Deshin Shekpa () (1384–1415), also Deshin Shegpa, Dezhin Shekpa and Dezhin Shegpa, was the fifth Gyalwa Karmapa, head of the Karma Kagyu, a subschool of the Kagyu School of

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...

. Deshin Shekpa was born in Nyang Dam in the south of

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa, Taman ...

. According to the legend he said after being born: "I am the Karmapa. Om mani padme hum shri." Deshin Shekpa was taken to Tsawa Phu who recognized him as the

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is ...

of the Karmapa. Deshin traveled extensively through

and

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

and taught people about non-violence. After having finished his education, he was invited in 1403 by the emperor, because Emperor

Zhu Di The Yongle Emperor (; pronounced ; 2 May 1360 – 12 August 1424), personal name Zhu Di (), was the third Emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigning from 1402 to 1424. Zhu Di was the fourth son of the Hongwu Emperor, the founder of the Ming dyna ...

, the Yongle Emperor, (1402–1424) had a vision of Avalokitesvara. He also required religious ceremonies to be held for his deceased parents. After a long journey beginning in 1403, he arrived in

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

, the then capital on April 10, 1407 on an elephant, at the imperial palace, where tens of thousands of monks greeted him. He convinced the emperor that there were different Buddhist branches for different people and that does not mean that one branch is better than the other. The Karmapa was very well received during his visit to the capital and a number of miraculous occurrences are reported. He also performed ceremonies for the emperor's family. The emperor presented him with 700 measures of silver objects and bestowed the title of 'Precious Religious King, Great Loving One of the West, Mighty Buddha of Peace'. He also gave him a material representation of the famous and ethereal ' Vajra Crown' which was said to be invisible to all except those of most pure spirit. It was woven in black brocade and studded with jewels. Aside from religious matters, Emperor Cheng Zu wished to establish an alliance with the Karmapa similar to the one the Yuan (1277-1367 CE) emperors had established with the

Sakyapa The ''Sakya'' (, 'pale earth') school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug. It is one of the Red Hat Orders along with the Nyingma and Kagyu. Origins Virūpa, 16th century. It depict ...

.Sperling, Elliot. "The 5th Karma-pa and some aspects of the relationship between Tibet and the early Ming." In: ''Tibetan Studies in Honour of Hugh Richardson''. Edited by

Michael Aris Michael Vaillancourt Aris (27 March 1946 – 27 March 1999) was an English historian who wrote and lectured on Bhutanese, Tibetan and Himalayan culture and history. He was the husband of Aung San Suu Kyi, who would later become State Counsellor ...

and

Aung San Suu Kyi Aung San Suu Kyi (; ; born 19 June 1945) is a Burmese politician, diplomat, author, and a 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as State Counsellor of Myanmar (equivalent to a prime minister) and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2 ...

, p. 284. (1979). Vikas Publishing house, New Delhi. The Ming emperor apparently offered to send regular armies to unify Tibet under the Karmapa but Deshin Shekpa declined this rather un-Buddhist offer.Brown, Mick. (2004). ''The Dance of 17 Lives: The Incredible True Story of Tibet's 17th Karmapa'', pp. 33-34. Bloomsbury Publishing, New York and London. . Deshin left Nanjing on 17 May 1408 CE. In 1410 he returned to Tsurphu where he had his monastery rebuilt which had been severely damaged by an earthquake.

References

* Lama Kunsang, Lama Pemo, Marie Aubèle (2012). ''History of the Karmapas: The Odyssey of the Tibetan Masters with the Black Crown''. Snow Lion Publications, Ithaca, New York. . *

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shekpa, Deshin 1384 births 1415 deaths 5 14th-century Tibetan people 15th-century Tibetan people