Karmapa Controversy
Considerable controversy surrounded the enthronement of the 17th Karmapa, as there was not just one contender for the throne of the 16th, but two. Both contenders were represented by rival factions who were out to get their candidate recognised as the true incarnation of the 16th Karmapa. The alternative to Urgyen Trinley Dorje was Thaye Dorje, who was supported by the authoritative voice of Shamar Rinpoche.
While this book may not appeal to scholars of Tibetan Buddhism or Tibetan culture, its value lies in demystifying this culture for a general readership. Brown demonstrates how spiritual and secular power are intimately related in the world of Tibetan Buddhism, with many monks and lamas jostling for the power that comes with spiritual authority.
Read more about this topic: The Dance Of 17 Lives
Famous quotes containing the word controversy:
“And therefore, as when there is a controversy in an account, the parties must by their own accord, set up for right Reason, the Reason of some Arbitrator, or Judge, to whose sentence, they will both stand, or their controversy must either come to blows, or be undecided, for want of a right Reason constituted by Nature; so is it also in all debates of what kind soever.”
—Thomas Hobbes (1579–1688)