A BRIEF HISTORY OF FOUR BUDDH1ST TRADITIONS OF TIBET

1. Nyingma Lineage:
Buddhism was introduced into Tibet in the seventh century during the period of Srong btsan Gampo (circa 617-650). Nepalese princess Bhiikuti Devi was given in marriage to Tibetan King and she subsequently changed the course of Himalayan history by introducing Buddhism from Nepal. This remarkable woman was responsible for the construction of the first ancient temples in Tibet including the famous Jokhang and Potala Palace of Tibet. King Srong btsan Gampo invited Buddhist Pandits from Nepal, India and China to translate Sanskrit Buddhist texts into Tibet. This was the beginning of the Buddhist doctrine in Tibet.
Buddhism began to flourish in Tibet only after hundred years later when the king Thrisong lde-tsan invited three outstanding Buddhist personalities namely Padma Sambhava, Shantaraksita and Kamalashila in the Land of Snow. King Thrisong lde-btsan invited first Acarya Santa Raksita, the abbot of Nalanda Monastery in India to build the first monastery Samye in Yarlung Valley. But his mission was not successful because of the resistance from local deities. The monastery built in the day was destroyed by malevolent spirits at night resulting the program of building the monastery to a dead end. As a solution the abbot suggested the king to invite Great Guru Padma Sambhava who was at that time staying at Kathmandu for his practice of Vajrakila Sadhana. Guru Padmasambhava, upon the invitation of the king visited Tibet subduing the malevolent forces along the way. Finally, he was successful in building Samye Monastery.
In Samye monastery the Tibetan king commissioned the translation of most of the Buddhist canon by outstanding Indian Buddhist Masters and Tibetan translators. He gathered at least twenty five excellent disciples and transmitted them the profound and vast teachings of Vajrayana Buddhism.
Because of the cooperative effort of the king, the abbot Bodhisaitva Shantaraksita in establishing monastic tradition and powerful teachings of Guru Rinpoche, the Buddha's teachings is surviving until today in its purest form. It is the same Vajrayana lineage that Pandit Vimalamitra, Santaraksita, Padma Sambhava and Guru Humkaravajra of Nepal taught and practiced in Nalanda and Vikramashila Monasteries of India. It was never stated that the new religious tradition was modeled on the Bonpo. The tradition they thus established is called Nyingma that is, ancient one. It is the oldest Buddhist tradition in Tibet.
Most of these teachings of the secret mantra were concealed as treasures by Yeshe Tsogyal and Guru Rinpoche himself for the sake of preventing future degeneration of the dharma. These teachings were later spread by treasure revealers or tertons.
In Nepal are the seats of late Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and Dudjom Rinpoche and also the seat of Kela Chokling. There is also the mountain retreat of late Tulku Urgyen called Nagi Gompa. In Solokhumbu is the seat of Trulshik Rinpoche called Thupten Choling. At Asura Cave, here is a center for Chokling Tersar in Pharping where there are a great deal of monks studying these traditions. After Chinese takeover of Tibet, the Kathmandu Valley has been the home of all these Buddhist tradition of Tibet which were nortured, enhanced and developed by the peace loving people of Nepal.
2. Kagyupa Lineage:
After the advent of Atisha Dipankar in Tibet, the Kagyu lineage was founded by the Tibetan Master Marpa, the translator (1012-1097) and spread its essential teachings in Tibet. Marpa received its entire lineage teachings from Indian Guru Naropa and Nepalese Guru Maitripa alias Advayavajra. Naropa received the teachings on Mystic heat (Tummo), yoga of dream, yoga of luminosity, yoga of illusory form, Intermediate State (Bardo) and Transference of Consciousness from his Guru Tilopa and mastered them thoroughly and then transmitted them on Marpa, the translator. Marpa stayed and studied with Naropa for twenty one years completely.
