Drikung Kagyu
Encyclopedia
Drikung Kagyu or Drigung Kagyu (Wylie
:' bri-kung bka'-brgyud) is one of the eight "minor" lineages of the Kagyu
school of Tibetan Buddhism
. "Major" here refers to those Kagyu lineages founded by the immediate disciples of Gampopa
(1079-1153) while "minor" refers to all the lineages founded by disciples of Phakmo Drupa
(1110-1170), one of the three main disciples of Gampopa. The first and main Drigung Kagyu monastery is Drikung Thil Monastery, founded in 1179 by Drikung Kyobpa Jikten Gönpo Rinchen Päl (1143-1217) approximately 150 kilometers northeast of Lhasa
. Aside from the Drigung Valley in Central Tibet, Drikung Kagyu has a strong presence in Nangchen in eastern Tibet, in western Tibet (including Kailash) and Ladakh. Tsari and Lapchi - two important sacred sites for all Tibetan Buddhists - also have a strong Drikung Kagyu presence. Among the so-called "four major and eight minor" Kagyu lineages, Drikung Kagyu is one of four Kagyu lineages that continue to exist as independent institutions (the other three being, Karma Kagyu
, Drukpa Kagyu and Taklung Kagyu
).
A sub-school of the Drikung was the Lhapa or Lhanangpa sect which was influential in western Bhutan
from the arrival of Gyalwa Lhanangpa (b.1164) in 1194 down to the time of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. Members of the Lhapa tradition built some of the earliest dzongs in Bhutan
. In 1640 or 1641 members of the Lhapa sect were expelled from Bhutan together with followers of the Nenyingpa school as they had sided with the Tsangpa forces against the Drukpas during their three invasions of Bhutan.
From the founding of Drikung Thil Monastery in 1179 to the present day, the Drikung Kagyu lineage has been led by a succession of spiritual heads ("throne-holders"). The current head of the lineage, His Holiness Drikung Kyabgön Chetsang Rinpoche, Könchok Tenzin Kunzang Trinlay Lhundrup (b. 1946), the 37th Drikungpa resides at Drikung Kagyu Institute at Dehra Dun, India. The 36th Drikungpa, His Holiness Drigkung Kyabgön Chungtsang Rinpoche, Könchok Tenzin Chökyi Nangwa (b. 1942) lives in Lhasa, Tibet.
The unique doctrines of Drikung Kagyu as taught by its founder, Jikten Gönpo is preserved in "The Single Intention" (Wylie: dgongs gcig) and "The Essence of Mahāyāna Teachings" (Wylie: theg chen bstan pa'i snying po). The main practices of Drikung Kagyu are “The Five-fold Profound Path of Mahamudrā,” and “The Six Dharmas of Nāropa.”
The Drikung lineage is popularly known for its development of the practice of Phowa
, in which a practitioner learns how to expel his/her consciousness or mindstream
through the posterior fontanelle
at the top of the skull
at the moment of death. One of the Six Yogas of Naropa
, this practice is said to aid the practitioner in remaining aware through the death experience, thus aiding one in attaining enlightenment in the Bardo
(the state in between death and the next rebirth) or in achieving a birth conducive to the practice of Dharma
.
Another unique feature of the Drikung lineage is its female protector Achi Chokyi Drolma
. The great-grandmother of Drigung Kyobpa Jikten Gönpo Rinchen Päl, she prophesied Jikten Gönpo's birth and vowed to protect those in his lineage. She is unusual in that she is both a female protector and an enlightened bodhisattva
that can be taken as one's personal yidam
in meditation practice. She is depicted either sitting on a horse or standing with a kapala
in her left hand and a mirror
in her right hand. Achi's practice became so popular that she has been included in other lineages, such as the Karma Kagyu
.
In 2002 Khenmo Drolma, an American woman, became the first bhikkhuni
(a fully ordained Buddhist nun) in the Drikung Kagyu lineage. She is also the first westerner, male or female, to be installed as an abbot in the Drikung Kagyu lineage, having been installed as the abbot of the Vajra Dakini Nunnery (America's first Buddhist nunnery, located in Vermont) in 2004.
