Ole Nydahl facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lama
Ole Nydahl
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Nydahl 2010
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| Born | 19 March 1941 Copenhagen, Denmark
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| Nationality | Danish |
| Organization | Diamond Way Buddhism |
| Title | Lama |
| Spouse(s) |
Hannah Nydahl
(m. 1968; died 2007)Alexandra Munoz Barboza
(m. 2014; div. 2017)Anne Behrend
(m. 2019) |
| Partner(s) | Caty Hartung (1990-2004) |
| Children | 3, including Freya |
Ole Nydahl (born 19 March 1941), also known as Lama Ole, is a Buddhist teacher. He shares Mahamudra teachings from the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. Since the early 1970s, Lama Ole has traveled the world. He gives talks and leads meditation courses. With his wife, Hannah Nydahl, he helped start Diamond Way Buddhism. This is a worldwide Buddhist group with over 600 centers for people who practice Buddhism in their daily lives.
Lama Ole has written more than twenty books about Diamond Way Vajrayana Buddhism. These books have been translated into many languages. Some of his book titles include The Great Seal: Mahamudra View of Diamond Way Buddhism, The Way Things Are, Entering the Diamond Way, Buddha and Love, and Fearless Death.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Ole Nydahl was born in Denmark, north of Copenhagen. He grew up in a family that valued education. During World War II, his parents were part of the Danish resistance movement. They helped Jewish people escape to neutral Sweden.
In the early 1960s, Ole Nydahl served briefly in the Danish Army. He then studied philosophy, English, and German at the University of Copenhagen. He earned excellent grades there. As a young man, Nydahl enjoyed boxing, motorcycles, and race car driving. He also traveled from Denmark to Nepal several times.
Becoming a Buddhist Teacher
Learning About Buddhism
In 1968, Ole Nydahl and his wife Hannah went to Nepal for their honeymoon. There, they met their first Buddhist teacher, Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche. In December 1969, the Nydahls met Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, who was the 16th Karmapa. He was the head of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Buddhism.
The Nydahls became students of the Karmapa. They studied and meditated in the Himalayas. They completed special practices called Ngöndro in six months. They also learned about different meditation methods. During this time, the Nydahls also studied with other important teachers. These included the fourteenth Shamarpa, the 3rd Jamgon Kongtrul, and Kalu Rinpoche. From the Karmapa, they learned about Vajrayana Buddhism and mahamudra. They also learned about phowa, which is a meditation practice for conscious dying.
Sharing Buddhist Teachings
When they returned to Europe in 1972, the 16th Karmapa asked Hannah and Ole Nydahl to start teaching Buddhism. They began by setting up meditation centers in Denmark, then in Germany and other countries. These centers belong to the Karma Kagyu lineage. Ole Nydahl guides how they are run.
As of 2019, there were 635 Diamond Way centers around the world. Most of these centers are in Europe, Russia, and the United States.
Lama Ole travels regularly between these centers throughout the year. He gives talks and leads meditation courses. For over 40 years, he traveled almost constantly, teaching in a new city nearly every day. Since 2017, he has reduced his travel schedule due to health reasons.
Ole Nydahl and his students have created Buddhist centers where people can learn Vajrayana meditation. These centers make it easy to practice without needing to know Tibetan language or culture. In Diamond Way centers, meditations and the names of Buddha forms are translated into Western languages. Lama Ole believes it is important for people to understand meditations in their own language. This helps Buddhism become truly rooted in Western countries.
Diamond Way centers are run entirely by volunteers. The organization does not have any paid staff. The way the centers are set up is meant to be fair and friendly. According to Buddhism Today, the Diamond Way Buddhist magazine, people in the West prefer a system where everyone is equal. They don't want a distant teacher or a big organization telling them what to think.
Students in Diamond Way Centers practice the Ngöndro. These are four basic practices that help prepare the mind for enlightenment. They also practice different forms of guru yoga, which is meditation on the lama. This includes meditations on the 16th Karmapa and the 8th Karmapa. Lama Ole has stated that he only teaches what the 16th Karmapa asked him to share. He also said that the main practice in their centers is always the Guru Yogas of the Karmapas.
Impact and Influence
Jørn Borup, a professor at Aarhus University, says that Ole Nydahl has had a lasting impact on Buddhist practice in Denmark. He calls Lama Ole "the icon of living Buddhism in Denmark". The number of people who follow Nydahl is not fully known. However, it is estimated to be between 15,000 and 70,000 students and supporters worldwide. In Germany alone, about 20,000 people regularly visit Diamond Way centers.
The 14th Shamar Rinpoche, Shamarpa, wrote that Lama Ole helped make the Karmapa's name well-known. He also said that Lama Ole established about 600 Buddhist centers. This shows that Lama Ole's work is a big part of the 16th Karmapa's activities.
Ole Nydahl is a co-founder of Diamond Way with his wife Hannah Nydahl. He is also a co-founder and chairman of The Diamond Way Buddhism Foundation. This is a non-profit international foundation based in Germany. It supports projects around the world. For example, it helps with a library in Karma Guen, Spain, which translates and saves Buddhist texts. It also organizes cultural events, like Tibetan art exhibitions. The foundation is also responsible for building retreat centers and stupas in Europe and Russia.
Personal Life
Ole Nydahl met his future wife Hannah when he was 10 years old and she was five. They met again after he finished his time in the army. Hannah Nydahl passed away in 2007.
In 2014, Ole Nydahl married Alexandra Munoz Barbosa. They were married at the Copenhagen Diamond Way Buddhist center. They later divorced in 2017.
On August 31, 2019, Ole Nydahl and Anne Behrend were married. Their wedding took place at the Diamond Way Buddhist center in Těnovice, Czech Republic.
Ole Nydahl has three children. His daughter Freya was born on December 18, 2020.
See also
In Spanish: Ole Nydahl para niños
