The Phagmo Drupa Kagyu () or Phagdru Kagyu (ཕག་གྲུ་བཀའ་བརྒྱུད) is a subschool of the Tibetan
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 Buddhism, Tibetan (or Himalayan) Buddhism. ...
school.
History
It was 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 ...
(, 1110–1170) who was the elder brother of the famous Nyingma lama
Ka Dampa Deshek (1122–1192) founder of
Katok Monastery
Kathok Monastery (, THL ''Kathok Gön''), also transliterated as Kathog, Katok, or Katog, was founded in 1159 and is one of the "Six Mother Monasteries" in Tibet of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. It was built after Samye Monastery, in ...
. Before meeting
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 ...
, Dorje Gyalpo studied with
Sachen Kunga Nyingpo
Sachen Kunga Nyingpo () (1092–1158) was a Tibetan spiritual leader and the first of the Five Venerable Supreme Sakya Masters of Tibet. Sachen Kunga Nyinpo was the 3rd Sakya Trizin and son of Khon Konchok Gyalpo (1034–1102) who was the firs ...
''(sa chen kun dga' snying po)'' (1092–1158) from whom he received
lamdre
Lamdré is a meditative system in Tibetan Buddhism rooted in the view that the result of its practice is contained within the path. The name "lamdré" means the "path" () with its fruit ). In Tibet, the lamdré teachings are considered the ''summu ...
transmission.
In 1158 Dorje Gyalpo built a reed-hut hermitage at Phakmo Drupa (''"Sow's Ferry Crossing"'') in a juniper forest in Nedong () high above the
Brahmaputra River
The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Southwestern China, Northeastern India, and Bangladesh. It is known as Brahmaputra or Luit in Assamese language, Assamese, Yarlung Tsangpo in Lhasa Tibetan, Tibetan, the Siang/Dihan ...
. Later, as his fame spread and disciples gathered, this site developed into the major monastic seat of Dentsa Thel (). Following his death the monastery declined and his disciple
Jigten Sumgön
Jigten Sumgön or Jigten Gönpo འཇིག་རྟེན་གསུམ་མགོན (1143–1217) was the founder of the Drikung Kagyu lineage and main disciple of Phagmo Drupa. He founded Drikung Thil Monastery in 1179.
Jigten Sumgön ...
sent Chenga Drakpa Jungne (; 1175–1255), a member of the Lang () family, to become abbot and look after the monastery.
Tai Situ Changchub Gyaltsen
Tai Situ Changchub Gyaltsen ()Chen Qingying (2003) (1302 – 21 November 1364) was the founder of the Phagmodrupa dynasty that replaced the Mongol-backed Sakya dynasty, ending Yuan rule in Tibet. He ruled most of Tibet as ''desi'' (regent) from ...
(1302–1364) was born into this Lang family. In 1322, he was appointed by the Sakyapas as the Pagmodru Myriarch of Nedong and given the title "Tai Situ" in the name of the Yuan emperor. Soon he fought with a neighboring myriarchy trying to recover land lost in earlier times. This quarrel displeased the Sakya ruler (''
dpon-chen
The ''dpon-chen'' or ''pönchen'' (), literally the "great authority" or "great administrator", was the chief administrator or governor of Tibet based at the Sakya Monastery during the Yuan dynasty. The office was established in the 1260s and fun ...
'') Gyelwa Zangpo () who dismissed him as myriach. Following a split between Gyelwa Zangpo and his minister Nangchen Wangtsön (), the former restored Changchup Gyeltsen to his position in 1352. Taking advantage of the situation, Changchup Gyeltsen immediately went on the offensive and soon controlled the whole of the central
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...
an province of Ü. Gyelwa Zangpo and Changchup Gyeltsen were reconciled at a meeting with the Sakya lama Künpangpa (). This angered Nangchen Wangtsön, who usurped Gyelwa Zangpo as Sakya ruler and imprisoned him.
In 1351 Changchup Gyeltsen established an important Kagyu monastery at the ancient Tibetan capital of
Tsetang
Tsetang () or Zedang (), is the fourth largest city in Tibet and is located in the Yarlung Valley, southeast of Lhasa in Nedong District of the Shannan Prefecture in the Tibet region of China. It is the capital of Shannan Prefecture (which ...
