|
|
The impact of the realization and activity of Gampopa was such that many schools and a variety of lineages continue to transmit his teachings. There are 2 kinds of lineage: Institutional lineages that are linked to a monastic organization (Tib. labrang,) and instructional, or practice, lineages that are associated with particular teachers. When someone is a monk residing at one place but decides to take specialized teachings from someone who may not be associated with any monastery, then we can see how difficult it may be to characterize that person as being of one school or another. Since we practice by the grace of a teacher, that is how we identify our personal "tradition." The Four Great Kagyu Schools Gampopa Dagpo Lharje had many, but four main, disciples:
A 5th disciple, Saltong Shogom is not thought of as a lineage founder but is considered to incarnate as the Traleg Rinpoches.
The three lineages of the school of Pagmo Drupa, #2 in the above list: The Riwoche lineage of the Nyingmapa also transmits Talung teachings. In North American, the representative is Riwoche Khenpo Sonam Tobgyal Rinpoche of Canada. 2. Drukpa (or Drugpa) Kagyu founded by Ling Repa (1128-1189) a disciple of Tsangpa Gyare who was another of Gampopa's disciples. Since the 1500's there are two Drukpas: Northern Drukpa of Ladakh and Southern Drukpa in Bhutan. 3. Drikung Kagyu founded by Jigten Sumgon Ratna Sri (1143-1217). The
head is HH Chetsang Rinpoche, who lives at Drikung Changchub Ling in Deradhun, India.
In the United States, the representatives are Khenchen Konchog Gyaltsen Rinpoche and
HE Garchen Rinpoche. From Pamodrupa (see above) emerged 3 minor lineages. Those, plus 5 more from Dusum Kyenpa the 1st Karmapa (#4, above) go to make the 8 minor Kagyu lineages:
These 8 are considered minor only because transmission is not directly from Gampopa; they are all important. Only the Drukpa, the Taglung and the Karma (a.k.a. Tolung) and the Drikung Kagyu, exist independently today. ~ thanks to BB and RB at the Kagyu list It seems the Karma Kagyu, the Drikung Kagyu, and Drukpa Kagyu comprise at least 90% of contemporary Kagyupa. How Lineages Get Their NamesMost names of the branches in the Tibetan tradition derive from a description of the place of origin of the lineage founder; Kagyu lineages are no exception. Dagpo is the name of the place in Kham province where Gampopa, one of Marpa the Translator's many disciples, was born. Drikung is also the name of a Tibetan region. Dri means female yak and the place is the source of the DriChu (meaning "yellow river" because yellow water comes from a rock formation shaped like a cow's nose. It does not refer to the Yellow River of China; rather, in Tibet the name describes the Yangtse.) Drukpa Kagyu: druk means dragon and pa means person. Drukpa is a nickname for Bhutanese people because Bhutan has frequent thunderstorms, which are associated with the activity of celestial dragons. DistinctionsThe Kagyu denomination is held to originate with Vajradhara, the buddha Dorje Chang, who embodies all forms and aspects of all buddhas. The "Long Transmission" lineage begins with bodhisattvas Sukhanatha and Ratnamati, and the "Short Transmission" lineage begins with Mahasiddha Tilopa. Ratnamati, whose name is shared by a 6th-century translator, is sometimes considered an emanation of the Buddha. He is described as "lotus-born" -- an inspirational being who transmitted from Vajradhara to Saraha the Arrow-maker. His companion, Sukhanatha, is viewed as an emanation of Vajrapani, the guardian of tantric Buddhism. A different view is that the former is an emanation of Manjughosa, and the latter an emanation of Avalokitesvara. In any case, the two bodhisattvas are considered the sources of Saraha's enlightened understanding, which is known as Mahamudra. Since the Kagyu is a living tradition, it is also possible to distinguish the various transmissions within each lineage by the wording of the pratimoksha (or Hinayana) and the bodhisattva (Mahayana) vows. Also, each of "the four great and eight lesser schools" had or has, its areas of expertise. The specialty of the Drikung Kagyu is the practice known as the consciousness transference, Great P'howa. Tracing descent from Lord Jigten Samgon, the lineage is also linked with yogini and protector, Achi Chokyi Dolma. His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche is the main holder of this lineage. The Karma Kagyu lineage is named after the Karmapa where Karma-pa refers to the Activity family of Buddhas. (Buddhas are believed to manifest in five different ways; action is only one of them.) It is frequently called the Kamtsang Kagyu after Kampo Gangra, the sacred place where the 1st Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa, spent much time in meditation. _______________________________________________________________ Padma: Sanskrit for a lotus flower. The are 5 Buddha families or expressions of Buddha-nature, Karma is one, Lotus is another. See Dakini Orders. 2
kinds: An instructional lineage consists
of sadhanas, practices, experiential instructions, that Also,
Shangpa instructions were
a part of the Jonang lineage,
|
|
|
