His Holiness the First Karmapa

The spiritual leader of the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism is His Holiness the Karmapa, who is considered to be the embodiment of all the blessings of the lineage. Each successive Karmapa leaves a letter predicting the precise details and circumstances of his next rebirth.

The Kagyu lineage traces its roots from Shakyamuni Buddha to Tilopa, Naropa, and Marpa the Translator to the renowned Milarepa. Milarepa's student, Gampopa, transmitted the teachings to the First Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa.

The first Karmapa died when he was 84. His heart was found intact in the funeral pyre and some of his remaining bones had manifested into images of the Buddhas. The Seventeenth Karmapa currently lives in exile in the mountains of Dharmasala, India.

Relic and Source

Both sets of relics are from the First Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa and were offered to Lama Zopa Rinpoche by his student, Wu Wen Yuen.