Encountering the 16th Karmapa (Buddhism): Lama Ole & Hannah Nydahl

They met as children — she was five, he was ten — and he immediately started building meditation cabins for her. Neither of them knew why. Ole Nydahl dreamed from age two of mountains and men in red robes he had to protect. Hannah kept asking about a Tibetan tribe no one around her had heard of — the same region where the 16th Karmapa was born. Decades later, the Karmapa would call Ole "the Dharma general" and set them both on a mission that would change the course of Buddhism in the West. But first, there was a honeymoon. In 1968, Ole and Hannah Nydahl traveled to Nepal with no spiritual agenda. They met a lama by chance, sat with him, and watched him become transparent before their eyes. They returned to Europe shaken. Every time they went back looking for him, the answer was always the same: "He's with the Karmapa." So they climbed the stairs at Rumtek Monastery. When they reached the top, the 16th Karmapa was sitting in the doorway — holding his Black Crown in his hands. It was the first time they ever saw him. It was the beginning of everything. This is the origin story of Diamond Way Buddhism — told by the two people who lived it. Recorded during the final interview Hannah gave before her death in 2007. 🙏 In memory of both Ole (1941–2026) and Hannah (1946–2007) Nydahl ==================== You can support this channel. We appreciate it! — Click Like, the Subscribe button and '🔔' to get notifications for new releases. — Share on social media. Or donate: — Send us a “coffee” via https://ko-fi.com/dharmatime — Patreon (help the editing and release of other teaching videos from about 30 teachers and scholars,) go to:   / dharmatime   ==================== This is an excerpt from the final interview that Hannah gave before she died in 2007. The Nydahls founded the Diamond Way meditation centers within the Karma Kagyu lineage and are the authors of such books as: -- The Way Things Are https://amzn.to/2YgGmYQ -- Buddha & Love: Timeless Wisdom for Modern Relationships https://amzn.to/2ZNJhZw -- Fearless Death https://amzn.to/3weSIgx The Sixteenth Karmapa was the leader of the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He toured the West 3 times: in 1974, 1976 and 1980. On these teaching tours, the Karmapa became a famed public figure, receiving national media coverage. Karmapa recognized the validity of how Tibetan Buddhism had been introduced to and received in the West. This was historically significant. Today’s conventional wisdom about the benefits of meditation and the scientific research being done in the field trace back to the dharma activities of the 1970s. Graduate students, artists and citizens of all backgrounds connected with a thousand years of transmitted wisdom, continuing to explore their minds and behaviors over decades. In essence, Karmapa also helped pave the way for the Dalai Lama's introduction to the West as Karmapa did two public teaching tours in the West before the Dalai Lama's first visit in 1979. Karmapa died in his mid 50s of stomach cancer outside of Chicago Illinois in 1980. Karmapa's life is documented in two documentaries: Recalling a Buddha: Memories of the Sixteenth Karmapa https://amzn.to/3CHoIfz and also The Lion's Roar.