Ole Nydahl

Ole Nydahl
File:Lama Ole Nydahl Portrait-1.jpg Portrait Ole Nydahl by Ginger Neumann, 2003
Date of birth:	(1941-03-19) March 19, 1941
Place of birth:	Copenhagen, Denmark
Birth name:	Ole Nydahl
School:	Vajrayana
Lineage:	Karma Kagyu
Organisation:	Diamond Way Buddhism
Title:	Lama

Ole Nydahl (born March 19, 1941 near Copenhagen, Denmark) is a Lama (teacher) in the Karma Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism under Trinley Thaye Dorje. Since the early 1970s he has toured the world giving lectures and meditation courses, together with his wife Hannah Nydahl (1946–2007) founding Diamond Way Buddhism, a worldwide lay organisation of Karma Kagyu Buddhism. He is often referred to as Lama Ole Nydahl or Lama Ole.

He is the author of nine books in English, including The Way Things Are, Entering the Diamond Way, Riding the Tiger, The Great Seal, and Buddha and Love.

Early life and contact with Buddhism

Ole Nydahl grew up in Denmark. In the early 1960s he briefly served in the Danish Army and fought as a professional boxer. By the late sixties, Ole Nydahl bought hashish in Nepal and smuggled it back home to sell it. After their first trip to Kathmandu in 1968 Hannah and Ole were arrested for smuggling hashish, for which Ole Nydahl spent several months in prison. Today, Nydahl fiercely warns against the danger of drugs. After he and his wife Hannah met with and took Buddhist refuge with the 16th Karmapa in 1969, they turned their back on drugs.

"...it is clear that the sixteenth Karmapa placed great trust in the Nydahls and had a special, close relationship with Ole in particular. For his part, Ole Nydahl has credited the Karmapa with reforming him from a boxer and casual marijuana dealer into a devoted, if unconventional, student and teacher of Buddhism." Erik D. Curren

After spending three years at the 16th Karmapa’s side, in 1972 the 16th Karmapa sent them back to Denmark. He gave them a letter to deliver to the Queen of Denmark which stated, among other things, that "we have some very remarkable results with young people who are going through the trials of what might be called a war-torn and drug-deluded generation. We have our own way of showing the way to peace, and a natural healthy life".

Academic credentials

Nydahl states that he studied Philosophy, English and German at the University of Copenhagen where he completed the 'philosophicum' with the best possible grade and went on to write a doctoral thesis on Aldous Huxley’s Doors of Perception, but didn't finish it. There are, however, no records of the University of Copenhagen ever awarding him a degree and the Examen philosophicum is merely an introductory foundation course counting half a semester towards a degree and not itself equivalent to a degree.

Several documents and recorded talks are in circulation claiming that Ole Nydahl holds a Ph.D. These talks include instances of Ole Nydahl being addressed and introduced as "Ole Nydahl Ph.D.". For example in conversation with Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove in the popular US and Canada television series Thinking Allowed he was introduced in the following way

"Hello and welcome. With me today is a Danish Tibetan lama, Ole Nydahl, the first Westerner authorized by the Karmapa Lama, the head of the Kagyupa School of Tibetan Buddhism to teach Tibetan Buddhist meditation practices. Dr. Nydahl also has a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Copenhagen ..."

Buddhist education

The first teacher of Ole Nydahl and his late wife, Hannah Nydahl, was the Drukpa Kagyu master Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche. In December 1969 Ole and Hannah Nydahl met the 16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, a renowned yogi and the head of the Karma Kagyu lineage. They were among the first Western students of the 16th Karmapa, to whom they became close students. They also became students of the 14th Shamarpa. From the 16th Karmapa, Hannah and Ole received the teachings of Vajrayana Buddhism and teachings on the nature of mind (Sanskrit mahamudra). From the 14th Shamarpa they received the Bodhisattva Promise and teachings on Gampopa’s Jewel Ornament of Liberation. They have received teachings and empowerments from various Tibetan lamas, including the Dalai Lama.

In 1972 Nydahl was appointed a Buddhist teacher by the 16th Karmapa, and send back to Europe in order to bring the teachings to the west. In 1983 Sharmapa named him Buddhist Master, and the title Lama was officially confirmed in 1995 by Khenpo Chödrak Thenpel Rinpoche on behalf of the Buddhist Institutes of the Gyalwa Karmapa.

Teaching activity

Ole Nydahl, London, August 2007.

As a result of their encounter with the 16th Karmapa and his request for them to help bring Buddhism to the West, Hannah and Ole Nydahl began to teach Buddhism and organize meditation centres, first in their native Denmark, then in Germany and other countries. The centers belongs to the Karma Kagyu lineage and operate under Ole Nydahl's practical guidance. In the early 90s Diamond Way Buddhism was founded, as a way to prevent corrupt Tibetan Lamas gaining influence in the centre during the Karmapa controversy.

