Browse:Religious Traditions
Bodong (2)
Overview
The Bodong (bo dong) tradition has a long and complicated history. The seat of what would become the institutionally independent Bodong lineage was the monastery Bodong E (bo dong e), which had been founded in 1049 by the Kadampa Geshe Mudrapachenpo (mu dra pa chen po). What teachings were current there is difficult to know, save that in the 12th century Kodrakpa Sonam Gyaltsan (ko brag pa bsod nams rgyal mtshan, 1182-1261) invited the Nepali yogin Vibhuticandra to Tibet and received from him a new transmission of the Sadangayoga practice of the Kalacakra. Kodrakpa also propagated a lineage of Lamdre (lam ’bras), which was later subsumed into the Sakya tradition by Sonam Gyaltsen (bsod names rgyal mtshan) and Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo (ngor chen kun dga’ bzang po). Its greatest representative was Bodong Panchen Chole Namgyal (bo dong paN chen phyogs las rnam rgyal, 1376-1451), with whom the unique Bodong Tradition is commonly said to have begun. It is important to avoid confusing Bodong Panchen with Jonang Chokley Namgyal (jo nang phyogs las rnam rgyal, 1306-1386), a teacher of Tsongkhapa and proponent of the Shentong (gzhan stong) view.
Gelug (20)
Overview
The Gelug (dge lugs) tradition, also known as the Ganden (dga’ ldan) tradition follows the teachings of the fifteenth-century scholar monk Je Tsongkhapa Lobsang Dragpa (rje tsong kha pa blo bzang grags pa). Like the Kadam tradition which the Gelug supplanted, the Gelug place an emphasis on monastic discipline and scholarship. The Gelug pride themselves on their scholarship of the philosophical texts and on their understanding and explication of the view of the Madhyamaka Prasangika philosophical school. They also maintain a strong, if somewhat less public, tradition of tantric transmission, scholarship, and practice. The Gelugs practice an extensive system of lamrim (lam rim) and lojong (blo ljong), both of which have their origins with Atisha and the Kadampa tradition. The Gelugs also have a living tradition and lineage of Mahamudra teachings. The primary teachings of the Tantrayana studied and practiced in the Gelug are the tantric cycles of Yamantaka, Chakrasamvara, and Guhyasamaja. The Kalachakra Tantra is also commonly practiced among many Gelug practitioners, as is the tantra of Vajrayogini. The Gelug tradition became the dominant religious order in Tibet in the seventeenth century when the Fifth Dalai Lama, with the aid of the recently converted Mongols, orchestrated a defeat of the Kagyu king of Tsang and set himself up as political leader of Tibet. Since that time the Ganden Podrang (dga’ ldan pho brang) has been the nominal seat of political power in Tibet, even if for most of the last 400 years real power shifted among a number of players.
Jonang (34)
Overview
The Jonang (jo nang) tradition was founded by Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (dol po pa shes rab rgyal mtshan), who ascended to the throne of Jonang monastery in 1326. Trained in the Sakya tradition, Dolpopa’s controversial teachings, especially his emphasis on the view known as shentong (gzhan stong) or emptiness of other, and the institutional independence of Jonang monastery, established the Jonang tradition apart as an independent tradition, although many members of the Sakya tradition continue to consider Jonang to be a subsect of that tradition. Dolpopa, like his predecessors at Jonang, particularly emphasized the teachings of the Kalacakra Tantra and its completion-stage practices known as the six-branch yoga (rnal ’byor yan lag drug pa), while also transmitting many other systems of Vajrayana and Mahayana Buddhism. Fllowing the death of the great Jonang scholar Taranata (tA ra nA tha), the Jonang tradition was suppressed in the seventeenth century by the Fifth Dalai Lama; its monasteries were converted to the Gelug tradition and the teachings banned. The tradition has survived in the Dzamtang (’dzam thang) region of Amdo.
Kadam (18)
Overview
The Kadama (bka’ dam) tradition was the first of the so-called New Schools of Tibetan Buddhism, traditions that arose during the Second Propagation of Buddhism in Tibet after the 10th century. The Kadam tradition was founded by Dromtonpa Gyalwai Jungne (’brom ston pa rgyal ba’i ’byung gnas), a disciple of the Bengali teacher Atisha Dipamkara, who had been invited to Tibet by the kings of Purang in Western Tibet to revitalize monastic Buddhism there. Dromton founded the monastery of Reting (rwa sgreng) and propagated the Lamrim (lam rim) and Lojong (blo blong) teachings, which lay out a complete path to Buddhahood and means of training the mind, respectively. The Kadampa were known for their monastic discipline, a character that was adopted by the Gelug tradition that supplanted it in the 14th century, adopting its teaching and absorbing its monasteries.
