May 21, 2011
In the early morning of May 21, Gyalwa Karmapa left Kalimpong for a three-day visit to Takdah, Darjeeling.

Thousands of devotees had been eagerly waiting for his visit, requesting him over and over to come to the area to give blessings, teachings and empowerments. Now, finally, the conditions for this visit had come together.

Many monasteries and schools had extended invitations to him, and though he was not able to accept all of them, he did visit a dozen different places on this first day, starting with Urgyen Tenpa Monastery, Uday Jinglam Junior High School and Rinzing Samten Choiling Monastery, followed by Tashi Choiling Gompa, Gielle Govt. High School, Theksum Choiling Gompa, Batakesher Shiva Mandir, Green Shield Academy and Shri Diwakar Vihara.

After a short break for lunch, he continued his tour with Sharva Janik Buddha Sangh, Takdah Junior High School, finishing at Dupkhang Chokhorling Gompa.
The motorcade accompanying Gyalwa Karmapa on his tour of Darjeeling was headed by a pilot car with flashing red lights and wailing sirens.
Two bodyguards accompanied him in his car, which was followed by another police car and a long convoy of vehicles with monks from Rumtek and Shri Vihara Buddhist Institute as well as representatives of the lay communities of Sikkim, Darjeeling and Kalimpong and different institutes and associations.

Large posters and banners had been hung everywhere to announce his visit, and wherever he went large crowds of devotees had gathered to welcome him and receive his blessing. All the monasteries gave him the traditional welcome – involving the great pomp and circumstance worthy of a master of his rank – complete with incense, cymbals, gyalings and drums. Ceremoniously escorted to the shrine room through the parting crowd, Gyalwa Karmapa prostrated in front of the shrine, lit a butter lamp, offered a kata and then mounted the throne prepared for him.
Each community presented him with a mandala and other offerings, and the traditional saffron rice and tea were served to all members of his party, followed by the recitation of aspiration prayers and tashis (auspicious prayers).

In the schools he visited the students eagerly awaited him, lined up in tidy rows on either side of the road, dressed in their neat school uniforms, their little hands folded in the universal gesture of respectful greeting. Teaching staff and administrators, too, were gathered to receive him with gestures of respect and warm words of welcome.
When addressing students and teachers, Gyalwa Karmapa strongly emphasised the vital importance of education:
“Education is the foundation, the basis for all the good things.
As we can see all over the world, throughout the centuries and millennia, and even now in our contemporary world, when there is a lack of education that’s when there is poverty, that’s when there is war, that’s when there are all kinds of problems… So all confusion and suffering are born out of not knowing, and that’s why the importance of education is highly emphasised in the teachings of Buddhism.
So it is very very important that you use this precious opportunity to the fullest and learn as much as you can, because you are the future, not just of your own country but of the entire world. According to the Buddhist perspective, each and every one of you can make a difference in this world – so please study well, and I hope that you will be able to benefit all sentient beings.

So that is my wish, and I really look forward to seeing what you will become in the future, and how much benefit you will be able to accomplish. I look forward to that whole-heartedly.”

The last stop for the day was Dupkhang Chokhor Ling Gompa in Takling, a beautiful secluded spot, ideally suited for retreat. Aside from the resident monks, hundreds of local practitioners had gathered to welcome him.
Here Gyalwa Karmapa took a lot of time and gave a spontaneous dharma talk about the meaning of the Three Jewels and the notion of blessing and how it works.
“For blessing, or darshan, to work two ingredients are necessary: our own wishes, aspirations and prayers – that is the ingredient required from our own side, and the second ingredient is the wishes of the Buddhas, the bodhisattvas and the Arhats. When these two come together then there is blessing.
Therefore, our prayers should be done wholeheartedly, without doubt, and most importantly, not just aiming for our own benefit but for others’ benefit as well. And there is a good reason for that: if one aims for the benefit of all beings, then naturally, without asking anything for one’s own benefit, it’ll naturally come, and in return everyone is happy and everyone benefits. If, on the other hand, we follow our habits and ask for blessing only for our own benefit then it becomes limited. There will be limits in terms of time, distance, strength – so many limitations… whereas if we wish for all sentient beings, then, since sentient beings are as vast as the sky, the blessing itself will also be timeless, limitless.”

In the evening, Gyalwa Karmapa and his party were warmly welcomed by the extremely numerous family running Gurung Lodge, the guesthouse where they spent the night. Despite the late hour, a delicious meal was improvised, and a guided tour of the original family house provided for those who still had some energy left.