Buddha was born over 2500 years ago in Lumbini in today’s Nepal. After a long search, he recognized the nature of mind while in deep meditation & reached enlightenment. Buddha taught for 45 yrs in the highly developed North Indian culture. Buddhism is the main religion in several East Asian countries. Since the early 70's, the profound Buddhist view with its vast number of methods has inspired a growing number of people in Western cultures.
Buddha taught about ultimate & conditioned existence in a way that makes Buddhism directly relevant to our daily lives. Understanding this makes the experience of lasting happiness possible. Buddhism does not proclaim dogmas, rather it encourages critical questioning. Using the right meditations, the intellectual understanding of the teachings becomes a personal everlasting experience. The goal of Buddha's teachings is the full development of the innate potential of body, speech & mind.
Buddha gave instructions for 3 different types of people. Those who wanted to avoid suffering received instructions about cause & effect (Small Way, skt. Hinayana or Theravada, „School of the Eldest“). Those who wanted to do more for others were given the teachings on compassion & wisdom called the Great Way (skt. Mahayana). Where people had strong confidence in their own & others' Buddha nature, Buddha taught the Diamond Way (skt. Vajrayana). Here, he manifested as forms of energy & light or directly transmitted his enlightened view as a flow of awareness, the “Great Seal” (skt. Mahamudra). In Diamond Way one learns to experience the world from a rich & self-liberating viewpoint. Diamond Way meditations develop a deep inner richness & lead to a non-artificial & unwavering mind where every enlightened activity can unfold.
The Karma Kagyu lineage belongs to one of the 4 major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. As a lineage of direct oral transmission, it especially treasures meditation and, through interaction with a qualified teacher, can bring about the full & direct experience of the nature of mind. The Karma Kagyu methods were taught by the historical Buddha Shakyamuni to his closest students. These methods were later passed on through the Indian Buddhist masters (Mahasiddhas) like Naropa & Maitripa, as well as the famous Tibetan accomplishers (yogis) Marpa & Milarepa, who formed the lineage as a naturalistic lay-movement. Since the 12th century, the successive conscious rebirths of the Karmapas have kept the teachings alive & powerful to the present day. Today, Buddhist teachers (tib. Lamas) such as H.H. the 17th Karmapa Thaye Dorje, Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche & Jigme Rinpoche transmit this unbroken wisdom. They support the work in Diamond Way centers around the world.
Our Buddhist centers & meditation groups offer the modern world easy access to the meditations & teachings of Diamond Way Buddhism. The roof of Diamond Way Buddhism is supported by 3 pillars: verifiable non-dogmatic teachings, meditation & the means to solidify the levels of awareness which have been attained. Thus, the Diamond Way offers the modern world the most skilful methods of the Buddha. It helps to develop inner richness, for the benefit of all beings. Diamond Way Buddhists are lay people, often with families & regular jobs, who incorporate Buddhist methods into their daily lives.
Buddhists generally describe themselves as happy people. But becoming Buddhist doesn’t magically change the world around us to fit our needs. So what is it that changes? To be a Buddhist, we don’t need to wear any special clothing, change our eating habits, or give up material possessions or a social life. It’s as simple as changing our perception — not taking the obstacles that come our way so seriously, and seeing everything around us as interesting and full of potential. Simple to say but not always easy to do. 
In order to be able to become Buddhist, we need to take responsibility for creating our own lives, with the confidence that cause and effect, or karma, really functions. Through our thoughts and judgments, we create habits and attitudes that either limit or free us. Through experience, we see that we create today the causes of our situations tomorrow. 
If we really pay attention, we can see that everything in the outside world is changing. Quickly like a candle flame or slowly like a mountain, even the most “solid” things change. They have no truly permanent essence.Our inner world of thoughts and feelings is in the same state of constant change. 
To reach a state of lasting, unconditional happiness known as enlightenment. To bring us to this state, Buddhism points us to lasting values in this impermanent world and gives us valuable information about how things really are.
Through understanding the law of cause and effect, using practical tools like meditation to gain insight and develop compassion and wisdom, we all can tap into our potential to realize the ultimate goal of enlightenment.