Wylie transliteration
The Wylie transliteration scheme is a method for transliterating Tibetan script using only the letters available on a typical English language typewriter. It bears the name of Turrell V. Wylie, who described the scheme in an article, A Standard System of Tibetan Transcription, published in 1959...
:
Kagyu
The Kagyu, Kagyupa, or Kagyud school, also known as the "Oral Lineage" or Whispered Transmission school, is today regarded as one of six main schools of Himalayan or Tibetan Buddhism, the other five being the Nyingma, Sakya, Jonang, Bon and Gelug...
school of Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
. "Major" here refers to those Kagyu lineages founded by the immediate disciples of Gampopa
Gampopa
Gampopa Sonam Rinchen "Sonam Rinchen from Gampo" — who was equally well known in Tibet as Dagpo Lhaje , Nyamed Dakpo Rinpoche , and Da'od Zhonnu , — establishedthe Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism today, as an...
(1079-1153) while "minor" refers to all the lineages founded by disciples of Phakmo Drupa
Phagmo Drupa Dorje Gyalpo
Phagmo Drupa Dorje Gyalpo [1110-1170], was one the three main disciples of Gampopa Sonam Rinchen who established the Dagpo Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism; and a disciple of Sachen Kunga Nyingpo [1092-1158] one of the founders of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism...
(1110-1170), one of the three main disciples of Gampopa. The first and main Drigung Kagyu monastery is Drikung Thil Monastery, founded in 1179 by Drikung Kyobpa Jikten Gönpo Rinchen Päl (1143-1217) approximately 150 kilometers northeast of Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
. Aside from the Drigung Valley in Central Tibet, Drikung Kagyu has a strong presence in Nangchen in eastern Tibet, in western Tibet (including Kailash) and Ladakh. Tsari and Lapchi - two important sacred sites for all Tibetan Buddhists - also have a strong Drikung Kagyu presence. Among the so-called "four major and eight minor" Kagyu lineages, Drikung Kagyu is one of four Kagyu lineages that continue to exist as independent institutions (the other three being, Karma Kagyu
Karma Kagyu
Karma Kagyu , or Kamtsang Kagyu, is probably the largest and certainly the most widely practiced lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage has long-standing monasteries in Tibet, China, Russia, Mongolia, India, Nepal, and Bhutan, and current...
, Drukpa Kagyu and Taklung Kagyu
Taklung Kagyu
The Taklung Kagyu is a sub-sect of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism.-History:The Taklung Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism was founded by the Dharma Lord Taklung Thangpa Tashi Pal in 1180 AD. He was the first lineage holder of this tradition...
).
A sub-school of the Drikung was the Lhapa or Lhanangpa sect which was influential in western Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
from the arrival of Gyalwa Lhanangpa (b.1164) in 1194 down to the time of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. Members of the Lhapa tradition built some of the earliest dzongs in Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
. In 1640 or 1641 members of the Lhapa sect were expelled from Bhutan together with followers of the Nenyingpa school as they had sided with the Tsangpa forces against the Drukpas during their three invasions of Bhutan.
From the founding of Drikung Thil Monastery in 1179 to the present day, the Drikung Kagyu lineage has been led by a succession of spiritual heads ("throne-holders"). The current head of the lineage, His Holiness Drikung Kyabgön Chetsang Rinpoche, Könchok Tenzin Kunzang Trinlay Lhundrup (b. 1946), the 37th Drikungpa resides at Drikung Kagyu Institute at Dehra Dun, India. The 36th Drikungpa, His Holiness Drigkung Kyabgön Chungtsang Rinpoche, Könchok Tenzin Chökyi Nangwa (b. 1942) lives in Lhasa, Tibet.
The unique doctrines of Drikung Kagyu as taught by its founder, Jikten Gönpo is preserved in "The Single Intention" (Wylie: dgongs gcig) and "The Essence of Mahāyāna Teachings" (Wylie: theg chen bstan pa'i snying po). The main practices of Drikung Kagyu are “The Five-fold Profound Path of Mahamudrā,” and “The Six Dharmas of Nāropa.”
The Drikung lineage is popularly known for its development of the practice of Phowa
Phowa
Phowa is a Vajrayāna Buddhist meditation practice...
