Kagyu

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The Kagyu school, also known as the "Oral Lineage" and "the Spotless Practice Lineage" school, is one of five schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the other four being Nyingma (Rnying-ma), Sakya (Sa-skya), Gelug (Dge-lugs) and Bön.

Origins

Almost the entirety of the Kagyu school traces its origins to the teachings of the Indian mystics Tilopa (988-1089) and Naropa (1016-1100), whose lineage was transmitted in Tibet by the great translator Marpa (1012-1097). He took over the mahamudra ("great seal") transmission lineage from Naropa. Moreover Marpa studied with the Indian Masters Maitripa and Kukuripa. On his third journey to India he met Atiśa (982-1054) and studied the teachings of the Kadampa masters (both Kagyu and Gelug schools trace their roots to the earlier Kadampa school). Marpa spent 17 years in India and is known as one of the great translators of the second translation period. Marpa's principal disciple was Milarepa (Mi-la-ras-pa) (1052-1135), widely considered one of Tibet's great religious poets and meditators. Among Milarepa's many students were Dagpo Lharje Gampopa (Sgam-po-pa) (1079-1153), a great scholar, and the great yogi Rechung Dorje Drakpa, also known as Rechungpa.

Following Gampopa's teachings, there evolved the so-called "Four Major and Eight Minor" lineages of the Dagpo (sometimes rendered "Tagpo") Kagyu School. This organization is descriptive of the generation in which the schools were founded, not of their realization or prominence. The Rechung Kagyu school that descended from Rechungpa has always been far smaller and more obscure.

The Shangpa Kagyu, which was relatively obscure until the last hundred years, traces its lineage to Naropa's sister Niguma, and is sometimes not considered a "Kagyu" school at all.

Four major schools of the Dagpo Kagyu

• Karma Kagyu, also known as Kamtsang Kagyu, founded by Düsum Khyenpa (Dus-gsum Mkhyen-pa), later designated the first Karmapa
• Barom Kagyu, founded by Barompa Darma Wangchug
• Tsalpa Kagyu, founded by Zangyu Dragpa Darma Drag (Zhang Rinpoche)
• Pagdru Kagyu, founded by Pagmo Drupa Dorje Gyalpo, splintered into eight subschools as follows:

Eight Pagdru Kagyu sub-schools

• Drikung Kagyu, included the Lhapa sect, builders of the earliest dzongs in Bhutan, later eclipsed by the Drukpa
• Drukpa Kagyu, which combined lineages from both Gampopa and Rechungpa, is the state religion of Bhutan, giving the country the name Druk Yul. Drukpa monasteries are also found in Ladakh, Zanskar, Lahoul, Kinnaur, Spiti, and other parts of the Himalayas.
• Mar Kagyu
• Shugseb Kagyu
• Taklung Kagyu
• Trophu Kagyu
• Yamzang Kagyu
• Yelpa Kagyu

The only Dagpo Kagyu schools that continue to exist independently are the Karma, Drukpa, Drikung, and Taklung. The Drukpa school also contests this formulation, contending that Tsangpa Gyare (a direct disciple of Gampopa) is the founder of the school rather than his disciple Ling Repa (also Phagmo Drupa's disciple).

Teachings

The central teaching of Kagyu is the doctrine of Mahamudra, "the Great Seal", as elucidated by Gampopa in his various works. This doctrine focuses on four principal stages of meditative practice (the Four Yogas of Mahamudra), namely:

1. The development of single-pointedness of mind,
2. The transcendence of all conceptual elaboration,
3. The cultivation of the perspective that all phenomena are of a "single taste",
4. The fruition of the path, which is beyond any contrived acts of meditation.

It is through these four stages of development that the practitioner is said to attain the perfect realization of Mahamudra. Important practices in all Kagyu schools are the tantric practices of Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi.

External links

Site associated with Trinlay Thaye Dorje

• Official Homepage of H.H. 17th Gyalwa Karmapa Trinlay Thaye Dorje
• Karmapa Documentary ProjectSites associated with Urgyen Trinley Dorje
• Kagyu Office
• Rumtek Monastery, Sikkim, India
• Karma Triyana Dharmachakra Monastery, Woodstock, NY, USA
• Karmapa Links
• Karma Kagyu Cyber World
• Mingyur Dorje Rinpoche
• The History of the Karma Kagyu Lineage
• Dzogchen Ponlop RinpocheDrikung Kagyu sites
• The Drikung Kagyu Official Site (offline?)
• The Drikung Kagyu Insitute (College) Site
• The Drikung Kagyu in Chile, South America
• The Drikung Kagyu in Argentina, South AmericaUnaffiliated sites
• Recalling a Buddha (documentary on the Sixteenth Karmapa), includes commentary from all three living Kagyu Regents.
• Kagyu Asia

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Last updated on Monday March 10, 2008 at 09:09:20 PDT (GMT -0700)
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