The Kagyu Lineage

The Kagyu Lineage

by The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche

Mt. Kailash, Milarepa's sacred mountain in Western TibetThe lineage of the Kagyu emphasizes the continuity of oral instructions passed on from master to student. This emphasis is reflected in the literal meaning of "Kagyu." The first syllable "Ka" refers to the scriptures of the Buddha and the oral instructions of the guru. "Ka" has the sense both of the enlightened meaning conveyed by the words of the teacher, as well as the force which such words of insight carries. The second syllable "gyu" means lineage or tradition. Together, these syllables mean "the lineage of the oral instructions."

Kagyu Lineage

The Kagyu Lineage traces its origin back to the historic Buddha, Shakyamuni through Marpa, the great translator and yogi, who brought back the unbroken lineage from India to Tibet.

Marpa The Translator

Marpa first trained as a translator under Drogmi Yeshe (993-1050), and then traveled three times to India and four times to Nepal in search of buddhist teachings. He is said to have studied with a hundred and eight masters and yogis, but his principle teachers were Naropa and Maitripa.

Tilopa And Naropa

From Naropa, Marpa received the lineage of tantric teachings called the Four Special Transmissions (bK'a-babs-bzhi): the yogas of 1) illusory body and transference of consciousness, 2) dream, 3) luminosity, and 4) inner heat. Naropa obtained these teachings directly from Tilopa (988-1069), who in turn had received them from two original sources, called the direct and  indirect lineage. The direct lineage and original source of the teachings was Buddha Vajradhara. The indirect lineage comes from four main teachers of Tilopa. Both Tilopa and Naropa are some of the greatest panditas, scholars, and siddhas, accomplished saints, of Nalanda, the famous Buddhist university of ancient India.

Milarepa

Marpa brought these lineages to Tibet, passing them on to his primary disciple and lineage holder, Milarepa (1040-1123), the most renowned and accomplished of Tibet's tantric yogis, who achieved enlightenment in one lifetime. Milarepa held the lineage and tradition of the Practice Lineage. Some of the other great students of Marpa were Ngog Choku Dorjey, Tsurton Wangey and Meton Chenpo, who held the Marpa's tradition of the Teaching Lineage. This is how the two great systems of the practice lineage and the teaching lineage were founded in Kagyu lineage.

Gampopa

The great master Gampopa (1079-1153), also known as Dakpo Lhaje, and Rechungpa (1084-1161) were the principal students of Milarepa. Gampopa was prophesized in the sutras by Buddha. He pioneered in establishing the framework of the lineage by unifying Milarepa's Mahamudra lineage with the stages of the path tradition of the Kadampa lineage. This lineage and tradition is known as the Dhakpo Kagyu.

Gampopa had three heart disciples: Dusum Khyenpa, Phakmo Drupa and Saltong Shogom. Dusum Khyenpa (1110-1193), or Khampa Usey (literally, the "white-haired Khampa"), became known as the First Karmapa, who established the Karma Kagyu lineage.

From Gampopa's Dakpo Kagyu, four main lineages developed, which are: 1) Barom Kagyu, 2) Tshalpa Kagyu, 3) Kamtsang or Karma Kagyu, and 4) Phagdru Kagyu.

From Phakmo Drupa (1110-1170) developed eight additional Kagyupa Schools which are: 1) Drikung Kagyu, 2) Taklung Kagyu, 3) Drukpa Kagyu, 4) Yasang Kagyu, 5) Trophu Kagyu, 6) Shuksep Kagyu, 7) Yelpa Kagyu, 8) Martsang Kagyu.

Among these lineages, one of the most widely known is the Karma Kagyu lineage, which was impeccably continued over the centuries through the activity of the Gyalwang Karmapas.

Part Two

The Karma Kagyu lineage of the Buddhism of Tibet traces its origin to Buddha Vajradhara, through the following sequence of masters of the lineage:

  • Drogon Rechen (1148-1218)

  • Pomdrakpa (1170-1249)

  • Second Karmapa, Karma Pakshi (1203-1283)

  • Drubtob Urgyenpa (1230-1300)

  • Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje (1284-1339)

  • Gyalwa Yungtonpa (1296-1376)

  • Fourth Karmapa, Rolpe Dorje (1340-1383)

  • Second Shamarpa, Kacho Wangpo (1350-1405)

  • Fifth Karmapa, Dezhin Shegpa (1384-1415)

  • Rinchen Zangpo (Ratnabhadra) (c. 1400)

  • Sixth Karmapa, Thongwa Donden (1416-1453)

  • Pengar Jampal Zangpo

  • Paljor Dondrup, First Gyaltsap (1427-1489)

  • Seventh Karmapa, Chodrag Gyatsho (1454-1506)

  • Tashi Paljor, Sangye Nyenpa (1457-1525)

  • Eighth Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje (1507-1554)

  • Fifth Shamarpa, Konchog Yenlag (1526-1583)

  • Ninth Karmapa, Wangchuk Dorje (1555-1603)

  • Sixth Shamarpa, Chokyi Wangchuk (1584-1629)

  • Tenth Karmapa, Choying Dorje (1604-1674)

  • Seventh Shamarpa, Yeshe Nyingpo (1631-1694)

  • Eleventh Karmapa, Yeshe Dorje (1676-1702)