Marpa Kagyu (87)
Overview
The Marpa Kagyu (bka’ brgyud) tradition originated in the 11th century with the Tibetan translator Marpa (mar pa), who studied in India with Naropa. Marpa’s disciple Milarepa (mi la ras pa) famously attained enlightenment in the caves of southern Tibet; his disciple Gampopa (sgam po pa) merged the lay siddha with the Kadampa (bka’ gdams pa) monasticism and scholarship that he had previously studied. Gampopa founded the first Kagyu monastery, Daglha Gampo (dwags lha sgam po) in Dagpo, southern Tibet. Following Gampopa the tradition split into multiple autonomous subsects known as the four primary (Barom, Pagdru, Karma, and Tselpa), and eight secondary traditions (Drigung, Drugpa, Martsang, Shugseb, Taglung, Tropu, Yabzang, and Yelpa Kagyu). In addition to the above system, the Ngog (rngog) lineage begun by Ngog Choku Dorje (rngog chos sku rdo rje), a disciple of Marpa, was a distinct Marpa Kagyu tradition that existed independently for several centuries. Also often considered an independent tradition was the Rechung Nyengyu (ras chung snyan brgyud), initiated by the disciples of Milarepa’s disciple Rechung Dorje Drakpa (ras chung rdo rje grags pa). All Marpa Kagyu traditions claim allegiance to the tantric teachings of the Indian Mahasiddha tradition, primarily that of Naropa, in the form of the Six Doctrines of Naropa (na ro chos drug) and the doctrine of Mahamudra. The Kagyu were also heavily involved in the transmission of the Cakrasamvara, Havajra, among other tantras of the Second Propagation era.
Nyingma (72)
Overview
The Nyingma (rnying ma) -- literally the "ancient" -- is the oldest tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. The origin of the Nyingma teachings is credited to Padmasambhava, a tantric ritual specialist invited to Tibet in the 8th century to subjugate native deities that were obstructing the dissemination of Buddhism. Padmasambhava and other Indian masters such as Vimalamitra, and select Tibetan translators such as Vairocana, propagated the tradition's primary teaching, Dzogchen (rdzogs chen), a tantric system that has been adopted to varying degree by most other traditions. The Indic scriptures that were translated in the 8th and 9th centuries and the teachings by the masters of that era have come to be known as the "Kama" (bka' ma), or spoken word tradition. Since at least the 12th century Nyingma teachers known as terton (gter ston), or "treasure revealers" have produced new scriptures said to have been concealed by Padmasambhava or others for the benefit of future eras. The Nyingma maintains both lay and monastic traditions, with six mother monasteries: Dorje Drak (rdo rje brag) and Mindroling (smin grol gling) in Tibet, and Katok (kaH thog), Palyul (dpal yul), Dzogchen (rdzogs chen) and Shechen (zhe chen) in Kham.
Orgyen Nyendrub (1)
Overview
The Orgyen Nyendrub (o rgyan bsnyan sgrub) tradition was included by Jamgon Kongtrul (’jam mgon kong sprul) in his “Eight Chariots of the Practice Lineage” (shing rta chen po brgyad) doxography. The tradition is also known as the Dorje Sumgyi Nyendrub (rdo rje gsum gyi bsnyen grub). It was originated by Orgyenpa Rinchen Pal (o rgyan pa rin chen dpal, 1230-1309), a disciple of the Drugpa Kagyu Lama Gotsangpa Gonpo Dorje (rgod tshang pa mgon po rdo rje) and of the 2nd Karmapa, Karma Pakshi (kar+ma pag shi, 1204-1283). Orgyenpa traveled twice to India, first in the north to Oddiyana, Kashmir and Ladakh, and then later to Vajrasana. He passed on his teaching to disciples in the Drugpa and Karma Kagyu tradition.
Ra Lug (1)
Overview
The Ra tradition of Vajrabhairava came to Tibet in the eleventh century through the translation and propagation of Ra Lotsawa Dorje Drakpa. The Ra lug was never was established in an independent institutional tradition, but instead, after a period of some contest and competition, permeated all Sarma, or new, translation traditions.
