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Ole Nydahl

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Ole Nydahl
File:Lama Ole Nydahl Portrait-1.jpg
Portrait Ole Nydahl by Ginger Neumann, 2003
Date of birth: 19 March 1941
Place of birth: Copenhagen, Denmark
Birth name: Ole Nydahl
School: Vajrayana
Lineage: Karma Kagyu
Organisation: Diamond Way Buddhism
Title: Lama

Ole Nydahl (born March 19, 1941 near Copenhagen, Denmark), is a Buddhist teacher in the Karma Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism under Trinley Thaye Dorje, one of the two claimants to the title of 17th Karmapa (See Karmapa Controversy).. Since the early 1970s he has toured the world, giving lectures and meditation courses, and together with his wife Hannah Nydahl (1946-2007), he has founded Diamond Way Buddhism, a world wide lay organisation of Karma Kagyu Buddhism. He is often referred to as Lama Ole Nydahl or Lama Ole.

He is the author of nine books in English, including The Way Things Are, Entering the Diamond Way, Riding the Tiger, The Great Seal, and Buddha and Love.

Early life and contact with Buddhism

Ole Nydahl grew up in Denmark. In the early 1960s he briefly served in the Danish Army and fought as a professional boxer.[1] Nydahl began writing his doctoral thesis in philosophy at the University of Copenhagen (where he studied Philosophy, English, and German) on Aldous Huxley’s Doors of Perception, but didn't finish it. By the late sixties, Ole Nydahl bought hashish in Nepal and smuggled it back home to sell it.[2] After their first trip to Kathmandu in 1968 Hannah and Ole were arrested for smuggling hashish, for which Ole Nydahl spent several months in prison. Today, Nydahl fiercely warns against the danger of drugs. After he and his wife Hannah met with and took Buddhist refuge with the 16th Karmapa in 1969, their lives took a different course. Such was the effect the Karmapa had on Hannah and Ole, they turned their back on drugs.[1]

"...it is clear that the sixteenth Karmapa placed great trust in the Nydahls and had a special, close relationship with Ole in particular. For his part, Ole Nydahl has credited the Karmapa with reforming him from a boxer and casual marijuana dealer into a devoted, if unconventional, student and teacher of Buddhism." Erik D. Curren[2]

After spending three years at the 16th Karmapa’s side, in 1972 the 16th Karmapa sent them back to Denmark. He gave them a letter to deliver to the Queen of Denmark which stated, among other things, that "we have some very remarkable results with young people who are going through the trials of what might be called a war-torn and drug-deluded generation. We have our own way of showing the way to peace, and a natural healthy life".[3]

Buddhist Education

The first teacher of Ole Nydahl and his late wife, Hannah Nydahl, was the Drukpa Kagyu master Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche. In December 1969[4] Ole and Hannah Nydahl met the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, a renowned yogi and the head of the Karma Kagyu lineage. They were among the first Western students of the 16th Karmapa, to whom they became close students.[2] They also became students of the 14th Shamarpa. From the 16th Karmapa, Hannah and Ole received the teachings of Vajrayana Buddhism and teachings on the nature of mind (Sanskrit mahamudra). From the 14th Shamarpa they received the Bodhisattva Promise and teachings on Gampopa’s Jewel Ornament of Liberation. They have received teachings and empowerments from various Tibetan lamas, including the Dalai Lama.[3]

Teaching activity

Ole Nydahl, London, August 2007.

As a result of their encounter with the 16th Karmapa and his request for them to help bring Buddhism to the West, Hannah and Ole Nydahl began to teach Buddhism and organize meditation centres, first in their native Denmark, then in Germany and other countries. The centres have the title belong to the Karma Kagyu lineage and operate under Ole Nydahl's practical guidance. In the early 90s Diamond Way Buddhism was founded, as a way to prevent corrupt Tibetan Lamas gaining influence in the centre during the Karmapa controversy.[2]

As of August 2008, there are 585 Diamond Way centres throughout the world, mainly in Europe, Russia and the United States. Ole Nydahl travels between them during the year giving lectures and meditation courses. His courses cover topics such as mahamudra (The Great Seal) and phowa (the "practice of conscious dying", or "transference of consciousness at the time of death"). He has travelled almost constantly for the last 35 years, teaching in a new city nearly every day.[3] His teaching schedule is accessible through the Diamond Way Buddhism website.