As of August 2008, there are 585 Diamond Way centres throughout the world, mainly in Europe, Russia and the United States. Ole Nydahl travels between them during the year giving lectures and meditation courses. His courses cover topics such as mahamudra (The Great Seal) and phowa (the "practice of conscious dying", or "transference of consciousness at the time of death"). He has travelled almost constantly for the last 35 years, teaching in a new city nearly every day. His teaching schedule is accessible through the Diamond Way Buddhism website.

File:Lama Ole Nydahl LDN05.jpg

Lama Ole Nydahl, London 2005

Together with his close students, Nydahl has attempted to create an accessible teaching style and centres which function free from unnecessary cultural baggage.

The activity and non-hierarchical structure of the Diamond Way centers is based on volunteer work. "As is amply evident, hierarchical systems will not sell with independent people in the West. Nobody wants a distant teacher on a pedestal or a big organization standing on their shoulders and telling them what to think." In the Diamond Way centres, the meditations and names of the various Buddha forms have been translated into the different western languages, emulating the work of Marpa in bringing the Buddhist teachings from India to Tibet. Ole Nydahl believes that the fact that people can understand and read the meditations in their own language is essential because only by doing this will Buddhism become truly rooted in the West.

Jørn Borup (Department of Study of Religion at University of Aarhus, Denmark) says that Ole Nydahl is "the most lasting influence on the Buddhist practice scene in Denmark", and says that Ole Nydahl "in many ways been the icon of living Buddhism in Denmark". The total number of Nydahl's adherents is unknown, but can be estimated conservatively to be 15-70,000 students and casual sympathizers world wide. In Germany alone, the German Buddhist Union (DBU) estimates, that about 20,000 persons regularly visits the Diamond Way centers and groups.

Personal style

Ole Nydahl mixes life experience, charisma, a dry Danish sense of humour and boxing- and other metaphors into an unconventional teaching style. He often makes sexual jokes or politically incorrect statements in his lectures. He explains that "…one should always insist on a healthy sense of humour and check that one’s helpers and examples on the way are not strange and don’t take themselves too seriously. It is especially important that they have a healthy, not frustrated view of sexuality, and they do not blindly follow politically correct trends but trust themselves.". Of his own approach, Ole Nydahl states "My recipe is simple: tell people the necessity of finding something which can carry them through sickness, aging and death, and don’t be afraid to give them a glimpse of your joy of life. Tell people that the mind is like space: open, clear and limitless, and talk about both way and goal." Ole Nydahl is an enthusiastic skydiver, and loves riding fast motorcycles. In July 2003, on his eighty-eighth jump, the 63 year old Ole Nydahl was seriously injured while free-falling in lotus position, but has since made a full recovery.

Role in the Karmapa controversy

Main article: Karmapa controversy

When a great Tibetan Lama dies, it is tradition in Tibetan Buddhism to find the next reincarnation to continue the work. When the 16th Karmapa died in 1981, such a reincarnation had to be found. Two such candidates were found, causing a major split in the Karma Kagyu. Ole Nydahl, with the 14th Shamarpa who was one of only four lineage holders appointed to recognize the incarnation of the Karmapa at that time, supported the one named Trinley Thaye Dorje. It was greatly because of the work of Hannah and Ole Nydahl that most European Karma Kagyu Centers chose to support Trinley Thaye Dorje. "Ole Nydahl was very active in promoting Trinley Thaye Dorje (born 1983) as opposed to Ogyen Trinley Dorje (born 1985)".

As a result 592 of 856, or nearly 70% (Feb 2009) of the centers supporting Trinley Thaye Dorje are Diamond Way Buddhism.

The other candidate, who was recognized by the 14th Dalai Lama, is named Ogyen Trinley Dorje. The Dalai Lama confirmed Ogyen Trinley Dorje as the Karmapa after he had been requested to by two of the other lineage holders, Tai Situ Rinpoche and Gyaltsap Rinpoche, but the supporters of Trinley Thaye Dorje say that the Dalai Lama is not entitled to do so, and never did so before.

A major argument that Ogyen Trinley Dorje is the Karmapa is based upon a prediction-letter presented by Situpa. The supporters of Ogyen Trinley claim it is written by the 16th Karmapa in order to predict the identity of his future rebirth. Ole Nydahl has, together with Shamarpa and Topgala, persistently requested this prediction-letter should undergo a forensic test in order to have the authenticity verified. The supporters of Trinley Thaye Dorje are convinced the letter is in fact not written by the 16th Karmapa, but by Situpa himself. So far the request has been declined, supposedly because the letter is "too holy" to undergo such a test.

