Buddhism

Karma Kagyu

Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is more or less a systematic way of practicing the values, principles and teaching of Buddha towards
attaining all consuming compassion. This is one of the most important differences between the Tibetan Buddhism and
any other type of Buddhism practiced in other parts of the world.
Tibetan Buddhism, which many say is the true cradle of the Buddhist doctrine, emphasizes that the only sure path to
enlightenment is through the practice of loving compassion for not only fellow human beings but for every living thing
around us.
Karma, is today regarded as one of six main schools (chos lugs) of Himalayan or Tibetan Buddhism, the other five being
the Nyingma, Sakya, Jonang, Bon and Gelug. It started in the 11th century.

Thangka of The Karma Kagyu Lineage

Refuge Tree

Teachings
The central teaching of the Karma Kagyu is the doctrine of Mahamudra, also known as the "Great
Seal". This doctrine focuses on four principal stages of meditative practice (the
Four Yogas of Mahamudra):

The development of single-pointedness of mind,

The transcendence of all conceptual elaboration,

The cultivation of the perspective that all phenomena are of a "single taste",

The fruition of the path, which is beyond any contrived acts of meditation.
It is through these four stages of development that the practitioner is said to attain the perfect
realization of mahamudra. Mahamudra is practiced both independently and as the completion stage
of Vajrayana practice.

Diamond Way
The basis of all our activities is the 16th Karmapa meditation. In addition we also practice other
Diamond Way meditations and offer basic Buddhist explanations, practice weekends and weekend
courses. Our offer makes it possible to get to know the timeless Buddhist methods and to apply them
to life.
The crucial point is the understanding that in every moment, one has the possibility to decide in favor
of something that brings you ultimate happiness. (Lama Ole Nydahl).
Those who feel attracted by our offer are friendly invited to come to one of our numerous lectures or to
participate in one of our meditation evenings without prerequisites.

Diamond Way
Our most valuable characteristics such as love, wisdom, joy, courage and
strength are not an addition to mind, they are the timeless expression its
nature
-Lama Ole Nydahl

Lama Ole Nydahl: Meditation

Where are we in Vienna

Buddhistisches Diamantweg Zentrum

Wien
Schmelzgasse 3
A-1020 Wien

The History of Diamond Way in Vienna

The Karma Kagy center in Vienna developed in 1972 after the first public lecture of Lama Ole
Nydahl. At this time, Lama Ole Nydahl, student of H.H. the 16thKarmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje,
started to give Buddhist lectures for interested people in Europe and to introduce them into Diamond
Way meditations on behalf of his teacher.
From 1982 to 1997 our center was located at the Fleischmarkt together with other Buddhist schools.
Until spring 2008 we run the center in a big house in Floridsdorf with a meditation room and we
shared flats with Buddhist friends. At the same time we also had a city center in the Siebensterngasse
in the 7. District from 2002 to 2009.
Since May 2009 our center can be found in the Schmelzgasse 3, 1020 Vienna. Lama Ole Nydahl
inaugurated it in December 2011 in the course of a public lecture. H.H. the 17 th Karmapa Trinley Thaye
Dorje, spiritual head of the Karma Kagy lineage and Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche were also already
visitors of our center.

The Karma Controversy

Ogyen Trinley Dorje

The sixteenth Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe

Dorje died in 1981

Trinley Thaye Dorje

Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche is the second highest teacher of the Karma Kagyu lineage. The line of his
incarnations has always been very close to the incarnations of the Karmapas. This gave him the name Red-hat
Karmapa. In 1959 Shamar Rinpoche together with the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa had to leave his home in Tibet
due to the Chinese invasion. Up until 1979 he received all the transmissions and teachings of the Karma Kagyu
lineage from the 16th Karmapa. Since then he has travelled all over the world teaching Diamond Way
Buddhism.Thanks mainly to his efforts, the 17th reincarnation of the Karmapa, Thaye Dorje, was found in 1992
and brought to freedom in India in 1994

In 2000, at the age of 17, he visited the West for the first time where he was met by 6000 students in
Germany.Since then he has visited his Western students and centers regularly. Conversely Buddhists
from all over the world travel to the traditional ceremonies lead by the 17th Karmapa. The Karmapa
feels a strong connection to the Western world and through the use of modern communication
technology keeps in close contact with his students.