dalai Lama in 2014.

From Lama Ole Nydahl's answers to questions:

What does it mean to "trust space"?
To be here and now. Not to hope, not to fear, not to live in the past or the future, but be fully aware of what the mind is at the moment. We are looking for that which is between thoughts, behind thoughts, that which knows thoughts. That is what becomes enlightened.

"The depth of the Slavic mind", M., 2014

• December 6th, 2016, 10:05 am

How do you keep your energy levels high?
- Just decide that you enjoy it. It's up to you to decide. Tell yourself, "This is exactly what I wanted." Otherwise, you will never have the stability and inner abundance to help others. Energy arises from energy, happiness arises from happiness, it is a matter of motivation and decision to be happy.

Lama Ole Nidal

• February 20th, 2016 , 08:21 pm

Dukkar, the White Umbrella, is very closely related to the Buddha, she is called his "daughter of the heart." Her mantra was not uttered by anyone. It simply manifested at the very moment that Dukkar arose from the ushnisha, the knot at the crown of the Buddha. ()

• December 20th, 2014 05:46 pm

These are Lama Ole's instructions about Protectors:

The ability of the Buddha to protect is very important, because when you enter the spiritual path, impressions that have been there since beginningless time emerge from the storage consciousness. Negative impressions are removed that would otherwise surface as mid-life crises or difficulties associated with old age, illness and death. The faster and more efficient this path of development, the more everything is scraped out of the subconscious. When it all comes up in a completely random way, it's easy to lose clarity and stop understanding what's going on. This happens very often when people open their minds with drugs or other strong impressions. Then things can happen that they cannot handle because they have no control over them.
03:53 p.m.

Recently there has been a tradition of Western incarnations. The Dalai Lama has said many times that he will not be reborn in occupied Tibet, and there are rumors that he may be born in the West. Tell us about non-Tibetan tulkus.

Among them there are capable children. Often they remember a lot, but they have to receive a traditional Buddhist, Tibetan education. I would say that because of this they become too soft for such work. I'm apparently the only one who bangs the hammer on the table and says, "We will do this and not otherwise." I'm probably the only one who, like a child, says exactly what he thinks. There are times when a person has to say or do something.

We've lost a few young tulku, because the Tibetan educational system is based on memorizing texts, and this is not very encouraging for young men. Two of them left us on a skateboard - one tulkus from New York and another from Los Angeles. They didn't want to cram - they were interested in learning how to quickly move across the street. Young people in the West like to work at all levels, and not just learn something by heart.

Tibet lagged behind the West by 600 years. By trying to do things the way that culture does, we create sacred cows. There is a different way of life here, they work differently and bring up children differently. Young tulku must communicate and become strong; it's really important. They should be able to say directly what needs to be done. Most Tibetan teachers are now in their old age and cannot always act in this way. Therefore, they are happy when we take up the work. Westerners have a lot of devotion, they often say, "I must do everything just like my teacher." But their teachers are not at all opposed to students using more modern tools and approaches.

This is how the slaves of the Tibetan lamas lived. On the left is the belongings, on the right is the family itself

***

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***

Tibet has never been an idyllic wonderland, its history, like any other feudal state, is full of intrigues, wars and betrayals. The population of Tibet - and these are not only ministers of the Buddhist corporation, but also ordinary people - has always existed in a certain backwardness. Their freedom depended entirely on the nearest lama, and education was the privilege of the monasteries.

The essence of Buddhism for most Tibetans meant only a superficial belief in common grounds with their emphasis on fear and karmic retribution. In case this was not enough, rods and torture with cutting off limbs were used.

Political power in Tibet has been divided for centuries between four Buddhist organizations with fierce dislike for each other: the Kagyu, the Gelug, the Sakya, and the Nyingma. Their hostility persisted even during the expulsion of the Lamas from Tibet.

The founder of the Karma Kagyu movement is Düsum Khyenpa, who, practicing sleep yoga, achieved Enlightenment at the age of 50. In 1160, he was given the title of Karmapa - above which in the hierarchical system of Buddhism there are only two figures: the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama.

