Who is His Holiness the 17th Karmapa?

Karmapa means "the one who carries out buddha-activity" or "the embodiment of all the activities of the buddhas." In the Tibetan tradition, great enlightened masters, through the purity of their aspiration to alleviate suffering and benefit beings, are said to be able to choose to be reborn with the the realization of their predecessors. Pursuant to this tradition, seventeen Karmapas have been recognized as continuing on a great tradition of demonstrating the enlightened activity of the Buddhas. Each of the Karmapas have played the most important role in preserving and propagating the Buddhist teachings.