Due to his role in the Karmapa Controversy, Nydahl has been heavily criticized by the supporters of Ogyen Trinley Dorje, such as the authors Mick Brown and Lea Terhune. In connection to this, some blame him for being the cause of the split happened in the Karma Kagyu in 1992, as well as breaking the samayas (bonds) to his teachers, which is considered extremely negative in Vajrayana.

A pro-Nydahl account of the role of Ole Nydahl in the Karmapa Controversy is described in the book Rogues in Robes: An Inside Chronicle of a Recent Chinese-Tibetan Intrigue in the Karma Kagyu Lineage of Diamond Way Buddhism (2000), written by his close friend and student Tomek Lehnert.

Criticism

Unsupported Ph.D.-claims

Nydahl states that he studied Philosophy, English and German at the University of Copenhagen where he completed the 'philosophicum' with the best possible grade [1] and went on to write a doctoral thesis on Aldous Huxley’s Doors of Perception, but didn't finish it.[4] There are, however, no records of the University of Copenhagen ever awarding him a degree and the Examen philosophicum is merely an introductory foundation course counting half a semester towards a degree and not itself equivalent to a degree.

(Lack of) Buddhist Credentials

Academic researchers in the field of Buddhism have noticed that Nydahl is a subject for some criticism. Jørn Borup, reader in the Study of Religion at the University of Aarhus , and Burkhard Scherer, reader in Religious Studies at Canterbury Christ Church University and a student of Ole Nydahl and Thaye Dorje, both notice that questions have been raised about Nydahl's qualifications as a Buddhist teacher, especially since the beginning of the Karmapa Controversy. The criticism is especially based on the fact that Nydahl never went into a three-year retreat, which renders the traditional qualification as a lama. Nydahl actually wanted to go into three-year retreats, but was not permitted to do so by the Sixteenth Karmapa, who instead sent him back to build up Buddhist centers in the west.

Despite the lack of three-year retreat, Nydahl's qualifications as a Buddhist Lama are supported today by a range of high Karma Kagyu Lamas. Scherer notes

... Nydahl received the following important Tibetan Buddhist ( rNying ma and bKa' brgyud) transmissions from high lamas: the kLong chen snying thig 'pho ba [i.e. preliminary practices] from A yang sprul sku (1972), the "Six Yogas of Nāropa" (nā ro chos drug, 1975) and the bKa' brgyud sngags mdzod [i.e. The Treasury of Kagyü Mantras] (1976) from the Sixteenth Karma pa, and the Rin chen gter mdzod [i.e. The Treasury of Precious Termas] from Ka lu Rin po che (1983). In a ceremony in 1994, the late sLop dpon Tshe chu Rin po che officially made Nydahl the holder of several Kālacakra transmission lineages in the Buddhist retreat center Karma Guen, Spain.

Trinley Thaye Dorje states, "Lama Ole Nydahl is one of the closest disciples of my predecessor (the 16th Karmapa) and qualified teacher who transmits the flawless teachings of the Karma Kagyu lineage. Through his activity over the last three decades, he has benefited many by presenting the profound methods of the Buddhas and the Diamond Way is one of the many methods relevant to the people in the West." The first written reference to Ole Nydahl as Lama is an official letter from the Karmapa's administration made by Khenpo Choedrak Thenpel Rinpoche in 1995.

Sex with Students

For years there have been claims that Ole Nydahl sleeps with members of the Diamond Way Organisation and that some of these have been his students. In 2009 Nydahl replied to these claims saying: "There’s no teacher-student relationship involved in that, they’re Diamond Way Buddhists, but they’re not my students in that moment. They’re equal partners.” In a reply to a letter by Shamar Rinpoche criticising Nydahl's emphasis that the "bliss of sex is the experience of mind" , Nydahl said that he had never taught anything that the 16th Karmapa had not asked him to pass on and adds in a postscript "P.S. Any woman worldwide who has received sexual Tantra teachings from me will upon confirmation receive $1000"

Views on Islam

Nydahl's stance towards Islam has received attention. Statements, like calling Allah a "terrible god", is seen by some as inappropriate for a Buddhist Lama. Nydahl emphasizes that he does not make political comments in his capacity as a Lama, but as a “responsible, thinking human being”, and that no one can make statements like that based on being Buddhist, since Buddha Shakyamuni did not comment on religions founded centuries after his death. His stance is directed towards traditional Islam, and does not include Sufism, the inner, mystical dimension of Islam, and the Bahá'í Faith, a post-Islamic religion. In a 2008 interview he remarks

[In your view, is there a redeeming value within the Abrahamic religions?]