Naropa had several accomplished Nepalese disciples among them Paindapa, Chitherpa, Phamthinpa were the prominent ones. It was these Nepalese Masters who taught him the Highest Yoga Tantra doctrines and brought Marpa to Naropa's monastery at Pullahari in India. Marpa, after returning from India and Nepal he founded the Kagyupa tradition in Tibet on the basis of instructions he received from the various Siddha Gurus of Nepal and India. He transmitted his entire teachings among his four major disciples such as Milarepa. The Great Yogi Milarepa in turn transmitted them on to Gampopa (1079-1153). Gampopa was a great scholar and meditator who had numerous accomplished disciples and through him many lineages arose in succession.
Gampopa had four principal disciples namely Baram Darma Wangchuk, Phagtru Dorje Gyalpo, Karmapa Dusum Khyenpa and Shang Tsalpa Tsondru Trag. Each one founded own lineage under their name. These are four major lineages namely, Baram Kagyu, Phagtru Kagyu, Karma Kagyu and Shangpa Kagyu.
Among his four prominent disciples, Phagmodrupa had eight accomplished disciples who in turn established eight minor lineages of Kagyupa tradition. They are Taglung, Trophu, Drugpa, Martsang, Yerpa, Yazang, Shugseb and Drikung Kagyu lineages.
In the commencement of Gampopa's spiritual career he was the follower of Kadampa tradition. He perfected the entire teachings of this tradition through detailed study, meditation and realization. After his meeting with Great Yogi Milarepa, he received the entire teachings of Kagyu lineage from him. He perfected the four stages of Mahamudra teachings and Six yogas of Naropa.
The main practice of this lineage is Six Yogas of Narop and Sutra Mahamudra.
In Tibet Karmapa is the most authoritative master in the Kagyupa tradition. Recently 17th Karmapa has been discovered in Tibet. There are several great lineage holders of this tradition. Among them Karmapa, his four regents namely Tai Situpa, Shamarpa, Kongtrul, and Gyaltsab Rinpoche, Thrangu Rinpoche, Kalu Rinpoche, Tenga Rinpoche, Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche are the prominent ones.

Karmapa Ancestors (Click Here)

3. Sakyapa Lineage:
The origin of Sakyapa tradition goes back to the Indian Mahasiddha Virupa who in turn successively transmitted the doctrine of Path and Fruit Doctrine (Lamdrey) through his series of Indian Buddhist Masters to Khon Konchok Gyalpo in the eleventh century. Siddha Virupada transmitted his Path and fruit doctrine entirely to his close disciple Krishnacarya and then he in turn transmitted it to Siddha Damarupada who had been famous for his appearance in twenty four power places (pithsthana) simultaneously sounding his drum. His chief disciple Gayadhara went to Tibet and visited the home of Drokmi Lotsava at Monkar in Tibet and transmitted Virupa's teachings to him. Drokmi Lotsava was the Tibetan Guru of Khon Konchok Gyalpo and in 1073 according to the instruction of his guru, Khon Konchok Gyalpo established a Sakya Monastery.
The word Sakva is derived from Sakya that is, Grey land. It should not be confused with Shakya family of Kathmandu Valley whose lineage can be traced back to the Buddha Shakyamuni, the sage of Shakyas.
Khon family lineage is closely related- with one of the disciples of Padma Sambhava called Khon Lui Wangpo in the eighth century. Khon Lui Wangpo was the one of the first seven monks of Samye Monastery at Yarlung Valley in Tibet. Khon Konchok studied under Drokmi Lotsava (992-1072), a contemporary of Marpa, the translator.
Drokmi Lotsava had also received the teachings from Nepalese Siddha Shantipada of Pharping who disappeared into the rainbow body from Nara Devi temple in Kathmandu..Drokmi Lotsava became a Pandit possessing limitless knowledge of the sciences and mastered the stage of development, the power of emanation, power of transference and entering and finally realized Buddhahood.
The great five masters called Gongma Nga occupies the important place in the annuls of Sakya tradition. They were Sachen Kunga Nyingpo(ll02-I158), Sonam Tsemo (1142-1182), Drakpa Gyaltsen(l147-1216), Sakya Pandita (1182-1251) and Chogyal Phagpa (1235-1280).