, in which a practitioner learns how to expel his/her consciousness or mindstream
Mindstream
Mindstream in Buddhist philosophy is the moment-to-moment "continuum" of awareness. There are a number of terms in the Buddhist literature that may well be rendered "mindstream"...
through the posterior fontanelle
Posterior fontanelle
The posterior fontanelle is a gap between bones in the human skull, triangular in form and situated at the junction of the sagittal suture and lambdoidal suture. It generally closes in 6-8 weeks from birth. A delay in closure is associated with congential hypothyroidism....
at the top of the skull
Human skull
The human skull is a bony structure, skeleton, that is in the human head and which supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.In humans, the adult skull is normally made up of 22 bones...
at the moment of death. One of the Six Yogas of Naropa
Six Yogas of Naropa
The Six Yogas of Nāropa , also called the six dharmas of Naropa and Naro's six doctrines , are a set of advanced Indo-Tibetan Buddhist tantric practices and a meditation sādhana compiled in and around the...
, this practice is said to aid the practitioner in remaining aware through the death experience, thus aiding one in attaining enlightenment in the Bardo
Bardo
The Tibetan word Bardo means literally "intermediate state" - also translated as "transitional state" or "in-between state" or "liminal state". In Sanskrit the concept has the name antarabhāva...
(the state in between death and the next rebirth) or in achieving a birth conducive to the practice of Dharma
Dharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
.
Another unique feature of the Drikung lineage is its female protector Achi Chokyi Drolma
Achi Chokyi Drolma
In Tibetan Buddhism, Achi Chokyi Drolma is the Dharma Protecter of the Drikung Kagyu.- Prophecy :According to prophecy in the Chakrasamvara tantra it is said, "The head of the Karma Dakinis will come to the area of Tidro cave in Drikung...
. The great-grandmother of Drigung Kyobpa Jikten Gönpo Rinchen Päl, she prophesied Jikten Gönpo's birth and vowed to protect those in his lineage. She is unusual in that she is both a female protector and an enlightened bodhisattva
Bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is either an enlightened existence or an enlightenment-being or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." The Pali term has sometimes been translated as "wisdom-being," although in modern publications, and...
that can be taken as one's personal yidam
Yidam
In Vajrayana Buddhism, an Ishta-deva or Ishta-devata is a fully enlightened being who is the focus of personal meditation, during a retreat or for life. The term is often translated into English as tutelary deity, meditation deity, or meditational deity...
in meditation practice. She is depicted either sitting on a horse or standing with a kapala
Kapala
A kapala or skullcup is a cup made from a human skull used as a ritual implement in both Hindu Tantra and Buddhist Tantra...
in her left hand and a mirror
Mirror
A mirror is an object that reflects light or sound in a way that preserves much of its original quality prior to its contact with the mirror. Some mirrors also filter out some wavelengths, while preserving other wavelengths in the reflection...
in her right hand. Achi's practice became so popular that she has been included in other lineages, such as the Karma Kagyu
Karma Kagyu
Karma Kagyu , or Kamtsang Kagyu, is probably the largest and certainly the most widely practiced lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The lineage has long-standing monasteries in Tibet, China, Russia, Mongolia, India, Nepal, and Bhutan, and current...
.
In 2002 Khenmo Drolma, an American woman, became the first bhikkhuni
Bhikkhuni
A bhikkhuni or bhikṣuṇī is a fully ordained female Buddhist monastic. Male monastics are called bhikkhus. Both bhikkhunis and bhikkhus live by the vinaya...
(a fully ordained Buddhist nun) in the Drikung Kagyu lineage. She is also the first westerner, male or female, to be installed as an abbot in the Drikung Kagyu lineage, having been installed as the abbot of the Vajra Dakini Nunnery (America's first Buddhist nunnery, located in Vermont) in 2004.