  • Eighth Shamarpa, Chokyi Dondrub (1694-1735)

  • Twelfth Karmapa, Changchub Dorje (1703-1732)

  • Eighth Situpa, Chokyi Jungne (1700-1774)

  • Thirteenth Karmapa, Dudul Dorje (1733-1797)

  • Tenth Shamarpa, Chodrub Gyamtso (1742-1792)

  • Ninth Situpa, Pema Nyinche Wangpo (1774-1853)

  • Fourteenth Karmapa, Thegchog Dorje (1798-1868)

  • First Jamgon Kongtrul, Lodro Thaye (1813-1899)

  • Fifteenth Karmapa, Khakhyab Dorje (1871-1922)

  • Eleventh Situpa, Pema Wangchok (1886-1952)

  • Second Jamgon Kongtrul, Palden Khyentse Oser (1904-1953)

We will supplement this lineage list with additional information on an ongoing basis.

Page One
Part Three

Vajradhara And Tilopa
 The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
 Compiled specially for the web (2000)

Buddha Vajradhara

Vajradhara is the primordial buddha, the dharmakaya buddha. Vajradhara, depicted as dark blue in color, expresses the quintessence of buddhahood itself. Vajradhara represents the essence of the historical Buddha's realization of enlightenment.

Historically, Prince Siddhartha attained enlightenment under the bodhi tree in Bodhgaya over 2500 years ago and then manifested as the Buddha. According to Buddhist cosmology, he was the Fourth Historic Buddha of this fortunate eon. Prince Siddhartha's achievement of enlightenment, the realization itself, is called the dharmakaya, the body of truth. When he expresses that realization through subtle symbols, his realization is then called the sambhogakaya, the body of enjoyment. When such realization manifested in more accessible or physical form for all sentient beings as the historical Shakyamuni Buddha, it was then called the nirmanakaya, the body of manifestation.

The dharmakaya, synonymous with Vajradhara Buddha, is the source of all the manifestations of enlightenment. Vajradhara is central to the Kagyu lineage because Tilopa received the vajrayana teachings directly from vajradhara, the dharmakaya buddha. Thus, the Kagyu lineage originated from the very nature of buddhahood.

Tilopa (988-1069)

Tilopa was from eastern India. Through an unexpected meeting with a woman of extraordinary ugliness, he entered the way of mahamudra, the profound transmission described by Saraha as the "instantaneous" experience of enlightenment. The ugly woman was in reality the yidam Vajrayogini, a Vajrayana manifestation of the world as sacred, a true meaning which the mysterious woman pointed out directly to Tilopa.

There are a number of differing biographies about Tilopa's activities prior to his encounter, but they agree that though he studied the Vajrayana teachings with many gurus in India, his principle teacher, or root guru, was Vajradhara, the primordial buddha. Thus, the source of the Kagyu lineage is said to be the essence of buddhahood itself, and this understanding of the source of the Kagyu lineage is reflected in many different ways in Kagyu iconography.

Part Two
Part Four

Synopsis Of The Life Of The First Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa
 The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
 Compiled specially for the web (2000)

Birth And Parents

Born in the year of Tiger, 1110 AD, at Treshoe in Dokham region of East Tibet; to the family of Dorje Gonpo, father, and Lhathok Zagangcham, mother. He was named Gephel.

Study, Practice, And Teachers

He studied with his father at young age and then at the age of nineteen, he went to central Tibet and studied many years, mastering different subjects, such as: 1) Treatises of Maitreya, Logic, and Madhyamaka from Geshe Gyamarwa, Chapa Choekyi Senge, and Majawa Changchub Tsondru; 2) Kadampa teachings from Geshe Sharawa and Sherab Dorje. He also studied: 3) Kadampa tradition from Geshe Tarawa, 4) Vinaya literature from Abbot Mal Duldzin; and 5) Kalachakra, Six Applications, and Other Vajrayana trainings in Two Stages from Pal Galo and Khampa Ahseng.

At age thirty, he went to Dhaklha Gampo, the seat of lord Gampopa, and met Gampopa and Gomtsul. Dusum Khyenpa received from Gampopa general Kadampa teachings and then special Vajrayana and Mahamudra lineage empowerments and instructions.

Ordination(s) Received

At age twelve, he was ordained as novice monk by master Chak Senge Drak and given the name, Choekyi Drakpa. Other sources say that he was ordained as a novice at the age of sixteen by Trewo Chokgi Lama.(Karma Gyaltsen, p.27), or that he received the novice vow from Katrakpa (Lhorong Choejung , by Tsewang Gyal, written around 1446.)  Later, he was ordained as full monk, or bikshu, by the Abbot Mal Duldzin. Then he practiced under Gampopa's instructions for many years and achieved supreme realizations.

Major Activities

At the age of fifty five, Dusum Khyenpa established his first seat, Kampo Gangra or  Kampo Neynang Monastery, in 1164 CE. The term Kamtsang Kagyu comes from this name, "Kampo."  At the age of sixty,  he established the Pangphuk Monastery in Lithang, in east Tibet. He spent around twenty years in these regions. In 1184, when he was 74,  he established his second seat, Karma Gon Monastery in Kham. In 1189, at the age of 80, he established his third seat, Tsurphu Monastery in Toelung Valley in Central Tibet, which became the main seat for all the successive line of incarnations known as the Karmapas.

Part Three