A Lama Stretches His Wings

Three months ago, on January 5, the Tibetan population-in-exile erupted in rare celebration. After a hair-raising, eight-day journey across the Himalayas from Chinese-occupied Tibet, the 15-year-old Gyalwa Karmapa arrived, unannounced, at the doorstep of the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, northern India.

The Karmapa is the leader of the Karma Kagyu school, one on the four main traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, and one of Tibet's most important lamas. The young man, whose name is Ugyen Trinley, and his tiny entourage hadn't slept for days, driving, trekking through frozen, uncharted mountain passes, even riding horseback to get to India. "You must be tired," said the Dalai Lama to his surprise guest, hugging the Karmapa in a fatherly way. "Yes," replied the Karmapa. "I am."

Every year, nearly 4,000 Tibetans escape from Tibet to Nepal and India. Most of them flee during the winter months--when there are fewer border patrols--and risk frost bite, death by exposure, and arrest or even death at the hands of the Chinese army and police who might catch them. But the Karmapa's was a triumphant escape, not just because it was successful, but because the young lama has been the focus of the hope and fear of hundreds of thousands of Tibetans--hope that he would help safeguard the future of Tibetan Buddhism, and fear that the Chinese would turn him into a pawn in their ongoing campaign to strangle Tibet.

In the months since his flight, the terrible events leading up to the Karmapa's escape have come to light, and there has been much speculation about the role the Karmapa may play in Tibet's future. And most important for the Karmapa, he has begun to receive the sacred teachings that will enable him to fulfill his title and become a genuine lama.

For the Chinese, the Karmapa's flight was an intense political blow that robbed them of an important religious figurehead--and one they thought they could control. The Dalai Lama, for one, has said often that he hopes the Karmapa will be a key player in bringing about Tibetan autonomy. And since the young lama's arrival here, the international press has presented him as a possible successor in the event of the death of the Dalai Lama, until the next Dalai Lama reaches an age when he will be able to shoulder his responsibilities. Although there are no historical precedents for a Karmapa acting as regent, the present one could do so.

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