10/08/2026
Dharmapala Day • Birthday of Thugseyla
📅 Tuesday, 11 August 2026 - a Tszurlug tibeti naptárrendszer szerint
☸️ Dharmapala (the Protectors of the Dharma) Day: 29th day of the lunar month. Purification and fasting. Confession of the transgression of vows and other similar practices. Tsok offerings and celebrations.
More information:
www.karmakagyucalendar.org/special-days/lunar-monthly/dharmapala-protector-day
☸️ Birthday of Thugseyla, His Holiness 17th Karmapa's son (2018): This day the Karma Kagyu family celebrates the birthday of Thugseyla, the son of Thaye Dorje, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, and Sangyumla Rinchen Yangzom.
He was born on the new moon of 11 August 2018 in France. His name — Thugsey (ཐུགས་སྲས་), "heart son" — carries the warmth with which the whole lineage received him, and the affectionate "la" has accompanied it ever since.
On September 14, 2018, when he was just over one month old, Thugseyla was brought by his parents to Dhagpo Kagyu Ling in France. He was introduced to Lama Jigme Rinpoche, Gendun Rinchen (Yangsi of Gendun Rinpoche), and members of the community. During this private visit, Lama Jigme Rinpoche presented Thugseyla with miniature traditional symbols of the enlightened body, speech, and mind (ku, sung, tuk).
On January 11, 2019, His Eminence Luding Khenchen Rinpoche, the 75th head of the Ngor tradition of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism, presided over Thugsey's hair-cutting ceremony at KIBI. This historic ceremony symbolized his taking refuge in the Three Jewels (the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha), and he was given a refuge name. The ceremony was attended by his parents, grandmother, aunts (Sonam Pema and Dechen Yangzom), and numerous monks.
Announcing his birth, Karmapa wrote that he expressed immense happiness and extended deep gratitude to his family and dharma friends, writing: "Sangyumla and I are overjoyed to announce the birth of our first child. We wish to offer our heartfelt gratitude to our dear parents, our family, and you, our dharma friends, for your loving kindness, prayers and aspirations."
Witnessing the birth deeply moved him, leading him to reflect on maternal strength. He noted: "Being present for the birth of our first child, I was deeply honoured to witness the dignity, courage and spiritual strength of Sangyumla – qualities that are present in all mothers around the world."
As a new father, he noted his desire to follow the parenting examples of his own father, His Eminence Mipham Rinpoche, as well as his historical predecessors. He pointed out that Choying Dorje (the 10th Karmapa) and Khakyab Dorje (the 15th Karmapa) were also parents.
He explained that fatherhood deepened his connection to his spiritual duties, writing: "The experience of becoming a father has further strengthened my inspiration and aspirations as Karmapa. In some ways, I have always been in a parental role, as head of the Karma Kagyu family. Now this spiritual role and title of Karmapa, and the responsibilities that come with it, are clearer than ever before."
⏭️ Next special day:
Wednesday, 12 August 2026 > Buddha Shakyamuni Day • Total Solar Eclipse
Next occurrences of these days:
• Dharmapala (the Protectors of the Dharma) Day: Thursday, 10 September 2026
• Birthday of Thugseyla, His Holiness 17th Karmapa's son (2018): Wednesday, 11 August 2027
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བཀྲ་ཤིས་བདེ་ལེགས
Happy every day & Tashi Delek!
