ABS 200
Code: ABS 200
Country: Tibet
Style:
Date: 1600 - 1700
Dimensions in cm WxHxD: 9.1 x 12.8 x 7.4
Materials: Gilt copper
Karmapa 02 Karma Pakshi (1204-1283)
Seated in meditation posture, with both hands on his knees, dressed in monastic robes and wearing the famous black hat, the second Karmapa can be recognized by his goatee, a traditional element of his iconography. A child prodigy, Karma Pakshi (1204–1283) was recognized early on as the 1st Karmapa Tüsum Khyenpa’s new incarnation and therefore holder of the lineage. A great scholar and meditator, his realization enabled him to perform all kinds of miracles. His fame earned him an invitation from the Mongolian princes to the city of Khara-Khoto. Preferring the sovereign Möngke (1209–1259) to his brother, the future Chinese emperor Prince Kublai, he attracted the latter’s enmity. After a long stay abroad, he returned to Central Tibet and restored Tsurpu monastery where he erected a huge statue of the Buddha. He entrusted his disciple Orgyenpa (1229/30–1309) with instructions on his next incarnation.
The Karmapas are often considered the first lineage to have initiated the tülku system. It consists in the systematic recognition of a child as the new incarnation of a deceased hierarch. This system spread to all the schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the other most famous examples being the Dalai-Lamas and the Panchen-Lamas.
Seated in meditation posture, with both hands on his knees, dressed in monastic robes and wearing the famous black hat, the second Karmapa can be recognized by his goatee, a traditional element of his iconography. A child prodigy, Karma Pakshi (1204–1283) was recognized early on as the 1st Karmapa Tüsum Khyenpa’s new incarnation and therefore holder of the lineage. A great scholar and meditator, his realization enabled him to perform all kinds of miracles. His fame earned him an invitation from the Mongolian princes to the city of Khara-Khoto. Preferring the sovereign Möngke (1209–1259) to his brother, the future Chinese emperor Prince Kublai, he attracted the latter’s enmity. After a long stay abroad, he returned to Central Tibet and restored Tsurpu monastery where he erected a huge statue of the Buddha. He entrusted his disciple Orgyenpa (1229/30–1309) with instructions on his next incarnation.
The Karmapas are often considered the first lineage to have initiated the tülku system. It consists in the systematic recognition of a child as the new incarnation of a deceased hierarch. This system spread to all the schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the other most famous examples being the Dalai-Lamas and the Panchen-Lamas.