Kagyu School

Overview

The Kagyu (Oral Lineage) school traces its origins to the Indian mahasiddhas Tilopa and Naropa, whose teachings were brought to Tibet by Marpa Lotsawa (1012–1097) after three journeys to India. Marpa transmitted these to his foremost student, the celebrated yogi-poet Milarepa, who passed them to Gampopa. The Kagyu tradition is renowned for its emphasis on direct meditative experience over scholasticism, and its most distinctive teaching is Mahamudra — the direct recognition of the luminous, empty nature of mind. The school later branched into many sub-schools; the Karma Kagyu (led by the Karmapas), Drikung Kagyu, Drukpa Kagyu, and Shangpa Kagyu are among the most prominent. The Karmapa is the oldest recognised reincarnation lineage in Tibetan Buddhism.

Transmission Lineage 傳承

Tilopa → Naropa → Marpa → Milarepa → Gampopa → 1st Karmapa Dusum Khyenpa → continuing Karmapa reincarnation line

Principal Texts 要典

• ▸Mahamudra Upadesha (Tilopa's Ganges Mahamudra)
• ▸Six Dharmas of Naropa (Naro Chos Drug)
• ▸Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa
• ▸Jewel Ornament of Liberation (Gampopa)
• ▸Moonlight of Mahamudra (Dakpo Tashi Namgyal)

Core Practices 修行法門