The Treasury of Lives - Biographies of Himalayan Buddhist Masters

Four Major Lineages, the first 3 founded by direct disciples of Gampopa, with the 4th founded by a disciple of Gampopa’s nephew Gomtsul (sgom tshul):

1. Barom Kagyu (’ba’ rom bka’ brgyud), founded by Barompa Darma Wangchug (‘ba’ rom pa dar ma dbang phyug).

2. Pagdru Kagyu (’phag gru bka’ brgyud), founded by Pagmodrupa Dorje Gyalpo (phag mo gru pa rdo rje rgyal po).

3. Karma Kagyu (karma bka’ brgyud), also known as Kamtsang Kagyu (kaM tshang bka’ brgyud), founded by the First Karmapa Dusum Khyenpa (dus gsum mkhyen pa).

4. Tselpa Kagyu (tshal pa bka’ brgyud), founded by Zhang Yudragpa Tsondru Dragpa (zhang g.yu brag pa brtson ‘grus grags pa) aka Zhang Rinpoche (zhang rin po che).

Eight Minor Lineages (of disciples of Pagmodrupa), all part of the Pagdru Kagyu:

1. Drigung Kagyu (’bri gung bka’ brgyud), with its Lhapa (lha pa) branch.

2. Drugpa Kagyu (’brug pa bka’ brgyud).  With three divisions: Highland Drugpa (stod ’brug), Midland Drugpa (bar ‘brug), and Lowland Drugpa (smad ’brug).

3. Marpa Kagyu (smar pa bka’ brgyud).

4. Shugseb Kagyu (shug gseb bka’ brgyud).

5. Taglung Kagyu (stag lung bka’ brgyud), with its Riwoché (ri bo che) branch.

6. Tropu Kagyu (khro phu bka’ brgyud).

7. Yamzang Kagyu (g.ya’ bzang bka’ brgyud).

8. Yelpa Kagyu (yel pa bka’ brgyud).

Not included in this group of Dagpo Kagyu lineages, although certainly belonging to the Kagyu, are these lineages:  [1] The Ngog (rngog) lineage, [2] Rechung Nyengyu (ras chung snyan brgyud), [3] Orgyan Nyendrub (o rgyan bsnyen sgrub) also called Dorje Sumgyi Nyendrub (rdo rje gsum gyi bsnyen sgrub), and [4] Shangpa Kagyu (shangs pa bka’ brgyud). Perhaps there is something else that isn’t coming to my mind at the moment.  These are part of the Kagyu, but not part of the Dagpo Kagyu lineage.  The Ngog lineage, when placed together with the Dagpo Kagyu may be called the Marpa Kagyu (mar pa bka’ brgyud), while the remaining three are teachings that were not transmitted through Marpa.

The problem with using the neat arrangement provided by the grouping of Four Major and Eight Minor lineages is that, as I know from personal experience, some take offence at having their lineage classified as a ‘minor’ one (but I should point out that the scheme was evidently invented by members of the Drugpa Kagyu, themselves among the Eight Minor lineages, and that relative size has nothing to do with it... It is intended in a merely historical way, in terms of historical priority, the ‘Major’ being the earlier.  Perhaps it would be better to call them the Four Earlier Lineages and the Eight Subsequent Lineages in order to avoid this misunderstanding?)

 

A few Tibetan-language sources:  Dungkar Rinpoche’s encyclopedia, pp. 158-9, has a listing of the ‘four great and eight lesser’ Kagyu lineages.  This way of classifying the Kagyu lineages was not known until about the late 19th century.  There is a text by Ngaggi Wangpo (ngag gi dbang po, 19th century?) entitled Method of Recognizing the Four Great and Eight Lesser Lineages of the Kagyu (bka’ brgyud che bzhi chung brgyad ngos ‘dzin byed tshul), not available at the moment (listed in BLP no. 0092). Anonymous, Bka’ brgyud pa ya bzhi zung brgyad sngon byon pan grub rnams kyi rnam thar gdan rabs mtshan tho rag bsdus shel dkar me long.  A manuscript in 32 folios with appendices.  The work was written at the behest of the Dpal spungs Dbon rgan Sprul sku in India. A history of the various lineages of the Bka’ brgyud pa school.  For a prayer with closely related subject matter, see ‘Khrul zhig Padma chos rgyal (1876-1958), Bka’ brgyud che bzhi chung brgyad kyi gsol ‘debs gdung ba’i pho nya, n.p. (n.d.), a woodblock print.

A different way of classifying the Kagyu schools is used by Kongtrul in his Shes bya kun shes.  This is based on particular esoteric lineages of all the different schools, which he calls the Eight Chariots (shing rta brgyad).

 

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A bibliography of English-language writings on the Kagyu school in general that include discussions of the different lineages, arranged by original publication dates:

 

L. Austin Waddell, The Kar-gyu-pa Sect, contained in: Tibetan Buddhism with its Mystic Cults, Symbolism and Mythology, Dover (New York 1972, reprint of London 1895 edition), pp. 63-69.

Giuseppe Tucci, Tibetan Painted Scrolls, SDI Publications (Bangkok 1999, reprint of Rome 1949 edition), pp. 89-91.

Li An-che, The Bkah-brgyud Sect of Lamaism, Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 69, no. 2 (April 1949), pp. 51-59.  This ha been reprinted as: Bka’-brgyud-pa: Another Semi-Reformed School, contained in: Li An-che, History of Tibetan Religion: A Study in the Field, New World Press (Beijing 1994), pp. 84-102.

R. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, The Tibetan Kagyupa Sect, Stepping Stones (1950), pp. 185-187.

Matthias Hermanns, Tibetan Lamaism up to the Time of the Reform by Tzon kha pa, The Journal of the Anthropological Society of Bombay, new series vol. 5, no. 2 (1951), pp. 7-36.

Helmut Hoffmann, The Religions of Tibet, tr. by Edward Fitzgerald, George Allen & Unwin (London 1961, tr. from German edition of 1956), pp. 140-57.

Dorothy Donath, The Kargyutpa School of Tibetan Buddhism, Maha Bodhi, vol. 75, nos. 5-6 (1967), pp. 142-50.

E. Gene Smith, Golden Rosaries of the Bka’ brgyud Schools, contained in: Among Tibetan Texts: History & Literature of the Himalayan Plateau, Wisdom (Boston 2001), pp. 39-51.  Originally published as a preface to: Mon rtse pa Kun dga’ dpal ldan, Bka’ brgyud gser ‘phreng: A Golden Rosary of Lives of Eminent Gurus, ed. by Kun dga’ ‘brug dpal, Sonam W. Tashigang (Leh 1970), pp. 1-8.

Fa-tsun (Fazun), Bkah-brgyud-pa, contained in: G.P. Malalasekera, ed., Encyclopaedia of Buddhism, Government of Ceylon (Colombo 1971), vol. 3, pp. 137-145.

Dorothy Donath, The Tibetan Vajrayana: Marpa and Milarepa and the Kargyudpa School, The Tibet Society Bulletin, vol. 5 (1972), pp. 25-51.  This article ought to be identical to chapter 3 in her book entitled Buddhism for the West: Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana, Julian Press (New York 1971).

Helmut Hoffmann, The Bka-brgyud-pa, contained in: H. Hoffmann, ed., Tibet: A Handbook, Research Center for the Language Sciences (Bloomington 1973), pp. 152-7.

Lobsang P. Lhalungpa, The History of the Kagyupa Order, contained in: Jampa Mackenzie Stewart, The Life of Gampopa: The Incomparable Dharma Lord of Tibet, Snow Lion (Ithaca 1995), pp. 117-139.