The transfer of power in Buddhism is carried out through reincarnation-rebirth (tulkus), which perform the task of maintaining the continuity of power. The system of tulkus that has existed in Tibet for centuries allows monasteries and lamas to lead a far from poor life.

The system of reincarnations very rarely fails, because the interested persons clean up in advance the possible "problems" of the rebirth they need. But failures still happen, as, for example, in the 1990s, when two people became Karmapas at once.

The process of determining a new reincarnation is the main means of political warfare in Tibet, since the process of recognizing a reincarnation left a lot of room for fraud. Most of the young reincarnations were political puppets in the hands of a certain influential group. Due to their seclusion, they had little idea of ​​life outside the walls of the monastery, which was undoubtedly into the hands of their masters.

When Deng Xiaoping came to power in 1980, China's policy towards Tibet and Buddhism changed dramatically. Having failed to suppress the Tibetan opposition by force, China began to act more cautiously, deciding to establish control over the recognition of tulkus VIP lamas. A good example of this is the story of the Panchen Lama.

In 1995, the Dalai Lama introduced Gedhun Chokyi Nyima as the new Panchen Lama, but just a couple of days later, the boy and his family were kidnapped by the authorities of the Middle Kingdom. Later, the Communists appointed the son of a CCP member to his role. The whereabouts of Gedhun Chokyi Nyima is still unknown.

Gedhun Chokyi Nyim

In the 1950s, the Gelugs proposed to do away with rich religious shows and "lower" tall lamas to the ground. As a result, three other schools rebelled. Having united, they chose Karmapa as their leader. A powerful conflict arose between the Dalai Lama and the Karmapa. As a result, the restriction of llamas in a luxurious life had to be abandoned.

The Dalai Lama and the Karmapa had a strained relationship - they are the leaders of the opposing Gelug and Kagyu factions. In addition, the Karmapa's monastery in Rumtek was a kind of alternative to the Dharamsala "Tibetan government in exile".

By the way, shortly before a series of conflicts, the Dalai Lama moved closer to the Karmapa and even lifted the two-hundred-year ban on the rebirth of the Shamarpa (the second most influential figure in the Karma Kagyu teachings).

The lifting of the ban on reincarnation was primarily of a material nature. Since the Shamarpa again took the place of the main disciple of the Karmapa, all the other lamas had to go down a step in the hierarchy. This meant serious losses in terms of real estate and income. This event was largely predetermining for further events.

Speaking of llamas

Damcho Yongdu, who served as general secretary, died in 1982, bringing the Karma Kagyu to the brink of bankruptcy. After his death, the treasury was completely empty. It was not possible to verify the financial records due to the absence of the latter. An investigation began, during which the widow of the deceased disappeared. She is later discovered in New York married to her old lover.

Lama Tenpa was selling heroin in Denmark. Lama Sherab blackmailed an Austrian girl who was pregnant by him and forced her to have an abortion. Lama Trungpa, widely known in the West for his books, died an alcoholic. Lama Bardo stated that Karmapa's tulku is his son, who will be born soon. A daughter was born...

Lama Ozel Tendzin, being infected with HIV, deliberately infected his lovers and mistresses. Kalu Rinpoche, Lama Myonlam, Lama Lodro were also involved in sexual scandals. In addition, Kalu Rinpoche was the mentor of Shoko Asahara, the leader of the Aum Shinrikyo sect, which staged a sarin attack on the Tokyo subway on March 20, 1995.

Jamgyon Kongtrul, one of the four Karma Kagyu regents who ran the organization from 1981 to 1992, crashed his BMW 525, losing control at 180 km/h. Another regent, Situpa Rinpoche, had a stake in the Nepalese black market.

***

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***

After the death of the sixteenth Karmapa, a conflict broke out in the ranks of the Karma Kagyu, and in order to smooth things over, four VIP lamas at once were allowed to stand at the helm of the current. Their task was to search for the reincarnation of the Karmapa and manage the organization. The regents were Shamarpa, Jamgon Kongtrul, Situpa and Gyaltsab. Needless to say, they were in no hurry to find their boss?