. This was later dismantled during the time of the
7th Dalai Lama
The 7th Dalai Lama, Kelzang Gyatso (, also spelled Kalzang Gyatso, Kelsang Gyatso and Kezang Gyatso; 1708–1757), was recognized as the authentic 7th Dalai Lama of Tibet. He was seen as the true incarnation of the 6th Dalai Lama, and was enthr ...
(18th century) and replaced by a Gelugpa monastery, Gaden Chokhorling.
In 1358, Wangtson assassinated Lama Kunpangpa. Learning of this, Changchup Gyeltsen then took his forces to Sakya, imprisoned Wangtsön, and replaced four hundred court officials and the newly appointed ruling lama. The Pagmodrupa rule of Central Tibet (U, Tsang and Ngari) dates from this coup in 1358.
As ruler, Changchup Gyeltsen was keen to revive the glories of the
Tibetan Empire
The Tibetan Empire (,) was an empire centered on the Tibetan Plateau, formed as a result of expansion under the Yarlung dynasty heralded by its 33rd king, Songtsen Gampo, in the 7th century. It expanded further under the 38th king, Trisong De ...
of
Songtsän Gampo
Songtsen Gampo (Classical , pronounced ) (; (601–683 CE, reign 614-648) was the 33rd Tibetan king of the Yarlung dynasty and the founder of the Tibetan Empire. The first of three Dharma Kings of Tibet, he formally introduced Buddhism to Tib ...
and assert Tibetan independence from the
Yuan dynasty
The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...
of the
Mongols
Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China ( Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family o ...
and from
Ming China
The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...
. He took the Tibetan title "Desi" (sde-srid), re-organized the thirteen myriarchies of the Yuan Shakya rulers into numerous districts (), abolished Mongol law in favour of the old Tibetan legal code, and Mongol court dress in favour of traditional Tibetan dress.
Tai Situ Changchub Gyaltsen died in 1364 and was succeeded as by his nephew
Jamyang Shakya Gyaltsen
Jamyang Shakya Gyaltsen (, 1340–1373) was a ruler of Central Tibet in 1364–1373. He was a member of the Phagmodrupa dynasty which was the major Tibetan power from 1354 to 1435. His time was one of political stability in Central Tibet, and the e ...
(; 1340–1373), who was also a monk. The subsequent rule of the
Phagmodrupa dynasty
The Phagmodrupa dynasty or Pagmodru (, ; ) was a dynastic regime that held sway over Tibet or parts thereof from 1354 to the early 17th century. It was established by Tai Situ Changchub Gyaltsen of the Lang () family at the end of the Yuan dynas ...
lasted until 1435 followed by the
Rinpungpa
Rinpungpa () was a Tibetan dynastic regime that dominated much of Western Tibet between 1435 and 1565. During one period around 1500 the Rinpungpa lords came close to assembling the Tibetan lands around the Yarlung Tsangpo River under one aut ...
kings who ruled for four generations from 1435 to 1565 and the three
Tsangpa
Tsangpa () was a dynasty that dominated large parts of Tibet from 1565 to 1642. It was the last Tibetan royal dynasty to rule in their own name. The regime was founded by Karma Tseten, a low-born retainer of the prince of the Rinpungpa dynasty ...
kings from 1566 to 1641.
In 1406 the ruling Phagmodrupa prince,
Drakpa Gyaltsen Dragpa Gyaltsen may refer to:
*Jetsun Dragpa Gyaltsen (1147–1216), third of the five Sakya Patriarchs
*Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsen (1350–1413), one of the main disciples of Je Tsongkhapa
*Gongma Drakpa Gyaltsen (1374–1432), ruler of Tibet from 138 ...
, turned down the imperial invitation to him to visit China.
From 1435 to 1481 the power of the Phagmodrupa declined and they were eclipsed by the Rinpungpa () of Tsang, who patronized the Karma Kagyu.
The Phagmo Drupa monastery of Dentsa Thel "was completely destroyed during the Cultural Revolution in 1966–1978"
[Stoddard, E Heather (2002]
'' Golden Buddhas from Tibet: Reconstruction of the Façade of a Stupa from Densathil.''
/ref>
References
{{reflist, 35em
Schools of Tibetan Buddhism