藏傳佛教宗派
Sects & Lineages
བོད་ཀྱི་ཆོས་ལུགས་སྡེ་པ།
The six major schools of Tibetan Buddhism — each a complete path with its own founding master, canonical texts, and distinctive teachings. 6 schools.
རྙིང་མ་
Nyingma School
寧瑪派
Ancient / Old School
Founded: 8th century CE
By: Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche)
Dzogchen — direct recognition of the nature of mind as primordially pure awareness (rigpa)
བཀའ་བརྒྱུད།
Kagyu School
噶舉派
Oral Transmission / Whispered Lineage
Founded: 11th century CE
By: Marpa Lotsawa (Marpa the Translator)
Mahamudra — direct recognition of mind's luminous emptiness; Six Dharmas of Naropa (inner heat / Tummo)
ས་སྐྱ།
Sakya School
薩迦派
Grey Earth / Pale Ground
Founded: 1073 CE
By: Khön Könchok Gyalpo
Lamdré (Path and Fruit) — complete integration of Sutra and Tantra within a single practice system
དགེ་ལུགས།
Gelug School
格魯派
Way of Virtue / Yellow Hat
Founded: 14th–15th century CE
By: Je Tsongkhapa (1357–1419)
Systematic Lam-Rim graduated path; synthesis of scholarly Madhyamaka philosophy with highest yoga tantra
ཇོ་ནང།
Jonang School
覺囊派
Jonang Valley
Founded: 13th century CE
By: Yumo Mikyo Dorje (Kalachakra transmission lineage)
Kalachakra Tantra and Zhentong (Extrinsic Emptiness) philosophy — the luminous nature of Buddha-nature
བོན།
Bön
苯教
Invoke / Call / Chant
Founded: Prehistoric; systematised c. 8th century BCE (traditional claim)
By: Tonpa Shenrab Miwoche
Zhang Zhung Nyan Gyud — Dzogchen oral transmission from the ancient Zhang Zhung kingdom; indigenous Tibetan shamanic and cosmological rituals