Tradition · Tibetan Buddhist school · India
Kagyu — the Oral Lineage
Also known as bKa' brgyud pa, Kagyu school
Kagyu, 'the Oral Lineage' or 'the Lineage of the Four Transmissions', one of the four principal schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage descends from the Indian mahāsiddhas Tilopa and Nāropā, through the Tibetan translator Marpa Lotsawa (c. 1012-96) who crossed to India three times to receive the teachings, to his student the poet-yogi Milarepa and his student Gampopa (1079-1153). The signature teachings are the Six Yogas of Nāropā and Mahāmudrā. From Gampopa the lineage branched into four greater and eight lesser sub-schools, including the Karma Kagyu (headed by the Karmapa, now based at Rumtek in Sikkim), the Drukpa Kagyu (the state religion of Bhutan), and the Drikung Kagyu.
- Periods
- Regional Flourishing, Islamic Age and Bhakti Traditions, Republic and Living Practice
- Function
- Religious institution & practice
- Confidence
- Established / referenced
Connections (4)
- Founder ofMarpa Lotsawa
Marpa Lotsawa's transmission from Nāropā is the root of the Kagyu lineage.
- Founder ofJetsun Milarepa
Milarepa's yogic transmission to Gampopa founded the Kagyu school proper.
- Parent ofThe Drukpa Kagyu
The Drukpa Kagyu is one of the four greater sub-schools of the Kagyu school.
- Institutionalised atRumtek Monastery, Sikkim
The Karma Kagyu, largest Kagyu sub-school, has been seated at Rumtek, Sikkim, since 1966.
On these journeys
Sources
Standard reference; Wikipedia Tibetan Buddhism.
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