page_title: Karmapa controversy
section_title: Court battle over Rumtek Monestary
hierarchical_section_title: Karmapa controversy / Recent developments / Court battle over Rumtek Monestary
context_page_description: There are currently two separately enthroned 17th Gyalwang Karmapa: Ogyen Trinley Dorje and Trinley Thaye Dorje. The Karmapa is the spiritual leader of the 900-year-old Karma Kagyu lineage of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism.
  Ogyen Trinley Dorje was located, recognized and enthroned in 1992, and sealed by the Buktham Letter that was conferred by the 14th Dalai Lama. The controversy began when Trinley Thaye Dorje was separately enthroned in 1994. The divisivness started in the early and mid 1990s, with semi-public accusations of impropriety from those closely involved, and continued for several years thereafter. As the years passed, separate sets of organizations and highly recognized lamas, or teachers, supported one Karmapa or the other. The majority of the Karma Kagyu sangha and high lamas support Ogyen Trinley Dorje as the Karmapa.
  In 2018, Ogyen Trinley Dorje and Trinley Thaye Dorje met for the first time to begin creating a personal relationship with one another and to encourage their spiritual communities to heal the divisions and join in efforts to help preserve the Karma Kagyu tradition.
context_section_description: Control of Rumtek Monastery, which was the seat of the 16th Karmapa in exile, has been the subject of a legal contest. In 1961 the 16th Karmapa established the Karmapa Charitable Trust. Ogyen Trinley's followers claimed that the trust was solely established for the sake of seeing to the welfare of the Karmapa's followers, providing funds for the maintenance of the monastery, and for the monks' medical fees, but that administration of the monastery was the responsibility of the Tsurphu Labrang.  The Indian Supreme Court is currently considering a related case.
caption: Rumtek Monastery
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