Dagpo Kagyu encompasses the branches of the

Kagyu The ''Kagyu'' school, also transliterated as ''Kagyü'', or ''Kagyud'' (), which translates to "Oral Lineage" or "Whispered Transmission" school, is one of the main schools (''chos lugs'') of Tibetan (or Himalayan) Buddhism. The Kagyu lineag ...

school of

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...

that trace their lineage back through

Gampopa Gampopa Sönam Rinchen (, 1079–1153) was the main student of Milarepa, and a Tibetan Buddhist master who codified his own master's ascetic teachings, which form the foundation of the Kagyu educational tradition. Gampopa was also a doctor and ...

(1079-1153), who was also known as Dagpo Lhaje () "the Physician from Dagpo" and Nyamed Dakpo Rinpoche "Incomparable Precious One from Dagpo". All the institutional branches of the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism surviving today, including the

Drikung Kagyu Drikung Kagyü or Drigung Kagyü ( Wylie: 'bri-gung bka'-brgyud) is one of the eight "minor" lineages of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. "Major" here refers to those Kagyü lineages founded by the immediate disciples of Gampopa (1079-1153) w ...

, the

Drukpa Lineage The Drukpa Kagyu (), or simply Drukpa, sometimes called either Dugpa or " Red Hat sect" in older sources,

and the

Karma Kagyu Karma Kagyu (), or Kamtsang Kagyu (), is a widely practiced and probably the second-largest lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage has long-standing monasteries in Tibet, China, Russia, ...

, are branches of the Dagpo Kagyu. Narrowly, the term Dagpo Kagyu is sometimes used to refer specifically to the lineage of Gampopa's own monastery of Dagla Gampo. This lineage passed from Gampopa to his own nephew Dagpo Gomtsul. Dagpo Tashi Namgyal (1511-1587) was an important lama in this lineage.

Dagpo Kagyu Lineages

Following Gampopa's teachings, there evolved the so-called "Four Primary and Eight Secondary" lineages of the Dagpo Kagyu School.

The four primary sub-schools of the Dagpo Kagyu

* Tshalpa Kagyu founded by Zhang Yudrakpa Tsöndru Drakpa *

or Karma Kamtsang founded by the first

Karmapa The Karmapa (honorific title ''His Holiness the Gyalwa'' ��ྒྱལ་བ་, Victorious One''Karmapa'', more formally as ''Gyalwang'' ��ྒྱལ་དབང་ཀརྨ་པ་, King of Victorious Ones''Karmapa'', and informally as the '' ...

, Düsum Khyenpa. * Barom Kagyu founded by Barompa Darma Wangchug * Phagdru Kagyu founded by

Phagmo Drupa Dorje Gyalpo Phagmo Drupa Dorje Gyalpo () 110-1170 was one of the three main disciples of Gampopa Sonam Rinchen who established the Dagpo Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism; and a disciple of Sachen Kunga Nyingpo 092-1158one of the founders of the Sakya sch ...

(1110-1170)

The eight secondary sub-schools of the Dagpo Kagyu

The eight secondary lineages (''zung bzhi ya brgyad'' or ''chung brgyad'') of the Dagpo Kagyu all branched from the Phagdru Kagyu tradition and were founded by senior disciples of

or their immediate successors. *

founded by Drigung Kyobpa Jikten Gönpo Rinchen Päl (1143-1217) * Lingre Kagyu founded by Lingrepa Pema Dorje (1128-1188) * Martsang Kagyu founded by Marpa Drupthob Sherab Yeshe who established Sho Monastery (ཤོ་དགོན) in E. Tibet. * Shugseb Kagyu founded by Gyergom Tsultrim Sengge (1144-1204). * Taklung Kagyu founded by Taklung Tangpa Tashi Pal (1142-1210). *Trophu Kagyu established by Gyal Tsha Rinchen Gon (1118-1195) and Kunden Repa (1148-1217). The tradition was developed by their nephew, Thropu Lotsawa. *Yabzang Kagyu founded by Zarawa Kelden Yeshe Sengge (1168?-1207) *Yelpa Kagyu was established by Yelpa Yeshe Tsek (1134-1194)

The Drukpa Lineage

The

Drukpa Lineage The Drukpa Kagyu (), or simply Drukpa, sometimes called either Dugpa or " Red Hat sect" in older sources,

, often enumerated outside the four primary and eight secondary sub-schools, was founded by Ling Repa's disciple

Tsangpa Gyare The great ascetic Drogon Tsangpa Gyare (1161–1211) was the main disciple of Lingchen Repa Pema Dorje and the founder of the Drukpa Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism the main or central branch of which was, until the 17th Century, transmitted by his ...

(1161–1211). His fifth incarnation and eighteenth hereditary lineage holder, Ngawang Namgyal (1594–1651), the 1st Zhabdrung Rinpoche, founded the state of

Bhutan Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainou ...

and established the Southern Drukpa Lineage as its state religion.

Dagpo Kagyu Lineages Today

The principal Dagpo Kagyu lineages existing today as organized schools are the Karma, Drikung and Drukpa Kagyu. For the most part, the teachings and main esoteric transmissions of the other Dagpo Kagyu lineages have been absorbed into one or another of these three independent schools.

References

Sources

* * * {{Buddhism topics Buddhism in Bhutan *