Karma Kagyu School
Karma Kagyu Lineage is the Yogic transmission among the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism. It
encompasses both the old (Nyingma) and the new (Sarma) teachings which reached
Tibet. Being heavily practice oriented, the Kagyu is called the "oral" or the "perfection"
school. The origin of the Kagyu Lineage dates back to the ninth century at the time of the full flowering of
Tantric Buddhism in India. The first teacher in this tradition was Tilopa, the renowned yogi and
Mahasiddha (perfected one). Tilopa received the transmission directly from Dorje Chang (Skt. Vajradhara),
the celestial Buddha who symbolizes the Dharmakaya, the ultimate mind. Tilopa in turn gave the
whispered teachings to Naropa who had previously been chancellor of Nalanda University in India.
Naropa's twelve years of service to Tilopa are regarded as a great example of devotion to one's teacher.
The first Tibetan to receive the teaching was Marpa, the Translator, so named because of his
heroic efforts to reach India on foot, searching for his teacher Naropa, and patiently practicing and
translating the Mahamudra teachings into Tibetan. Marpa was a householder and landowner and he
gathered around him a number of students; the main one was Milarepa. Because of the bad karma acquired
through his early deeds as a sorcerer, Milarepa was submitted to years of arduous purifying labor before
Marpa would grant him the teachings. Milarepa spent many years meditating in caves, gained profound
illumination and was famed as a poet and saint. He died at the age of 80, at which time the lineage passed
onto Gampopa who had previously been a doctor. Gampopa was the first monk of the Kagyu School and
he organized the Kagyu monastic system. He also formulated the teaching in practical texts such as the
"Jewel Ornament of Liberation" which outlines the gradual path to liberation.
Four major and eight minor schools originated from Gampopa's three main disciples. The major schools have all fused into the Karma Kagyu with the Karmapa as the head. The first Karmapa, Dusum Chenpa, was Gampopa's most gifted disciple. He manifested great spiritual power and purity early in his life and in his sixteenth year he received a supernatural Black Crown from dakinis and other divinities which bestowed knowledge of the past, present and future. This hat has been passed on to all the subsequent Karmapas who are reincarnations or "tulkus" of Dusum Chenpa. All the Karmapas have worked unceasingly to spread the Buddha's teaching, and are recognized as emanations of the bodhisattva Chenrezig (Skt. Avalokitesvara). Second to the Karmapa is the Shamarpa, who is the lineage holder between Karmapa's incarnations. They are known as the Black Hat and Red Hat Karmapas and their minds are considered inseparable.
H.H. the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje, fled the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959 and thus secured the survival of the Karma Kagyu lineage. With the help of his Western students, he brought the unique teachings about the nature of mind to the West. He is legendary for his exuberant joyfulness, profound insight, and powerful presence. Those who met him were known to be deeply touched and irrevocably changed.
The transmission of the lineage continues today with H.H Gyalwa Karmapa Thaye Dorje, who in 1994 at the age of ten, was recognized as the 17th Karmapa by H.H. the 14th Shamar Rinpoche. In December 1999 at the age of sixteen, he embarked on his first international teaching tour and gave initiations to over 15,000 of his students in Europe and Southeast Asia. H.H. Karmapa Thaye Dorje is impressive and confident in his role as a worldwide spiritual leader. The 17th Karmapa currently resides in India where he continues his spiritual training and western education.
