Karmapa Lama

The Karmapa Lama


At twenty one years old, I was backpacking alone in North India. A bus dropped me off a street corner at 2am to climb a nearby hill on a freezing morning in Dharamsala after vomiting for almost five times throughout the night. The driver decides to move my seat right beside him because the people were trying their best to sleep despite the regurgitating groaning sound I was making.
Snow. I was seeing snow for the first time the next day. Someone told me the Dalai Lama lives nearby. The next day, I set off and went down to find this place. To my surprise, the poorly lit path that I treaded that night was cliff like. I could have slipped into oblivion and even my parents wouldn't know where to find my body.
Falling in line with the myriad of devotees from around town, the country and the world, without question I went along. Until I decided to start a small chat with the person beside me about the Dalai Lama.
"The Dalai Lama is not here. We are meeting the Karmapa today." she gently replied almost in a whisper of reverence, as we were already inside the temple. I had no idea who the karmapa was, but I have traveled far and I had no intention of going back.
The tradition of blessing and humility is, you hand the white scarf to the lama with your head low, for him to place it over your neck as a blessing. So I did. Upon looking up, I was transfixed at what I saw. I sat down shortly in disbelief..
Around seven years before that day, as I was walking across our living room in the Philippines, both my feet suddenly came into a halt. Out of the blue, they became as heavy as Thor's unliftable hammer.
Concerned and confused, I quickly looked for the closest chair to sit on without lifting my legs. In front of me was a Time magazine with a close-up cover photo of a young boy in a crimson robe. My eyes were transfixed at his charm, pointed at his nose on paper and jokingly whispered, "I will meet you one day."
Still stuck, I decided to flip through the pages and before long, I could move my feet. I did not find any connection at that time, until I lifted my head to see up close who put the white scarf on my neck.
The karmapa has grown up.
(photos from net, cameras were not allowed inside)

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