File:Lama Ole Nydahl LDN05.jpg
Lama Ole Nydahl, London 2005

Together with his close students, Nydahl has attempted to create an accessible teaching style and centres which function free from unnecessary cultural baggage.

The activity and non-hierarchical structure of the Diamond Way centres is based on volunteer work. "As is amply evident, hierarchical systems will not sell with independent people in the West. Nobody wants a distant teacher on a pedestal or a big organization standing on their shoulders and telling them what to think."[5] In the Diamond Way centres, the meditations and names of the various Buddha forms have been translated into the different western languages, emulating the work of Marpa in bringing the Buddhist teachings from India to Tibet. Ole Nydahl believes that the fact that people can understand and read the meditations in their own language is essential because only by doing this will Buddhism become truly rooted in the West.

Jørn Borup (Department of Study of Religion at University of Aarhus, Denmark) says that Ole Nydahl is "the most lasting influence on the Buddhist practice scene in Denmark", and says that Ole Nydahl "in many ways been the icon of living Buddhism in Denmark".[6]

Personal style

Ole Nydahl mixes life experience, charisma, a dry Danish sense of humour and boxing- and other metaphors into an unconventional teaching style. He often makes sexual jokes or politically incorrect statements in his lectures. An example of this can be found in his talk "Discover Your Potential," where he claims, "you could be driving an Audi like this, all the time, with 400 horsepower in your mind."[7] He explains that "…one should always insist on a healthy sense of humour and check that one’s helpers and examples on the way are not strange and don’t take themselves too seriously. It is especially important that they have a healthy, not frustrated view of sexuality, and they do not blindly follow politically correct trends but trust themselves."[5]. Of his own approach, Ole Nydahl states "My recipe is simple: tell people the necessity of finding something which can carry them through sickness, aging and death, and don’t be afraid to give them a glimpse of your joy of life. Tell people that the mind is like space: open, clear and limitless, and talk about both way and goal."[3] Ole Nydahl is an enthusiastic skydiver, and loves riding fast motorcycles.[8][9] In July 2003, on his eighty-eighth jump, the 63 year old Ole Nydahl was seriously injured while free-falling in lotus position,[10] but has since made a full recovery.

Role in the Karmapa Controversy

Main article: Karmapa controversy

When a great Tibetan Lama dies, it is tradition in Tibetan Buddhism to find the next reincarnation to continue the work. When the 16th Karmapa died in 1981, such a reincarnation had to be found. Two such candidates were found, and Ole Nydahl supported the one called Trinley Thaye Dorje, along with the 14th Shamarpa, one of the four lineage holders appointed to recognize the incarnation of the Karmapa at that time. It was greatly because of the work of Hannah and Ole Nydahl, that most European Karma Kagyu Centers ended up supporting Trinley Thaye Dorje.[2] "Ole Nydahl was very active in promoting Trinley Thaye Dorje (born 1983) as opposed to Ogyen Trinley Dorje (born 1985)".[6]

Jørn Borup goes on to say, "Ole Nydahl and his group Karma Kagyu Skolen (Diamond Way Buddhism) today exclusively orient themselves to their own lineage and international religious environment, and are not related to any other Danish Buddhist groups, several of the leading figures of which are still reluctant to have anything to do with them (...) The reason for this split goes back to the so-called “Karmapa conflict” in the late 1980s, which started as a sectarian struggle and developed into transnational controversies of representation, dharma transmission and lama authenticity with repercussions for the whole convert Buddhist environment, in Denmark and abroad."[6]

As a result 592[11] of 856[12], or nearly 70% (Feb 2009) of the centers supporting Trinley Thaye Dorje are Diamond Way Buddhism.

