H.H. the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa is the 17th Karmapa of Kagyu, and the leader of Kagyu (Kamtsang Sect of Tibetan Buddhism). In 1147, The first Karmapa Dusum-Chenpa was born in Treshu, Tibet. When Dusum-Chenpa became a monk at seventeen , "One Hundred Thousand Dakinis" offered him a crown of black jewels and the name "Karmapa". In DUSUM-Chenpa's time, "Karmapa" was still a secret title. It was only during the incarnation of the second Karmapa that the name "Karmapa" became widespread. Karmapa means "One who embarks on Buddha's mission", and is also synonymous with Pu-Cheh, the sixth Buddha of this Kalpa, the Lion's Roar Buddha.
In the ancient heritage of Tibetan Buddhism, Kagyu is the Buddhist sect that emphasizes meditations. Kagyu consists of four major traditions and eight sub-traditions. Karma Kagyu is one of the major traditions. The first Karmapa developed the reincarnation-based lineage system according to Buddhist principles to maintain Tibetan's Buddhism's heritage and integrity, and thus became the first reincarnated Lama in Tibet. In this system, every Karmapa leaves a letter before his parinirvana to divulge details of his next incarnation, such as his birthplace, name, family, and other signs. His disciples then search for the Karmapa's reincarnation according to these details. This system was later adopted by other sects and became one of the fundamental tenets of Tibetan Buddhism.
There are three kinds of "Black Jewel Crowns." The first kind is that woven by the Hundred Thousand Dakinis with their hair. The second kind is a duplicate crown designed according to the Ming-Dynasty Emperor Yuon Leh's vision. The third is the Black Jewel Crown that rests always upon the Karmapa's head, namely the "Wisdom Treasure Crown". The title of "Great Treasure Dharma Lord" was first used in reference to the fifth Karmapa. During the Ming Dynasty when Emperor Yuon Leh invited the fifth Karmapa to the capital to give discourses on the Dharma, the emperor saw the spiritual "black treasure crown" upon the Karmapa's head, and thus bestowed him with the honorific title "The Tathagata Great Treasure Dharma Lord of Great Good-will, the Care-free Buddha", the short form of which is "The Great Treasure Dharma Lord". The emperor also sent him a physical duplicate of the Black Treasure Crown wrought with precious stones, so that all sentient beings could apprehend the spiritual magnificence of the Karmapa. The honorific title "Great Treasure Dharma Lord" is still in use today. The black jewel crown we see today is the one offered by Emperor Yuon Leh.
In 1984, the present 17th Karmapa was born to a shepherd family in Tibet's Kham area and named Apo Gaga. At eight He was recognized as the reincarnation of the 16th Karmapa. It is said that when the 17th Karmapa was born, divine signs showed everywhere. The king of birds sang beautiful songs upon the tent in the dawn on the roof of the world. His family and the whole village heard the continuous sound of a conch shell filling up the sky. Rainbows appeared upon tents. All these fortunate signs made the village people understand that an extraordinary being had been born.
Regarded as a little living Buddha by neighboring temples, the young Apo Gaga was often taken to temples to study Tibetan language. Not until he was eight was it revealed that this little Buddha was in fact the reincarnation of the 16th Karmapa when the Karmapa search group appeared from Tshurpu Temple. At the end of 1999, in order to seek more complete Buddhist education and the heritage of traditions such as empowerment, the 17th Karmapa chose to leave Tibet for Rumtek Temple, India (which the 16th Karmapa built) in hope of receiving training from his previous life's disciples. Partly owing to political concerns, the 17th Karmapa currently resides in Dharamsala, India, from where he spreads His teaching with lectures, music and so on. In this transition, the 17th Karmapa is embarking on a brave new beginning.
The Celestial Blessing
For eight days beginning at midnight of December 28, 1999, while most of the world was welcoming the new millennium, the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa was fleeing his homeland across the roof of the world and over Nepal's frozen passes. On a journey fraught with risk and danger, one starry night at 5000 meters the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa heard the Divine Mother singing. The celestial melody soothed and emboldened his heart during the cold, silent journey.
After his successful flight to India, the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa retained this melody despite the strange environment and the chaos of the world's attention to his journey. The melody was written out in musical notation, and. the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa wrote a seven-stanza poem in Tibetan to accompany it. "Joyful Aspiration" is the central theme of this album, and the accompanying poem express it's fundamental spirit.
This album is conceived and produced to bring hope to the world. In these Tibetan melodies, the voice of an ancient soul sings through a young body and mind, and expresses the movement and energy of life itself.
The first melody "Affirmation" is the "celestial sound" the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa heard on the journey from Tibet. In this composition, the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa hopes to present the grandeur and eternity of life's wisdom with the undulating power of waves surging from the depths of ocean. Following traditional Tibetan arrangement, the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa's original melody is repeated seven times, so that listeners can repeatedly chant the seven-stanza poem "Joyful Aspiration", cultivating a lucid mind to discover the depths of inner truth.
The second arrangement of "Joyful Aspiration" is the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa himself chanting the seven-stanza poem. With elegant background music, his voice chants out the peace of the "pure land." The mystical depth of his voice echoes the progenitive vibration of the universe.
The third melody, "The Joy of Zen" was composed by the blind musician Wang Jun-jie. Years of living in a colorless world has made Wang's dialog with himself subtle and refined. His singing of "Joyful Aspiration" reaches a joyful state where power and tenderness are one.
"Lucid Mind" is the Chinese chanting of "Joyful Aspiration" by the poet Zhang Yong-zhi. The flute melody was composed by the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa. Xu Qing-yuan's gentle music arrangement completes a perfect portrait of a Heaven on earth as per the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa's vision.
Feast Offering Melody is a traditional melody from Tibetan Buddhism's ancient heritage. The 17th Gyalwang Karmapa wrote the lyrics for this melody in India in 2001, expressing his wishes for Buddhist missions, religious reflection and the vision of a spiritually evolved world. The music itself is peace, joy and fulfillment.
"Wind of Emptiness" blows from the immaculate world of Light. The subtle female vocal and birds' voices bring forth great joy just as the Wind carries people to paradise.
For Tibetan Buddhism, the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa is the embodiment of a Bodhisattva who expresses mercy and wisdom. "Dharma Rain" is an elixir from Heaven that benefits all sentient beings. And when the loving 17th KARMAPA chants "Four-arm Bodhisattva's Simple Practice", the ancient soul's voice uttering "OM MANI PE ME HUNG" spreads healing to all the world's hearts in pain.
Peace is the deepest wish in every human's heart. Joyful Aspiration not only sows seeds of peace, but also leads listeners to the brink of eternity.
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