First Meeting of the National Kagyu Internal Council

Dear Drikung Dharma Center,

Please find attached a report in English and the original Tibetan version as PDF files by the Drikung Administrative Council concerning a recent Kagyu meeting held in Dharamsala. Since this conference marks an important step in the future representation of the Kagyu lineages in the Tibetan Government in Exile we would encourage you, if you have the possibility, to make both documents available on your Drikung Center Website. In case you want to upload the English version as text and not as a downloadable PDF, please make sure that it will be published unaltered. You may also find this information here on our official website.

Best wishes,

Elmar

___________________________________________________________________
Drikung Administrative Council

First International Kagyu Conference Held in Dharamsala

Representatives of the four Kagyu lineages (Drikung Kagyu, Taklung Kagyu, Karma Kagyu, and Drukpa Kagyu) met for their first international conference at the Norbulingka Institute in Dharamsala, India, on May 7, 2010. Since the organizing document of the Council for Religious Affairs of the Tibetan Government in Exile stipulates that each of the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism (Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Geluk) and Yungdrung Bön must be represented on the council by its religious head, the four Kagyu lineages met to decide which of their respective religious heads should represent the Kagyu and in what manner. They agreed that the position will rotate among the religious heads of the four lineages in a term of three years, and they drew lots to determine the rotation schedule. The meeting was chaired by the two Kagyu delegates to the Tibetan National Assembly, Karma Sherab Tharchin and Khortsa Sönam Dadül, and each
lineage sent five representatives. The Drikung Kagyu representatives were Nyima Gyaltsen, Konchog Mönlam, Konchog Norbu, Dawa Döndrup, and Thrinle Namgyal. Please see the translation of the meeting minutes below.

Translation of the original reports

First Meeting of the National Kagyu Internal Council
Attended by the [Karma] Kamtsang, Drukpa, Drikung, and Taklung Kagyu Lineages in Equal Representation
At the Norbulingka Institute for the Preservation of Tibetan Culture, Dharamasala
Friday May 7, 2010, Tibetan Year 2137

Agenda and Resolutions
[Agenda]
Item 1:
Discussion of the Tibetan Government in Exile’s [establishment of the] Council for Religious Affairs, [as per the council’s] organizing document, Article I “Composition of the Council,” Section [A]: The [council shall be] attended by “the commonly acknowledged heads of the four great schools of Tibetan Buddhism and Yungdrung Bön, or their specially deputized representatives.”

Item 2:
Summing up and [passing resolutions] on the outcomes of the discussion.

Resolutions

We are unanimously resolved:
1. [The position of the commonly acknowledged Kagyu head] of the commonly acknowledged heads of the four great schools of Tibetan Buddhism and Yungdrung Bön named in Article VI of the organizing document of the Council for Religious Affairs of the Tibetan Government in Exile will rotate among the respective religious heads of the [Karma] Kamtsang, Drukpa, Drikung, and Taklung Kagyu lineages in a term of three years.
2. The rotation [decided by drawing lots] will occur in the following order: First, [Karma] Kamtsang; second, Drikung; third, Taklung; fourth, Drukpa; and upon a full rotation, it will continue in the same order.
3. In the event that [the religious heads] of additional Kagyu lineages should [desire to] accept the post of Kagyu head, they will be offered the privileges of religious head, as enjoyed by the other Kagyu lineages, starting from the fifth position [in the rotation schedule].
Signed by the meeting chair
Kagyu Delegates to the Tibetan National Assembly
Five representatives each from Kamtsang, Drukpa, Drikung, and Taklung Kagyu lineages