The Kagyu is one of six main schools of Tibetan or Himalayan Buddhism, separating into several sub-sects, today existing in the Karma Kagyu, Drikung Kagyu, and Drukpa Lineage.
In early Buddhism, the term was applied to any communication of an esoteric teaching from teacher to student, but today Kagyu nearly always refers to Dagpo Kagyu or Shangpa Kagyu.
As a Buddhist tradition, Kagyu began with Marpa Lotsawa in Tibet, who trained as a translator and searched for religious teachings in India and Nepal. With Jetsun Milarepa and Gampopa, Marpa Lotswana is considered one of three founders of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism.
Marpa's area of activity was centered in southern Tibet, just north of Bhutan. Following Tibetan lineage practice, Marpa intended to pass his teachings to his eldest son, Darma Dode, but his son died at an early age, so his lineage was passed on through Milarepa, a co-founder of the Kagyu tradition.
However, when young Darma Dode died in an accident, his father used his abilities as a lama to prolong his son's life long enough to teach him how to transfer his consciousness into the body of a dead pigeon. The pigeon flew to India, dying next to a sixteen-year-old boy who had recently died. Transferring his consciousness once again, into the body of the young boy, the boy was brought back to life as an Indian teacher Tiphupa. The boy returned home to care for his elderly parents, but they recognized that he was very different from what he had been, and considered him to be a guru. Tiphupa practiced the traditions of Marpa, as well others that he learned in India, becoming a Mahasiddha, and a respected teacher himself, one of his students being Rechungpa, founder of the Shamngpa Kagyu lineage.
Marpa's students who played the most significant part in the development of the Kagyu tradition were Milarepa, Ngok Choku Dorje, Tshurton Wangi Dorje, and Meton Tsonpo.
The predominant Dagpo Kagyu lineage is found today in the Karma Kagyu, Drikung Kagyu, and Drukpa lineages. The others have largely been absorbed into one or the other of these three schools.
There are four primary branches of Dagpo Kagyu: Karma Kagyu, Barom Kagyu, Tshaipa Kagyu, and Phagdru Kagyu.
Eight secondary branches include Drikung Kagpu, Lingre Kagyu, Drukpa Lineage, Shuksep Kagyu, Taklung Kagyu, Trophu Kagyu, Yazang Kagyu, and Yelpa Kagyu.
The Shangpa Kagyu school has a different source from the Marpa or Dagpo schools, descending from two female Siddhas in 11th century Tibet. However, the Shangpa Kagyu lineage was transmitted one-to-one. Rather than being established as an independent sect, its teachings were passed down by lamas belonging to a variety of schools.
The chief doctrine of Kagyu is that of Mahamudra (The Great Seal), which refers to teachings that represent the culmination of the practices of the Sarma schools of Tibetan Buddhism. In the Kagyu school, the practice is also known as Sahajayoga (Co-emergence Yoga), which focuses on the development of single-pointedness of mind, the transcendence of all conceptual elaboration, the cultivation of a perspective that all phenomena are of a single taste, and the fruition of the path, which is beyond any contrived acts of meditation. Through these four stages, the practitioner can attain the perfect realization of Mahamudra.
The practices of the Six Yogas of Naropa are important in all of the Kagyu schools. These are a set of advanced Tibetan tantric practices conveyed to Marpa Lotsawa.
The Kagyu lineage is found in both the Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhist traditions, but are seen more specifically in Vajrayana Buddhism. For the purposes of categorization, it will be listed as a branch of Vajrayana Buddhism.
Any of the schools, sects, sub-sects, or groups related to the Kagyu lineage are appropriate topics for this category.
Recommended Resources
The international organization of Buddhist centers was founded by Shamar Rinpoche, the 14th Shamarpa, or Red Hat Lama of Tibet, whose teachings were preserved to the Karma Kagyu, sometimes known as the Black Hat Lamas. Its centers, services, lectures, meditations, reading groups, and other activities are advanced, and its teachers, programs, curriculum, projects, and teachings are illustrated.
http://www.bodhipath.org/
Founded in the 1970s, Diamond Way Buddhism is a lay organization within the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. Representing hundreds of Buddhist centers across the Western world, Diamond Way seeks to present Buddhism in a modern context. An outline of Buddhism, Buddhist practices, and the Buddha is presented, with information about being a Buddhist, and a list of Buddhist centers and teachers worldwide.
https://www.diamondway-buddhism.org/
Established by practitioners in the Karma Kagyu Lineage, who shared the desire to make its teachings of Tibetan Buddhism available to ordinary New Zealanders. An introduction to the organization is set forth, including its aims and objectives, activities, and membership information. A calendar of symposiums and other events are set forth, along with announcements, contacts, and other information.
http://www.karmapa.org.nz/
Rooted in the teachings of Marpa, Milarepa, Gompapa, Karmapa, with an emphasis on the study of Dharma principles and practices, the center focuses on the promotion of the Karma Kagyu sect, teachings of the five elements, the practice of Sadhana, and translations of Vajrayana Buddhist texts. Its projects, activities, and talks are highlighted, along with downloadable e-books, photos, and other resources.
http://www.kagyulibrary.hk/en/home
Kagyu Thubten Chöling Monastery
The monastery and its affiliate retreat centers are branches of the Palpung Institution. Available in English and Chinese, the site offers information about its focus on training students in the teachings and traditions of the Kagyu Lineage, including classes in the Tibetan language, meditation, and traditional rituals. A schedule of upcoming events, project reports, photographs, and reservation policies are included.
http://www.kagyu.com/
KTD is the North American seat of the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the leader of the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Situated in the Catskill Mountains above Woodstock, New York. KTD offers traditional Buddhist teachings, meditation instruction and practice, and contemporary programs by lineage masters. Directions, information about how to arrange a visit, a calendar of events, and general information about KTD are included.
https://kagyu.org/
Mahayana, the Path Lost in Time Rediscovered
Dedicated to publishing the written works of Kvetoslav Minarek, a Czech yogi and mystic, whose teachings are along the lines of the Tibetan disciples of Milarepa, including Dagpo Lhadze, known as Gampopa, and others who were instrumental in founding the Kagyu order of Mahayana Buddhism, a brief biography is presented, along with a library of his written works, including notes to the Wikipedia article on him.
http://kagyupa.com/english/default.html
The 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, is the head of the Karma Kagyu Lineage, and currently in exile in India. A biography is set forth, along with an overview of the lineage of the Karmapas, and information about Buddhism in general. His activities, projects, and schedules are published, along with a directory of Karma Kagyu centers worldwide. Contacts, podcasts, and a video library are included.
https://kagyuoffice.org/
