Traditionally within Tibet there are many groupings of schools. However, the most well-known grouping in modern times is into the four major schools: Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu and Gelugpa. Nalandabodhi's founder, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, is a lineage holder in both the Kagyu and Nyingma schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
1. The Nyingma School
The Nyingma, or "old school," traces its founding back to the initial phase of Buddhism in the 7th to 9th century, and is thus called the old school. Of the main teachers who established the Nyingma lineage, the leading figure is Padmasambhava.
2. The Kagyu School
The Kagyu school primarily traces itself to the Indian mahasiddha Tilopa and his disciple Naropa. Naropa in turn taught Marpa Lotsawa, a great translator who journeyed from Tibet to India three separate times to study with Naropa. Marpa's main disciple was Milarepa, whose main disciple was Gampopa. One of Gampopa's main disciples was the first Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa. One of the meanings of Kagyu is "command lineage" which emphasizes the oral instructions passed down from teacher to student.
3. The Sakya School
The Sakya school traces
itself to the Indian mahasiddha Virupa, who transmitted the
Buddhist teachings to his student Drogmi Sakya Yeshe, who in turn
taught Khon Konchog Gyalpo. The latter built a monastery in Tibet
near land named "Sakya," and from this the lineage got its
name.
4. The Gelug School
The Gelug, or Gandenpa, school traces
itself to its founder Tsong Khapa, who revitalized the Kadampa
teachings of Atisha, and combined them with teachings from texts
transmitted during the second wave of Buddhism's transmission to
Tibet. The Dalai Lamas are members of the Gelugpa school.
The Sakya, Kagyu and Gelugpa are "new schools," established during the second wave of Buddhism's transmission from India to Tibet in the 11th and 12th centuries.
Rime Movement
In general, the lineage traditions are supported by different, independent Tibetan institutions. Each of these major schools were predominant in Tibet during different periods of Tibetan history, and each have geographical areas where they are more popular. There are also innumerable subschools and divisions within each of these four major schools, a tendency which is heightened by the individual nature of lineage transmission. Still, many unifying movements have informed Tibetan institutions over the centuries. In particular, in the Nineteenth Century, the Rime movement led by Jamgon Kongtrul the Great and the great Jamyang Khyentse, revitalized many Sakya, Nyingma and Kagyu institutions by promoting respect and knowledge by each of the other.