Since launching this petition (signed by over 1000 people) to support the visit of HH 17th Gyalwang Karmapa to the Karmapa's main seat in India, Rumtek Monastery, (after a twenty-five year forced absence since coming to India in 2000), movement or change from the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) ensuring this happens has been minimal at best, zero at worst.
Although a Question was asked in the CTA parliament, and a party of CTA delegates then visited Sikkim, there has been zero movement it seems, other than a Himachal Pradesh court case for money laundering being dropped and the 'not so subtle' suggestion that the 17th Karmapa return to Dharamsala, India with the 14th Dalai Lama, after their 'surprise' meeting in Zurich, Switzerland (on August 25, 2024, the first time they have been seen publicly together since 2017), which sadly led to the disruption, and then cancellation of the 17th Karmapa's scheduled summer online teachings.
There has been no clear answer given as to the purpose of the meeting with the 14th Dalai Lama, nor of any positive result coming from it, other than some kind of political media strategy aimed at showing the Dalai Lama and 17th Karmapa together. When Sikyong Penpa Tsering was asked in the Parliament about the meeting, he merely answered he did not know, and was not present. However, why and for whom this meeting was beneficial is not clear.
Thus, one can only conclude that either 1) the CTA have no power or decision making on this important issue, or 2) they do not care about the issue to ensure action, or 3) both.
In any case, I am sorry to report that this petition (despite our good intentions) has been a resolute failure to get any movement from the Tibetans in exile in relation to the supreme head of a 900 year old main lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, whose historical, spiritual and intellectual legacy is far more substantial and significant than the newer Gelugpa lineage.
However, that does not mean we should give up in our quest to see the 17th Karmapa return to Sikkim and Rumtek, but just recognise that neither the will, or the way, seems to be available to the Gelugpa sectarian biased CTA in Dharamsala, India.
After spending over twenty years effectively based in a Gelug monastery, Dharamsala, and all the control, supervision, monitoring and lack of privacy the 17th Karmapa faced in India while there, perhaps it is not that surprising that he now seems to be actively choosing not to come back, until the causes and conditions are right for him to do so, on his terms and with more freedom to teach and travel.
May we continue to pressure the CTA representative, the Thaye Dorje faction and others, that thousand are losing patience with waiting for the 17th Karmapa to return to India and perform the sacred 'black hat' ceremony there.