Sakya School

Overview

The Sakya (Pale Earth) school was founded in 1073 by Khön Könchok Gyalpo, who built the original Sakya monastery on pale grey earth in the Tsang region of Tibet. The school is characterised by a hereditary transmission within the Khön family lineage, with the throne alternating between two branches of the Khön clan. The Sakya tradition is renowned for its sophisticated scholarly tradition and for its unique synthesis teaching called Lamdré (Lam 'bras — Path and Fruit), which integrates Sutra and Tantra in a single framework based on the Hevajra Tantra. Sakya Pandita (1182–1251), considered one of Tibet's greatest scholar-sages, forged a political alliance with the Mongol court, making the Sakya school the de facto rulers of Tibet under Mongol patronage in the 13th century.

Transmission Lineage 傳承

Virupa (Indian mahasiddha) → Drogmi Lotsawa → Khön Könchok Gyalpo → Five Founders → Sakya Pandita → Drogön Phagpa → continuing Khön family lineage

Principal Texts 要典

• ▸Hevajra Tantra
• ▸Lamdré (Path and Fruit — Virupa's Vajra Verses)
• ▸Treasury of Logic (Sakya Pandita)
• ▸Clear Differentiation of the Three Codes (Sakya Pandita)
• ▸Profound Path of Mahāmudrā

Core Practices 修行法門