The Abrahamic religions, the ones that follow our constitution, treat women well, don’t blow up people, you know, who are not involved in their problems…Judaism and Christianity are fine. Islam, I warn against. I know the Koran, I know the life story of Mohammad and I think we cannot use that in our society today.

People like the Sufis and Bahá’ís are different, right. They are usually being killed as soon as the mainline Muslims come in, they start killing the other guys. They want you to believe just because it’s said, and you should not have any proof.

In his criticism of Islam, Nydahl especially emphasizes the importance of protecting free speech and women's rights.

I seriously hope, you know, that we're not losing the freedom of expression right now, that we're not losing the ability to say what we think even if we step on the toes of some gentleman from the Near East ... who like to beat their wives or stone them or whatever else they do, right? I mean I really think, you know, ... that our freedom is more important than where there's some gentleman is unhappy about what we say or not say because this is the greatest thing we have. If the freedom of speech goes every freedom goes. Everything is gone, we are back in the Middle Ages. Everything we fought for, everything our philosophers and dreamers fought for we throw out of the window for some people who come here, you know, and don't want to be like us, want us to become like them, right? ... it really is, you know, it really is great to have this freedom both to have a certain view and to be free of having a certain view pressed down over our heads. It's a very important thing, you know, and we should do our best that around the world all beings have the freedom, the education, to choose and the freedom to decide what they want.

Falling out with Mainline Buddhists

The greater concentration of Diamond Way centers in Europe is to be found in Germany. Between late 1999 and April 2000 there was a public dispute between the German Buddhist Union (DBU) and the German Diamond Way Organisation (BDD) because of Nydahl's attitude to Islam, his political statements, his manner of expressing himself, his manner of presenting himself and his relationships with women . There was a meeting between the two sides on 4 October 2000 and, although differences were clear, both sides expressed a willingness to learn from the past and resolved to work together to promote mutual cooperation for the future.

Accusations of false Buddhism

Martin Baumann, professor of Religion at the University of Lucerne , remarked in a 2005 newspaper interview

For Ole Nydahl to be travelling and founding Buddhhist centers as early as the 1970s was undoubtedly a pioneering effort on his part. But I have to say that when I listen to his alarmingly superficial formulations in his talks I can understand his critics who say that he is presenting a watered-down "instant Buddhism", a sort of "Buddhism light" for the West.

Burkhard Scherer aims to present a more balanced view of Nydahl by adding the hitherto neglected historical-critical approach of Tibetan Buddhist Studies. He regrets that Nydahl continues to be ignored by Tibet scholars

The neglect of Modern Tibetan Buddhist movements by classically trained Tibetologists is deplorable; the historical-critical methodology of Tibetan Studies can complement sociology and anthropology and add greatly to the discourses about authenticity and legitimization of movements such as Nydahl's Diamond Way

and argues that prevailing negative criticism from a position of suspicion by sociologists and students of New Religious Movements should be counter-balanced by positive criticism from a position of trust by Tibet scholars

Lay practitioners, both patrons and tantric adepts, played a decisive role in the process of assimilation that formed Tibetan Buddhism(s). In the same way, lay people are now playing a key role during the westernization of Tibetan Buddhism(s). The Mahāsiddha / crazy yogi heritage and the medieval Tibetan doctrinal debate about teaching the Great Seal outside of the Tantra [i.e. the "essence mahāmudrā" of sGam po pa] prove to be highly relevant historical precedents in the interpretation of unconventional modern/contemporary yogic/lay teachers such as the late Chogyam Trungpa and Ole Nydahl.

Bibliography

Ole Nydahl has written several books in English and Danish which have been translated into several European languages.

Most popular English titles:

• Ngondro: The Four Foundational Practices of Tibetan Buddhism. Blue Dolphin Publishing (1990). ISBN 978-0-931892-23-3
• Riding the Tiger: Twenty Years on the Road - Risks and Joys of Bringing Tibetan Buddhism to the West. Blue Dolphin Publishing (1992). ISBN 978-0-931892-67-7
• Entering the Diamond Way: Tibetan Buddhism meets the West. Blue Dolphin Publishing (1999). ISBN 978-0-931892-03-5
• The Great Seal: Limitless Space and Joy - The Mahamudra View of Diamond Way Buddhism. Fire Wheel Publishing (2004). ISBN 0-9752954-0-3
• The Way Things Are: A living Approach to Buddhism for today's world. O Books (2008). ISBN 978-1-84694-042-2

External links

• Ole Nydahl's website
• Diamond Way Buddhism
• Photographs of Ole Nydahl