Kagyu

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tibetan name
Tibetan:	བཀའ་བརྒྱུད་
Wylie transliteration:	bka’ brgyud
pronunciation in IPA:	[kacy]
official transcription (PRC):	Gagyü
THDL:	Kagyü
other transcriptions:	Kagyu, Kargyu, Kargyü
Chinese name
traditional:	白教、噶舉派
simplified:	白教、噶举派
Pinyin:	báijiào, Gájǔpài

Image:Dharma wheel.svg Part of a series on Tibetan Buddhism Image:Guru Rinpoche - Padmasambhava statue.jpg
History
Timeline · Related-topics
Schools
Nyingma · Kagyu · Sakya · Gelug · Bön
Key Concepts
Three marks of existence Skandha · Cosmology Saṃsāra · Rebirth · Dharma Dependent Origination · Karma
Major Figures
Gautama Buddha ·Padmasambhava·Je Tsongkhapa · Dalai Lama · Panchen Lama · Lama ·Karmapa · Rinpoche · Geshe · Terton · Tulku
Practices and Attainment
Buddha (general) · Avalokiteśvara Four Stages of Enlightenment Paramitas · Meditation · Laity
Monasteries
Changzhug · Drepung · Dzogchen · Ganden · Jokhang · Kumbum · Labrang· Mindroling · Namgyal · Narthang · Nechung · Palcho· Ralung · Ramoche · Sakya · Sanga · Sera · Shalu · Shechen · Tashilhunpo · Tsurphu · Yerpa
Festivals
Chotrul Duchen· Dajyur· Losar ·Monlam· Sho Dun

Texts
Mahayana Sutras Tibetan Canon
Comparative Studies Culture · List of topics Portal:Tibetan Buddhism
Image:Dharma wheel.svg This box: view • talk • edit

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

1 Origins
- 1.1 Four major schools of the Dagpo Kagyu
  - 1.1.1 Eight Pagdru Kagyu sub-schools
2 Teachings
3 External links

[edit] 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^[1](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.

[edit] 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:

[edit] 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).

[edit] 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:

The development of single-pointedness of mind,
The transcendence of all conceptual elaboration,
The cultivation of the perspective that all phenomena are of a "single taste",
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.