About Mipham Chokyi Lodro

Mipham Chokyi Lodro, also known as Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche, was the 14th Shamarpa of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. The Shamarpa is the second most important teacher of the Karma Kagyu school after the Karmapa. The Karmapas are sometimes referred to as the Black Hat Lamas, referring to their Black Crown.

Shamarpa – Emanation of Amitabha

was the emanation of , the of Limitless Light: a living example of the appearance of Amitabha in our world in the form of a Mahabodhisattva. The title of Shamar means “the of the ruby-red crown”, named after the replica of the ’s own crown which he bestowed on the . The successive incarnations of the Shamarpas are also known as the “Red Hat Karmapa”. Birth and Early life The 14th Shamarpa was born .
Pema Lingpa's Visionary Journey to the Copper-Colored Mountain

The Tulku system & the preservation of Dharma lineages

A is a reincarnate custodian of a specific lineage of teachings in Tibetan Buddhism who is given empowerments and trained from a young age by students of his or her predecessor. Historically, the tulku system of preserving Dharma lineages operated in Tibet with the first being the . After the first Karmapa died in 1193, a lama had recurrent visions of a particular child as his rebirth. This child (born ca. 1205) was recognized as .
Clockwise from upper left: Naropa, Maitripa, Marpa Lotsawa and Niguma.

Karma Kagyu Lamas – The whispering Mahamudra teachers

Karma Kagyu lamas are recognized for being masters of the practice of Mahamudra, a mystical path of Tibetan Buddhism that aims to achieve enlightenment by realizing the essence of mind. They are often referred to as the "whisperers of Mahamudra," in reference to the oral transmission of these teachings which is done confidentially and intimately between the teacher and student. Origin of the Karma Kagyu lineage The Kagyu school, also transliterated as Kagyü, or Kagyud, which translates .