THE VIth KARMAPA 

(1416 - 1453) 

In 1416 CE, the sixth Karmapa incarnation, Thongwa Donden, was born in Ngom near Karma Gon monastery in Kham, Thus the prediction of the previous Karmapa to the Khampa people was fulfilled. His parents were both faithfully religious. During the mother's pregnancy they had significant dreams and at birth recognised their baby to be a very exceptional child.

When he was only a few months old, Thongwa Donden was taken by his parents to Lama Ngompa Jadral, a student of the fifth Karmapa. The young child was very affected by this meeting and began to recite the alphabet. Ngompa Jadral then asked the infant his true identity. In reply Thongwa Donden said, "l am the unborn, free from all names, and I am the glory of all that lives, I shall lead many to liberation."

Subsequently, the third Shamar Rinpoche, Chopel Yeshe, officially recognised him as the sixth Karmapa Lama and ceremonially enthroned him. During his infancy Karmapa Thongwa Donden was taken on a tour of Kagyupa monasteries, where his precocious qualities made a vivid impression on people. He met with the first Trungpa tulku, Kunga Gyaltsen at Surmang monastery and astounded him by asking, "Where is the protection cord I gave you in my last incarnation?" Lama Trungpa was overcome with emotion as he produced the cord and bowed to his guru.

The young Thongwa Donden rediscovered his own natural spirituality through visionary experiences of many symbolic deities. In 1424, at the age of eight, Thongwa Donden was ordained as a novice by the abbot Sonam Zangpo, and received the bodhisattva vows. He began to receive instruction in the actual texts and practices of dharma from the great saint Ratnabhadra, who was an Incarnation of Rechungpa. From this lama the young Karmapa received the empowerments and textual transmissions of Vajrayogini, Hevajra and the mahāmudrā. Shamar Rinpoche transmitted  the doctrines of Tilopa to him in addition to other Karma Kagyu teachings.

Thongwa Donden’s religious education was not confined to the Kamtshang tradition, but also included the five tantras and six doctrines of Niguma, both deriving from the Shangpa Kagyu, and also the “Dug Ngal Zhi-jay” doctrine of the Indian preceptor Phadampa Sangye.

During his teenage years the sixth Karmapa concentrated heavily on developing a consistent Kamtshang liturgical system. Since the primary emphasis of the Karma Kagyu had been on meditation itself, hence its alternate styling as the" Meditative Tradition" (སྒྲུབ་བརྒྱུད།) liturgy and ritual had tended to be neglected. What liturgy was employed by Karma Kagyupas was largely borrowed from other traditions. Thongwa Donden sought to establish a firm basis for a specifically “Kamtshang liturgy” and wrote many Kamtshang sādhana rituals.

He composed spiritual practices of the two highly important Kagyu yidams, Vajrayogini and Chakrasamvara, and also wrote a long version of the Preliminary Practices (སྔོན་འགྲོ།). Thongwa Donden evolved a new style of recitation and chanting. In addition, he composed a large treatise on Mahākāla dance and liturgy. The sixth Karmapa's visionary qualities added a special power and depth to his endeavours in this field.

At the completion of this period of literary activity, Karmapa received the full ordination and then set out on a tour of central Tibetan monasteries. On this journey Thongwa Donden was inspired by many visionary experiences. In one vision he saw Mahākāla together with his wisdom consort and received from them special teachings on the six yogas of Nāropa and the mahāmudrā of Tilopa. At another place he envisaged Tilopa, Milarepa and Vimalamitra in vision which thus united the streams of mahamudra and maha-ati. Later Vajradhara, accompanied by the first Karmapa Dusum Khyenpa, appeared to him, symbolising the power of the Kagyu tradition. In another vision, Thongwa Donden saw the Indian tantric saint Dombhi Heruka.' and his consort, riding on a tiger, Dombhi Heruka revealed to him that he was perfectly pure and free of all obscurations.

In Lhasa the sixth Karmapa met the famous Sakya abbot, Kunchen Rongtonpa, who bestowed upon him a substantial number of doctrines. Rongtonpa was delighted by Thongwa Donden's brilliance and declared, “I have Buddha as my student.” Around this time Karmapa repaired the damage and decay at Sangphu and Ngakphu monasteries. Then he traveled to Tsurphu and thence to Kham. Due to Thongwa Donden's purity or perception, the whole environment appeared to him as a visionary realm. In one place he saw Vajrayogini and then at Surmang monastery, which was the seat of a special Chakrasamvara lineage descended from Tilopa, he saw the symbolic deity, Chakrasamvara. At Drolma Lhakhang, Tārā appeared and inspired Karmapa to compose prayers in her honour. Sachen Kunga Nyingpo, one of the "great five" Sakya lamas, appeared to Thongwa Donden in a vision, thereby bringing peace to the many local chiefs who were caught up in fighting.

Karmapa commissioned editions of the Kangyur and Tenjur. which he paid for with the many offerings he had received on his tours. Throughout this time, he continued to receive teachings through visions of Nāgārjuna, the great philosopher, Milarepa and Padmasambhava.

In 1452, Thongwa Donden had presentiments of his imminent death. Lama Sangye Senge offered supplications for his long life and Karmapa said, "This year nothing will happen to me. For the next nine months, I shall take responsibility for my life." He went into retreat in the Kongpo area of southern Tibet in preparation for his death.

Karmapa entrusted his books and ceremonial objects to Gyaltshab Goshir Paljor, together with a letter predicting the birth of the next Karmapa incarnation. He said to Gyaltshab Rinpoche, "Until I return, please care for the Kagyu lineage. Now Sambhala and Mecca are at war, I must go to help Sambhala."

Karmapa passed his last months composing songs. At the beginning of 1453, at the age of thirty-seven, he said to his attendants : “I am going to meet the lamas of the Kagyu lineage. Learn to recite this supplication: 'I supplicate the great compassionate one, Thongwa Donden. Please regard me with the eye of compassion, embodiment of all the buddhas."

He then passed away in meditation. Many relics were discovered in the ashes of the funeral pyre.

Among the sixth Karmapa’s principal students were Gyaltshab Goshir Paljor Dondup, Situ Tashi Namgyal and Bengar Jampal Zangpo, to whom he entrusted the lineage.

Reproduced with permission of the Very Venerable Karma Thrinley Rinpoche