Drikung Kagyu Lineage Timeline
| Name | Date of Birth | Date of Death | Year Lineage Holding Begun | Year Lineage Holding Relinquished |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phagmodrupa | 1110 | 1170 | ||
| Lord Jigten Sumgon | 1143 | 1217 | 1179 | 1217 |
| Kenchen Gurawa Tsultrim Dorje | 1154 | 1221 | 1217 | 1221 |
| On Rinpoche Sonam Drakpa | 1187 | 1234 | 1221 | 1234 |
| Chen-nga Rinpoche Drakpa Jungne | 1175 | 1255 | 1234 | 1255 |
| Telo Dorje Drakpa | 1210 | 1278 | 1255 | 1278 |
| Thog-khawa Rinchen Senge | 1226 | 1284 | 1278 | 1284 |
| Chen-nga tsamchedpa Drakpa Sonam | 1238 | 1286 | 1284 | 1286 |
| Dorje Yeshe | 1223 | 1293 | 1286 | 1293 |
| Chu-nyipa Dorje Rinchen | 1278 | 1314 | 1293 | 1314 |
| Nyer-gyepa Dorje Gyalpo | 1283 | 1350 | 1314 | 1350 |
| Nyermyipa Chökyi Gyalpo | 1335 | 1407 | 1350 | 1395 |
| Shenyen Dondrup Gyalpo | 1369 | 1427 | 1395 | 1427 |
| Dakpo Wang | 1395 | 1427 | 1428 | |
| Chogyal Rinchen Pal Zangpo | 1421 | 1469 | 1428 | 1469 |
| Rinchen Chökyi Gyaltsen | 1449 | 1484 | 1469 | 1484 |
| Gyalwang Kunga Rinchen | 1475 | 1527 | 1484 | 1527 |
| Gyalwang Rinchen Phuntsok | 1509 | 1557 | 1527 | 1534 |
| Rinchen Namgyal Chodak Gyaltsen | 1527 | 1570 | 1565 | 1570 |
| Chokyi Namgyal | 1557 | 1579 | 1570 | 1579 |
| Tsungme Chogyal Phuntsok | 1547 | 1602 | 1579 | 1602 |
| Naro Nyipa Tashi Phuntsok | 1574 | 1628 | 1602 | 1615 |
| Jetsǖn Könchog Rinchen (1st Chetsang) | 1580 | 1654 | 1615 | 1626 |
| Kunkhyen Chökyi Dragpa (1st Chungtsang) | 1595 | 1659 | 1626 | 1659 |
| Könchog trinley Sangpo (Chetsang) | 1656 | 1718 | 1659 | 1718 |
| Trinley Dondrub Chogyal (Chungtsang) | 1704 | 1754 | 1704 | 1754 |
| Kônchog Tenzin Drodul (Chetsang) | 1724 | 1766 | 1724 | 1766 |
| Könchog Tenzin Chökyi Nyima (Chuntsang) | 1755 | 1792 | 1755 | 1792 |
| Tenzin Padme Gyaltsen (Chetsang) | 1770 | 1826 | 1770 | 1826 |
| Tenzin Chöwang Lodrô (Regent) | 1826 | 1827 | ||
| Jetsǖn Chonyi Norbu (Chungtsang) | 1827 | 1865 | 1827 | 1865 |
| Könchog Thukie Nyima (Chetsang) | 1828 | 1881 | 1828 | 1881 |
| Könchog Tenzin Chôkyi Lodrö (Chungtsang) | 1868 | 1906 | 1868 | 1906 |
| Könchog Tenzin Zhiwe Lodrö (Chetsang) | 1886 | 1943 | 1886 | 1943 |
| Tenzin Chökyi Jungme (Chungtsang) | 1909 | 1940 | 1909 | 1940 |
| Tenzin Thuben Wangpo (Regent) | 1940 | 1942 | ||
| Tenzin Chökyi Nangwa (Chungtsang) | 1942 | 1942 | ||
| Könchog Tenzin Kunzang Thinley Lhundrub (Chetsang) | 1946 | 1946 |
External links
- The Drikung Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism
- White Lotus Society, Rochester, New York
- The Chicago Ratna Shri Center of the Drikung Kagyu Lineage
- Drikung Namgyal Ling, Drikung Kagyu Buddhist Center of Tucson
- Drikung Kagyu Dharma Circle of Madison, Founded by Khenchen Rinpoche Konchog Gyaltshen in 1991.
- Ratnashri Sangha of Tampa Bay
- Glorious Jewel Buddhist Center of Drikung Kagyu Lineage
- Drikung Meditation Center, Arlington, Massachusetts
- Jokhang Institute, Arlington, Massachusetts U.S. Jowo Rinpoche Statue
- Drikung Dzogchen Community Vermont, Lincoln, Vermont