The other candidate, who was confirmed by the 14th Dalai Lama, is called Ogyen Trinley Dorje. The Dalai Lama confirmed Ogyen Trinley Dorje as the Karmapa after he had been requested to by two of the other lineage holders, Tai Situ Rinpoche and Gyaltsap Rinpoche,[13] but the supporters of Trinley Thaye Dorje say that the Dalai Lama is not entitled to do so, and never did so before.[2]

A major argument that Orguen Trinley Dorje is the Karmapa is based upon a prediction-letter presented by Situpa. The supporters of Orgyen Trinley claim it is written by the 16th Karmapa in order to predict the identity of his future rebirth[2][14]. Ole Nydahl has, together with Shamarpa and Topgala, persistently requested this prediction-letter should undergo a forensic test in order to have the authenticity verified.[14] The supporters of Trinley Thaye Dorje are convinced the letter is in fact not written by the 16th Karmapa, but by Situpa himself. So far the request has been declined, supposedly because the letter is “too holy“ to undergo such a test.[14]

Due to his role in the Karmapa Controversy, he was heavily and in part unfairly criticized by the supporters of Ogyen Trinley Dorje, including comparing him to Hitler.[14] In connection to this, some also blame him for being the cause of the split happened in the Karma Kagyu in 1992, as well as breaking the samayas (bonds) to his teachers, which is considered extremely negative in vajrayana.[2][14]

The role of Ole Nydahl in the Karmapa Controversy is described in the book Rogues in Robes: An Inside Chronicle of a Recent Chinese-Tibetan Intrigue in the Karma Kagyu Lineage of Diamond Way Buddhism (2000), written by his close friend and student Tomek Lehnert. [14]

Criticism

Academic researchers in the field of Buddhism, has noticed that Nydahl is a subject for some criticism. Danish Jørn Borup and German Burkhard Scherer both notice that questions has been raised about Nydahl's qualifications as a Buddhist teacher, especially since the beginning of the Karmapa Controversy[6][15] The criticism is especially based on the fact that Nydahl never went into a three-year retreat, which render the traditional qualification as a lama.[6][15] Nydahl actually wanted to go into three-year retreats, but was not permitted to do so by the Sixteenth Karma, who instead send him back to built up Buddhist centers in the west.[15]

Despite the lack of three-year retreat, Nydahls qualifications as a Buddhist Lama are supported today by a range of high Karma Kagyu Lamas. Trinley Thaye Dorje states, "Lama Ole Nydahl is one of the closest disciples of my predecessor (the 16th Karmapa) and qualified teacher who transmits the flawless teachings of the Karma Kagyu lineage. Through his activity over the last three decades, he has benefited many by presenting the profound methods of the Buddhas and the Diamond Way is one of the many methods relevant to the people in the West"[16] The first written reference to Ole Nydahl as Lama is an official letter from the Karmapa's administration made by Khenpo Choedrak Thenpel Rinpoche in 1995.[17]

There is some criticism regarding Nydahls stance towards Islam, which by some is seen as inappropriate for a Buddhist Lama[6][8] (meaning traditional Islam, not reformed Islamic movements such as Alevism and Sufism). He is quoted saying "I have two fears for the world: overpopulation and Islam. Those two things could destroy the world, which could otherwise be a beautiful place"[18], and that Allah is a "terrible god".[9] Nydahl emphasizes that he does not make political comments in his capacity as a Lama, but as a “responsible, thinking human being”. He explains that one cannot make statements like that based on being Buddhist, since Buddha Shakyamuni did not comment on religions founded centuries after his death.[19] He states that he makes his political comments as a way to change mankind's current trajectory of a world population of 7 billion people. He suggests we introduce birth control in developing countries, so that we can one day see Africa as a place to meet "healthy, free and educated people."[20]

The author Mick Brown is highly critical of Ole Nydahl in his book about the Karmapa Controversy, The Dance of 17 Lives. [21]

Bibliography

Ole Nydahl has written several books in either English or German which have been translated into several European languages.