The main philosophical system taught in the Sakya tradition is known as Lamdrey, the Path and its fruit and is based on the Hevajra Tantra. In terms of spiritual training the Sakya Masters have equally stressed study and meditation. All the sutra teachings are classified as three visions and Tantra teachings as Three Tantras.
One of the characteristic features of Sakyapa Masters is that they had received several teachings from Nepalese Masters such as Bharo Vajracharya on Vajra Bhairava system, Maha Karuna and Phamthingpa on Guhya Samaja System. Now that in Newar tradition these lineage have disappeared longtime ago and are surviving some ritualistic tradition only.
At present there are many great lineage holders of Sakya tradition. Among them His Holiness Sakya Trizin, Deshung Rinpoche, Chobgye Trichen Rinpoche, Luding Rinpoche, Phende Rinpoche and Karma Thinley Rinpoche are the prominent ones.
4. Gelugpa Lineage:
The Gelugpa lineage was founded by the great philosopher saint of Tibet, Tsong Khapa (1357-I419) popularly known as Je Rinpoche.
The greatest stimulus to religious developments in Tibet was the mission of the Indian Master Atisha, who arrived in Gu-ge in 1042 after repeated invitations from the kings of western Tibet. Through his concerted efforts he was successful in disseminating the Mahayana principal of universal compassion and altruism as a way of life.
Atisha's authority and prestige gave a new direciion to the thinking and practice of other religious teachers in Tibet. He attracted the devotion of ordinary people to such an extent that the dominance of Buddhist teachings to whole of Tibet social life is never seriously challenged throughout the centuries. Atisha's efforts mainly lied on the philosophical basis of Perfection of Wisdom literature and seems to have restrained from laying too much emphasis on the mystical and tantric practices. Through his Tibetan disciple Drontonpa he established Kadampa tradition.
Tsong Khapa admired this approach of Kadampa tradition uniting the lineage of Nagarjuna's path of profound view and Asanga's vast lineage. Tsong Khapa on the basis of his realization propagated a system of learning and contemplation requiring three attributes to succeed in the path of Buddhahood. He called these three elements: renunciation, Bodhicitta and the correct view of Sunyata, the three principal aspects of the Path for a successful practice of Vajrayana Buddhism, he considered these three principles should be the essential foundation. As a result of this emphasis the Gelug tradition is said to represent a genuine union of Sutra and tantra systems.
Tsong Khapa studied with Nyingma, Kagyu and Sakyapa masters in philosophical and meditative tradition. After long, devoted and inspired sprirual training, studying with many masters of his time he established Ganden Monastery to the east of Lhasa in 1409.
Because of his strict observance of monastic discipline Ganden Monastery attracted many students and scholars from all parts of Tibet and became one of the foremost center of Buddhist learning and practice. His followers became later known as Gelugpa.
Tsong Khapa's foremost disciples were Gyaltsab Je (1364-1431); Khedrub Gelek Pelsang (1385-1435) and Gedun Drub, the First Dalai Lama. Many of Tsong Khapa's disciples benefitted sentient beings by founding the great religious centers, such as Drepung, Sera and Ganden. Furthermore, the First Dalai Lama founded Tashi Lhunpo Monastery at Shigatse. Subsequent generations also saw great luminaries who contributed to the enhancement and development of this Ganden tradition. This masters include successive Dalai Lamas. Panchen Lamas, and many others. Three great monastic institutions created outstanding Buddhist masters in hundreds and thousands who upheld pure Buddhist teachings till today. Even after the Chinese takeover of Tibet in 1959, the Tibetan Government in exile established Sera, Ganden and Drepung Monasteries in South India, Dharamsala and Sarnath that retarted from being degenerated. That is why this tradition could create a great deal of eminent Geshes who are presently working as resident teachers in various FPMT Buddhist centers around the world founded by Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Presently, Ven Samdhong Rinpoche, is leading Central Institute for Tibetan Higher Studies where thousands of young Tibetans have received training at its beautiful college near Sarnath.
 

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