The years of the regency were marked by a fierce struggle for power, from time to time turning into open war. For example, when Situpa accused Shamarpa of stealing land intended for the construction of the International Buddhist Institute in Delhi, and then tried to exile him to Chinese-occupied Tibet.

It is worth noting that according to some estimates, the assets of the Karma Kagyu may be more than two billion dollars. But more importantly, the Karma Kagyu control a network of monasteries located on the Indo-Tibetan border. This fact, given the geopolitical conflict between India and China, is of great importance.

Rumtek Situpa

On June 12, 1992 at the Rumtek Monastery, Situpa and Gyaltsab announced at a meeting of lamas that the seventeenth Karmapa had been found. As confirmation of the "correctness" of the reincarnation, the two regents provided a letter of approval from the Dalai Lama, which they received from his secretary. The Dalai Lama himself was in Brazil at that time and approved the new incarnation by telephone, in response to a dossier sent to him on the Karmapa's reincarnation by fax.

Also shown as confirmation was a letter from the late 16th Karmapa with detailed instructions on how to find his tulku. Subsequently, Situpa and Gyaltsab used both of these letters to force all the other lamas to recognize the Karmapa in Urgyen Trinley in writing. By the way, the confirmation of the Karmapa by the Dalai Lama had no political significance, however, many lamas, like all ordinary people, often tend to bow before titled persons.

Later, Shamarpa appeared at the meeting and, surrounded by six soldiers of the regular Indian army, gave chase to Situpa and Gyaltsab, who had hidden from him in their chambers. After that, to the cries of "Death to the enemies of the Karmapa!" a fight began between the lamas of Situpa, Shamarpa and drunken Tibetans, who had arrived there by bus shortly before.

Urgyen Trinley

On June 17, 1992, the new Karmapa Urgyen Trinley was brought to the central Karma Kagyu monastery in Tsurphu. During his transfer, one of the cars of the motorcade overturned, two people were killed. Upon arrival, Situpa's younger brother was arrested for fighting with the police. During the very enthronement of Urgyen Trinley, there was also a fight between the monks and the audience.

The entire Buddhist elite recognized the Karmapa in Urgyen Trinley. Such numerous support of Situpa was largely due to the fact that the lamas who had their monasteries in Tibet could not resist the will of China, which unequivocally supported Urgyen Trinley. China wanted to use the Karmapa against the Dalai Lama and also to strengthen its position in Tibet, as in the case of the Panchen Lama.

They were opposed by Shamarpa, the Karmapa Charitable Foundation and Lama Ole Nydahl. They demanded a forensic examination of the 16th Karmapa's letter found by Situpa.

Ole and Hanna Nydahl - two drug addicts in search of the "truth"

Ole Nydahl, a Dane, came to Nepal in December 1969 with his wife Hannah to buy drugs, as he believed that they showed a person the absolute truth.

In India, Nydahl met the 16th Karmapa by chance, befriended him and became a European Lama, as the Karma Kagyu at that time had an urgent need to expand their market for spiritual services. Beginning in 1974, Lama Ole Nydahl began to open Karma Kagyu schools all over the world, excluding Islamic countries, but including Russia. To date, Ole Nydahl has founded 642 Buddhist communities in 66 countries.

In contrast to Nidal, Situpa had a network of profitable Dharma centers in the United States and throughout Asia, including China, where the European was closed.

Without "their Karmapa", Lama Ole Nydahl and Shamarpa were unable to resist Situpa, who by that time, without resistance from the authorities of the state of Sikkim (in particular, Minister Bhandari, who had business relations with Situpa), had seized the Rumtek Monastery, which was under the control of the Karmapa Charitable Foundation .

On January 27, 1994 Shamarpa announced in Delhi that he had found an alternative Karmapa. They became a boy from Lhasa, Tendzin Khyentse, now known as Trinley Thaye Dorje.