Most popular English titles:

  • Ngondro: The Four Foundational Practices of Tibetan Buddhism. Blue Dolphin Publishing (1990). ISBN 978-0931892233
  • Riding the Tiger: Twenty Years on the Road - Risks and Joys of Bringing Tibetan Buddhism to the West. Blue Dolphin Publishing (1992). ISBN 978-0-931892-67-7
  • Entering the Diamond Way: Tibetan Buddhism meets the West. Blue Dolphin Publishing (1999). ISBN 978-0-931892-03-5
  • The Great Seal: Limitless Space and Joy - The Mahamudra View of Diamond Way Buddhism. Fire Wheel Publishing (2004). ISBN 0975295403
  • The Way Things Are: A living Approach to Buddhism for todays world. O Books (2008). ISBN 978-1-84694-042-2

References

  1. ^ a b Nydahl, Ole "Entering The Diamond Way, Tibetan Buddhism Meets the West", Blue Dolphin Publishing (1999). ISBN 978-0-931892-03-5
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Curren, Erik D. (2008) Buddha's Not Smiling, Uncovering the Corruption at the Heart of Tibetan Buddhism Today Alaya Press ISBN 0-9772253-0-5
  3. ^ a b c d Nydahl, Ole (1992) Riding The Tiger, Twenty Years on the Road - The Risks and Joys of Bringing Tibetan Buddhism to the West, Blue Dolphin Publishing. ISBN 978-0-931892-67-7
  4. ^ Official letter from Shamar Rinpoche, 1983 Retrieved 2009-03-02 - Also available in Riding the Tiger (1992)
  5. ^ a b Article in Buddhism Today, The Diamond Way Magazine (Volume 5 -1998) brought by 'Future of Buddhism'
  6. ^ a b c d e f Journal of Global Buddhism, Article by Jørn Borup, Department of Study of Religion at University of Aarhus, Denmark. 2008, based on research from 2005
  7. ^ Discover Your Potential - by Lama Ole Nydahl, on official DWB-Youtube channel
  8. ^ a b Oliver Freiberger, Department for the Study of Religion University of Bayreuth, Germany, in Inter-Buddhist and Inter-Religious Relations in the West
  9. ^ a b Interview in Willamette Week with Lama Ole Nydahl by Matt Graham. 2008
  10. ^ Gearing, Julian (December 25 2003), "Tibetan Buddhism the Western way (part 3)", Asia Times {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ DiamondWay-Buddhism.org Retrieved 2009-02-01
  12. ^ kagyu.net Retrieved 2009-02-01
  13. ^ Ken Jolmes, Ken (1995) Karmapa. Altea Publishing ISBN 3-89568-027-3
  14. ^ a b c d e f Rogues in Robes: An Inside Chronicle of a Recent Chinese-Tibetan Intrigue in the Karma Kagyu Lineage of Diamond Way Buddhism, Tomek Lehnert, Blue Dolphin Publishing 2000, ISBN 1-57733-026-9
  15. ^ a b c Scherer, Burkhard (2009) Interpreting the Diamond Way: Contemporary Convert Buddhism in Transition. Available online ISSN 1527-6457
  16. ^ Nydahl, Ole (2008) The Way Things are - A living Approach to Buddhism for today's world. O Books. ISBN 978-1-84694-042-2
  17. ^ Certificate issued by the Buddhist Institutes of the Gyalwa Karmapa, 1995 Retrieved on 2009-30-05
  18. ^ Duhárová, Bibiána. Ace of Diamonds: A conversation with Lama Ole Nydahl in The Prague Post, July 11, 2007.
  19. ^ Interview with Ole Nydahl in the Free Press Society's newsletter ”Sappho”, Denmark 2007. Retrieved 2009-03-02
  20. ^ Interview with Ole Nydahl, 1998, Keeping Buddhism Alive, BUDDHISM TODAY, Vol.4, 1998 Available online
  21. ^ Brown, Mick (2004). The Dance Of 17 Lives. Bloomsbury. ISBN ISBN 158234177X, 9781582341774. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
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