Kagyüpa

The line Kagyü , Kagyu or Kagyupa (Tibetan: བཀའ་བརྒྱུད་ ; Bka'-brgyud-Pa) is one of the 5 great contemporary traditions of the Bouddhisme Tibetan. Its name can result in “oral transmission”. It was constituted at the 11th century starting from recently imported Indian lesson and was quickly divided into many branches, of which four remain notable with the 21e century. Most important are Karma Kagyu (Karma Bka'-brgyud-Pa), best established apart from the Himalayan areas, with at its head the Karmapa, and Droukpa Kagyu (“Brug-Pa Bka” - brgyud-Pa), official religion of the Bhutan. Drikung Kagyu and Taklung Kagyu are two less developed branches. Shangpa Kagyu, a disappeared branch parallel at the 16th century, remade surface at the 19th century.

The tradition kagyu was the first to transmit the teaching of the Mahamudra, adopted later on inside the current Gelugpa on the initiative of the 4th Panchen LAMA, Lobsang Chökyi Gyalsten (1570 - 1662), giving rise to the Ganden-Kagyu tradition.

Before kagyu

According to the Buddhist tradition , Siddharta Gautama left several kinds of lesson adapted to the various capacities of the beings, included in the sutrayana (way of the Sutra S) and the tantrayana (way of the Tantra S); Buddhism Tibetan arose primarily with the second way. The first disciples of the Buddha consigned its oral lesson in writing; thereafter, of the Masters many treaties wrote by explaining the direction. Through the centuries, various lines of transmission wanting to be authentic and precise appeared, each one with its own characteristics.

Buddhism Tibetan includes all the lesson which comes from the India. Thanks to the efforts of the local translators and Indian Masters, the complete corpus of the lesson was translated into Tibetan. In this manner, Buddhism developed continuously with the Tibet until the middle of the XXe century.

To the 8th century, the king Trisong Detsen invited Guru Rinpoché and Shantarakshita with the Tibet and initiated the translation of important Buddhist texts. Thus was born the tradition nyingma, the “old tradition”, whose lesson is pressed on the texts of this first period of translation. During the 11th century, one second phase of translation took seat, accompanied by the revision of the terminology of the first translations. The traditions which support their transmission over this period are indicated under the name of Sarmapa, “new traditions”. Most known are kagyu, sakya and gelug.

Birth of the tradition kagyu

The principal tradition kagyu goes up with Marpa the Translator (1012 - 1097), mediator of the thought of the Mahasiddhas (wise) Indian Tilopa (988-1089) and Naropa (1016-1100). He was the direct pupil of the last, of which he obtained in particular the Four transmissions (bK' n-babs-bzhi) of Tilopa and the Mahamudra or “large seal”, one of the systems of techniques of release suitable for the Vajrayana, with the Dzogchen. In India he also studied at Maitripa, Jnanagarbha and Kukuripa. From return to the Tibet, it accepted Atisha teaching Kadampa, an old tradition sarmapa absorptive later on by the traditions Gelugpa and kagyupa. Milarepa, its disciple, would have become the agent of the teaching of the meditation, while other disciples such as Choku Dorje, Tsurton Wange and Meton Chenpo would have received its philosophical teaching. These two traditions of meditation (sGub-grva) and philosophy (bShad-grva) are maintained in the monasteries kagyu.

Among the many disciples of Milarepa, Gampopa (1079 - 1153) and Rechung Dorje Drakpa or Rechungpa (1084-1161) are each one in the beginning of a branch of kagyu. That of Rechungpa, Rechung Kagyu or Dechog Nyangyud, “oral tradition of Dechog” (deity), disappeared as an independent line, but its teaching was taken again by Drukpa Kagyu and the group Surmang of Karma Kagyu. Gampopa, agent of the Mahamudra and the Six yogas of Naropa, founded Dakpo Kagyu, line-mother who was divided quickly into 4 branches rested by three direct disciples and a disciple of second generation.

There exists also a named parallel branch Shangpa Kagyu, being attached not to Marpa but to Khyungpo Nyaljor (978? - 1079?), yogi and translator originating in Nyemo Ramang (central Tibet), resulting like Milarepa from the Khyung clan. It went to the Nepal where it had as a Master Acharya Sumati, then in India where it accepted the teaching of Maitreta, Rahulagupta and of the Dakini S Sukhasiddha and Niguma; the latter is presented according to the sources like the sister or the parèdre of Naropa. Of return to the Tibet, he pronounced his wishes at Langri Thangpa, main Kadampa. The branch shangpa founded monasteries with Phenyul and Shang (Tsang), from where its name. The esoteric transmission directly of Master with pupil stopped after Sangye Tönpa (1213 - 1285) and its disciple Tsultrim Gompo, but the lesson laid down in writing by this last remained. To the XIXe century, Jamgon Kongtrul Lodrö Taye, one of the founders of the not-sectarian movement Rhyme, devoted to him a volume of sound Trésor of the oral instructions (gdams ngag mdzod) and the transmission started again some. It initiated Kyabje Kalou Rinpoché (1903 - 1989), of which the Tulku Yangsi Kalou, born in 1990, since took the succession, assisted by its regent Kyabje Bokar Rinpoche.

Principal branches

There was during the centuries of many branches kagyu, of which most known are the “four universities” (Phaktru, Karma, Tsalpa, Barom) and the “eight small schools” (Drikung, Drukpa, Taklung, Drukpa, Yasang, Shuksep, Yelpa, Martsang).