Sakya (49)
Overview
The Sakya (sa skya) tradition was founded by Khon Konchog Gyalpo (’khon dkon mchog rgyal po) in 1073, a date marked by his founding of Sakya temple in the Sakya valley in Tsang. Konchog Gyalpo’s son Sachen Kunga Nyingpo (sa chen kun dga’ snying po) combined his Khon family’s lineage of Yangdak and Vakrakila, which his ancestor Khon Lui Wangpo (’khon klu’i dbang po) received during the Imperial era, with new teachings. These include the Sakya Lojong (blo sbyong) teachings of the Shenpa Shidrel (zhan pa bzhi bral), obtained in a vision of Manjushri, and the Lamdre (lam ’bras) teachings that are based on the Hevajra tantra. The Sakya Lamdre teachings were transmitted by the Indian Mahasiddha Virupa via a long line of teachers to the Tibetan yogin Shangton Chobar (zhang ston chos ’bar), who transmitted them to Sachen. Sachen also received Chakrasamvara, Vajrabhairava, the Vajrayogini of Naropa, and Panjarnata Mahakala from Mal Lotsawa Lodro Dragpa (mal lo tsa ba blo gros grags pa). Sachen’s two sons, Sonam Tsemo (bsod names rtse mo) and Drakpa Gyaltsen (grags pa rgyal mtshan) were the next to lead the temple. Trakpa Gyaltsen’s nephew, Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyaltsen (sa skya paN Di ta kun dka’ rgyal mtshan), one of the greatest scholars of his day, was the fourth in the lineage. The fifth was Sakya Pandita’s nephew, Pakpa Lodro Gyaltsen (’phags pa blo gros rgyal mtshan), who traveled with his uncle when the Mongolian leader Godem Khan summoned him. In 1253 Pakpa met Qubilai Khan, who three years later conquered China and initiated the Yuan Dynasty. Borrowing from Tangut-Kagyu alliance of the previous century, Qubilai and Pakpa entered into a relationship of “patron and priest,” with Pakpa being made guoshi, or Imperial Preceptor. With Mongolian support, the Sakya Khon family ruled Tibet until the rise of the Pagmodru Dynasty in the middle of the fourteenth century. Two important subsects of Sakya are the Ngor (ngor), founded by Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo (ngor chen kun dga’ bzang po) and based at Ngor Evam Choden (ngor e waM chos ldan) monastery, and Tsar (tshar), established by Tsarchen Losal Gyatso (tshar chen blo gsal rgya mtsho) and based at Dar Drangmoche (’dar grang mo che). The Ngor tradition became influential in the dissemination of the Sakya tantric teachings, and the Tsarpa in the esoteric transmission known as the Lobshe (slob bshad), which contrasts to the more widely taught Tsogshe (tshogs bshad), both being teaching traditions of the Lamdre. Several institutions that originated independently came under the Sakya doctrinal tradition: Jonang (jo nang), Bodong (bo dong), and Bulug / Shalu (bu lugs / shwa lu).
Shangpa Kagyu (6)
Overview
The Shangpa Kagyu (shangs pa bka’ brgyud) tradition was initiated in the 11th century by Khyungpo Naljor (khyung po rnal byor), who received the Mahamudra teachings in India from Niguma, the sister of Naropa. He established the monastery of Shang Shang Dorje Den (shangs shangs rdo rje ldan) in the Shang valley in Tsang. A single line of transmission, said to have been initiated by the Buddha Vajradhara and taught first to Niguma, passed to Khyungpo Naljor and then on to his disciple Mogchokpa (rmog lcog pa) through Wonton Kyergangwa Chokyi Sengge (dbon ston skyer sgang ba chos kyi seng ge), Nyanton Rigung Chokyi Sherab (gnyan ston), to Sanggye Tonpa Tsondru Senge (sangs rgyas ston pa), was known as the transmission of the seven precious Shangpa. Then, in the 13th century Sanggye Tonpa passed the lineage on to multiple disciples and the Shangpa teachings were written down. The Shangpa lineages were largely was absorbed into the institutional organizations of the Marpa Kagyu, Gelug, Sakya and the Jonang, although it was partially revived in the 19th century by Jamgon Kongtrul (’jam mgon kong sprul); his two personal hermitages, Tsandra Rinchen Drag (rtsa ’dra rin chen brag) and Dzongsho Deshek Dupa (rdzong shod bde gshegs bdus pa) are both Shangpa Kagyu institutions. The Shangpa teachings are known as the Five Golden Doctrines (shangs pa gser chos lnga), which include the Nigu Chodrug, or (ni gu chos drug), the Six Yogas of Niguma, a grouping similar to the Naro Chodrug of the Marpa Kagyu.
Shije and Chod (23)
Overview
The Shije (zhi byed) and Cho (gchod) lineages weave in and out of almost all institutionally independent traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, although they themselves never became the established dominant tenet system of any monastery. The Shije lineage in Tibet originated with the Indian master Padampa Sanggye (pha dam pa sangs rgyas, d. 1117), who is said to have visited Tibet five times. He had a number of disciples in the Tingri area of Tibet, to whom he taught his method of pacifying suffering. Padampa Sanggye also taught a method for cutting through demonic obstruction (bdud kyi gcod yul) to his relative Kyoton Sonam Lama (skyo ston bsod names bla ma), who transmitted it to Machig Labdron (ma gcig lab sgron, 1055-1143). Her lineage of Cho, which she passed down to her children, came to be known as “mother Cho” in contrast to the lineage stemming from Padampa Sanggye, which is known as “father Cho.” Additional Cho developed, including one stemming from treasure revelations (“treasure Cho”), the Gyaltang Cho, stemming from Machig Labdron’s disciple Gyaltang Samten Ozer (rgyal thang Bsam gtan ’od zer), and the Zurmang Cho, transmitted by Rangjung Shabla Ngawa (rang byung zhabs la mnga’ ba).