Shangpa Kagyu, line of Khyungpo Nyaljor, ressuscitée at the XIXe century;
Rechung kagyu or Dechog Nyangyud, line of Rechungpa;
Dagpo Kagyu, line of Gampopa;
Four branches resulting from Dakpo Kagyu, rested by four disciples of Gampopa, whose two first remain important in XXIe century:

Phaktru ('phag gru) Kagyu, founded by Deshek Phakmo Trupa Dorje Gyalpo (1110-1170), which took the post of governor of Tibet to the sakyapa and introduced elements of the lamdre into the tradition kagyu; eight disciples of Phakmo Trupa founded subbranches, whose three still have a notable presence.
Kamtsang (kam tshang) or Karma (kar my) Kagyu, founded by first Karmapa, Düsum Khyenpa (1110-1193); the identity of 17th Karmapa is the subject of a conflict not yet solved in 2006;
Tsalpa (tshal Pa) Kagyu, rested by LAMA Zhang or Yudakpa Tsondu Dakpa (1123-1193);
Barom (Romanian “Ba”) Kagyu, founded by Barom Darma Wangchuk;

eight subbranches resulting from Phaktru Kagyu; the three first are most important in XXIe century:

Drikhung ('BIS gung) Kagyu, founded by Drikhung Kyopa Jigten Sumgyi Gönpo (1143-1217); Drikung Kyapgön Chetsang Rinpoche (born in 1946) resident with Dehradun is its hiérarque current;
Drukpa ('brug Pa) Kagyu allotted to Drupchen Lingrepa Pema Dorje (1128-1188) and its disciple Tsangpa Gyare Yeshe Dorje (1161-1211); their monastery of origin was Namdruk in central Tibet Kunkhyen; later Pema Karpo (1527-1592) founded the monastery Druk Chöling Blood-ngak in southernmost Tibet. It is the religion of State of the Bhutan, where it was introduced by Shaptrung Ngakwang Namgyal. I Khenpo and the king of Bouthan Jigme Senge Wangchuk are the hiérarques ones for this country; Kapgön Drukchen Rinpoche, resident with Darjeeling, is hiérarque for the other areas. There exist divisions inside Drukpa and all the sub-groups are not regarded as one of the “eight small schools”.
Taklung (stag lung) Kagyu, founded by Taklung Thangpa Tashi Stake (1142-1210). Taklung Shapdrung Rinpoche, Taklung Matul Rinpoche and Tsatrul Rinpoche are the hiérarques current ones.
Yasang (g.y' has bzang) Kagyu, founded by Zarawa Kalden Yeshe Senge (? - 1207) and its disciple Yasang Chöje Chökyi Mönlam (1169-1233) who founded in 1206 the monastery Yamsang (g.yam bzang) which given him its name to the branch;
Trophu (khro phu) Kagyu, founded by Rinpoche Gyatsa and its disciple Trophu Lotsawa Champa Pal (1173-1225) who founded the Trophu monastery in Tsang (Tibet central);
Shuksep (shug gseb) Kagyu, founded by Gyergom Tsultrim Senge (1144-1204), which establishes the monastery of Shuksep in 1181 in Nyephu, Chushur, central Tibet;
Yelpa (yel Pa) Kagyu, founded by Yelpa Drupthop Yeshe Tsekpa;
Martsang (smar tshang) Kagyu, founded by Martsang Sherab Senge;.

Texts and practices

Except the gun Tibetan gathered in the Kangyour and the Tengyour the various currents kagyu are based on more specific texts, like those allotted to Marpa, Milarepa ( a hundred and thousand songs ), Gampopa ( the Invaluable ornament of the release ), Drikhung Kyöppa Jigten Sumgön, Drukpa Kunkhyen and Pema Karpo, as well as different the Karmapa S. Jamgon Kongtrul Lodrö Taye (1813-1899) one from the founders of the oecumenical movement Rimé, compiled the Trésor of will mantras kagyu , gathering the essence of teaching, oilings and sadhanas (meditations).

Like all the lines of the Vajrayana, kagyupa sign tantric the way known as “sees Upaya S” (thabs lam), which proposes various yogas forming a gradual progression. The principal Yidam S are Cakrasambhava and its parèdre Vajrayogini or Vajravarahi, principal the dharmapala S are Dorje Bernakchen and Palden Lhamo, with possible differences according to the currents; thus, Chagdrupa is a dharmapala more specific to the Shangpa line. A specificity of kagyupa is the system of the Six yogas of Naropa (Na ro chos drug) employed in the phase of completion of the anuttarayoga-mothers. The adibuddha is Vajradhara.

Kagyu also transmits a way of release (grol lam) nontantric in four stages: four yogas of the Mahamudra (phyag rgya chen Po), taken again by part of the current gelugpa.

Principal buildings

Many monasteries kagyupa appeared with the wire of the centuries to the Tibet and in the Himalayas. Most famous are Dhaklha Gampo, in southernmost Tibet, founded by Gampopa, and Tsourphou founded by the 1st Karmapa in the valley of Tölung to the central Tibet, and always official head office of hiérarque of Karma Kagyu. Still let us quote Palpung, Jamgon Kongtrul, Surmang and Ralung, head office of hiérarque of Drougpa Kagyu. Rumtek with the Sikkim was founded by the 16th Karmapa in exile. In Lhodrak in the south of the Tibet, area of origin of Marpa, one still shows the vestiges of a tower of nine stages whose tradition allots construction to Milarepa.

See too

Random links: