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Karmapa Claimants
The Karmapa (honorific title ''His Holiness the Gyalwa'' ½¢à¾’ྱལ་བ་, Victorious One''Karmapa'', more formally as ''Gyalwang'' ½¢à¾’ྱལ་དབང་ཀརྨ་པ་, King of Victorious Ones''Karmapa'', and informally as the ''Karmapa Lama'') is the head of the Karma Kagyu, the largest sub-school of the Kagyu (བཀའ་བརྒྱུད, ), itself one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Karmapa was Tibet's first consciously incarnating lama. The historical seat of the Karmapas is Tsurphu Monastery in the Tolung valley of Tibet. The Karmapa's principal seat in exile is the Dharma Chakra Centre at Rumtek Monastery in Sikkim, India. His regional monastic seats are Karma Triyana Dharmachakra in New York and Dhagpo Kagyu Ling in Dordogne, France. Due to a controversy within the Karma Kagyu school over the recognition process, the identity of the current 17th Karmapa is disputed by some. See Karmapa controversy for details. Origin of the lineage Dü ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rangjung Rigpe Dorje
The sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje (; August 14, 1924 – November 5, 1981) was the spiritual leader of the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Followers believed him to be part of the oldest line of reincarnate lamas in Vajrayana Buddhism, known as the Karmapas, whose coming was predicted by the Buddha in the Samadhiraja Sutra. The 16th Karmapa was considered to be a "living Buddha" and was deeply involved in the transmission of the Vajrayana Buddhism to Europe and North America following the Chinese invasion of Tibet. He had many monikers, including “King of the Yogisâ€, and is the subject of numerous books and films. Biography Birth The 16th Karmapa was born in Denkhok in the Dergé province in Eastern Tibet, Kham, near the Dri Chu or Yangtze River. The previous Karmapa Khakhyab Dorje (1871-1922) left a letter setting forth the circumstances of his next incarnation. The Karmapa's attendant, Jampal Tsultrim, possessed the letter of prediction, which matc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Düsum Khyenpa, 1st Karmapa Lama
Düsum Khyenpa (, 1110–1193) was the 1st Gyalwa Karmapa, head of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. ''Düsum Khyenpa'' means "knower of the three times" (past, present and future). It was given to him to refer to knowledge of the three forms of time he gained at enlightenment including the "timeless time" of enlightened awareness. History Düsum Khyenpa was born to a devout family of Buddhist practitioners in Teshö in Kham and was called Gephel as a child. He first studied with his father and then continued training with other Buddhist teachers in the region. Gephel was a gifted child who studied and practiced Buddhism intently from an early age. Already quite learned by the age of twenty, he became a monk and studied the sutras and tantras intensively for another ten years. At thirty, he went to Daklha Gampo, the monastery of Gampopa, to receive teachings from him. He trained formally in the foundation practices of the Kadam tradition and, following that, in the g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Milarepa
Jetsun Milarepa (, 1028/40–1111/23) was a Tibetan siddha, who was famously known as a murderer when he was a young man, before turning to Buddhism and becoming a highly accomplished Buddhist disciple. He is generally considered one of Tibet's most famous yogis and spiritual poets, whose teachings are known among several schools of Tibetan Buddhism. He was a student of Marpa Lotsawa, and a major figure in the history of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. He is also famous for the feat of climbing Mount Kailash. Biography — ''The Life of Milarepa'' Milarepa's life-story is famous in Tibetan culture, and retold many times. The best-known biography, ''The Life of Milarepa'', written by Tsangnyön Heruka (1452–1507) in the fifteenth century and drawing from older biographies, is still very popular. Most of the present-day stories on Milarepa come from this single source, with oral lineage predominating as well as relics including his bearskin coat. While "very little s kno ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marpa Lotsawa
Marpa Lotsawa, LotsÄwa (, 1012–1097), sometimes known fully as Marpa Chökyi Lodrö (Wylie transliteration, Wylie: mar pa chos kyi blo gros) or commonly as Marpa the Translator (Marpa LotsÄwa), was a Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhist teacher credited with the transmission of many Vajrayana teachings from India, including the teachings and lineages of Mahamudra. Due to this the Kagyu lineage, which he founded, is often called Marpa Kagyu in his honour.samye.orgThe Kagyu Lineage: the Tibetan Lineage Masters: Marpa the Translator/ref> Although some accounts relate that the Mahasiddha Naropa was the personal teacher of Marpa, other accounts suggest that Marpa held Naropa's lineage through intermediary disciples only. Either way, Marpa was a personal student of the Mahasiddha Maitripa and of the dakini Niguma. Biography Born as Marpa Chökyi Lodrö, in Lhodrak Chukhyer in the southern part of Tibet, to an affluent family, he began studying at a young age but was wild and untamed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naropa
NÄropÄ (Prakrit; sa, NÄropÄda, Naá¸apÄda or Abhayakirti) or Abhayakirti was an Indian Buddhist Mahasiddha. He was the disciple of Tilopa and brother, or some sources say partner and pupil, of Niguma. As an Indian Mahasiddha, Naropa's instructions inform Vajrayana, particularly his six yogas of Naropa relevant to the completion stage of anuttarayogatantra. He was also one of the gatekeepers of Vikramashila monastery which is located in Bihar. Although some accounts relate that Naropa was the personal teacher of Marpa Lotsawa, other accounts suggest that Marpa held Naropa's lineage through intermediary disciples only. Names According to scholar John Newman, "the Tibetans give NÄro's name as ''NÄ ro pa, NÄ ro paṇ chen, NÄ ro ta pa,'' and so forth. The manuscript of the ''Paramarthasaṃgraha'' preserves a Sanskrit form ''Naá¸apÄda'' (''Paramarthasaṃgraha'' 74). A Sanskrit manuscript edited by Tucci preserves an apparent Prakrit form ''NÄropÄ'', as well as a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tilopa
Tilopa (Prakrit; Sanskrit: Talika or TilopadÄ; 988–1069) was an Indian Buddhist monk in the tantric Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He lived along the Ganges River, with wild ladies as a tantric practitioner and mahasiddha. He practiced Anuttarayoga Tantra, a set of spiritual practices intended to accelerate the process of attaining Buddhahood. He became a holder of all the tantric lineages, possibly the only person in his day to do so. As well as the way of insight, and Mahamudra he learned and passed on the Way of Methods, today known as the 6 Yogas of Naropa, and guru yoga. Naropa is considered his main student. Life Tilopa was born into the priestly caste – according to some sources, a royal family – but he adopted the monastic life upon receiving orders from a dakini (female buddha whose activity is to inspire practitioners) who told him to adopt a mendicant and itinerant existence. From the beginning, she made it clear to Tilopa that his real parents were ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tantra
Tantra (; sa, तनà¥à¤¤à¥à¤°, lit=loom, weave, warp) are the esoteric traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism that developed on the Indian subcontinent from the middle of the 1st millennium CE onwards. The term ''tantra'', in the Indian traditions, also means any systematic broadly applicable "text, theory, system, method, instrument, technique or practice". A key feature of these traditions is the use of mantras, and thus they are commonly referred to as MantramÄrga ("Path of Mantra") in Hinduism or MantrayÄna ("Mantra Vehicle") and Guhyamantra ("Secret Mantra") in Buddhism. Starting in the early centuries of the common era, newly revealed Tantras centering on Vishnu, Shiva or Shakti emerged. There are tantric lineages in all main forms of modern Hinduism, such as the Shaiva Siddhanta tradition, the Shakta sect of Sri-Vidya, the Kaula, and Kashmir Shaivism. In Buddhism, the Vajrayana traditions are known for tantric ideas and practices, which are based on India ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahamudra
MahÄmudrÄ (Sanskrit: महामà¥à¤¦à¥à¤°à¤¾, , contraction of ) literally means "great seal" or "great imprint" and refers to the fact that "all phenomena inevitably are stamped by the fact of wisdom and emptiness inseparable". MahÄmudrÄ is a multivalent term of great importance in later Indian Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism which "also occurs occasionally in Hindu and East Asian Buddhist esotericism." The name also refers to a body of teachings representing the culmination of all the practices of the Sarma schools of Tibetan Buddhism, who believe it to be the quintessential message of all of their sacred texts. The ''mudra'' portion denotes that in an adept's experience of reality, each phenomenon appears vividly, and the ''maha'' portion refers to the fact that it is beyond concept, imagination, and projection.Reginald Ray, ''Secret of the Vajra World''. Shambhala 2001, page 261. The practice of MahÄmudrÄ is also known as the teaching called "Sahajayoga" or "Co-eme ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vajradhara
Vajradhara (Sanskrit: वजà¥à¤°à¤§à¤°. (Also, the name of Indra, because 'Vajra' means diamond, as well as the thunderbolt, anything hard more generally) Tibetan: རྡོ་རྗེ་འཆང༠rdo rje 'chang (Dorje Chang); zh, t=金剛總æŒ, p=JÄ«ngÄng zÇ’ng chÃ; Javanese: Kabajradharan; Japanese: æŒé‡‘剛ä»; English: Diamond-holder; Vietnamese: Kim Cang Tổng Trì) is the ultimate primordial Buddha, or Adi-Buddha, according to the Sakya, Gelug and Kagyu schools of Tibetan Buddhism. In the evolution of Indian Buddhism, Buddha Vajradhara gradually displaced Samantabhadra, who is the 'Primordial Buddha' in the Nyingma, or 'Ancient School.' However, the two are metaphysically equivalent. Achieving the 'state of Vajradhara' is synonymous with complete realisation. According to the Kagyu lineage, BuddhÄ Vajradhara is the primordial Buddha, the Dharmakaya Buddha. He is depicted as dark blue in color, expressing the quintessence of buddhahood itself and representing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Laá¹…kÄvatÄra SÅ«tra
The ''Laá¹…kÄvatÄra SÅ«tra'' (Sanskrit, "Discourse of the Descent into Laá¹…ka" bo, ལང་ཀར་བཤེགས་པའི་མདོ་, Chinese:入楞伽經) is a prominent Mahayana Buddhist sÅ«tra. This sÅ«tra recounts a teaching primarily between Gautama Buddha and a bodhisattva named MahÄmati, "Great Wisdom". The sÅ«tra is set in Laá¹…kÄ, the island fortress capital of RÄvaṇa, the king of the rÄká¹£asas. The ''Laá¹…kÄvatÄra SÅ«tra'' figured prominently in the development of Chinese, Tibetan and Japanese Buddhism. It is notably an important sÅ«tra in Chan Buddhism and Japanese Zen. SÅ«tra doctrine The ''Laá¹…kÄvatÄra SÅ«tra'' draws upon the concepts and doctrines of YogÄcÄra and Buddha-nature. The most important doctrine issuing from the ''Laá¹…kÄvatÄra SÅ«tra'' is that of the primacy of consciousness (Skt. ''ÄlayavijñÄna'') and the teaching of consciousness as the only reality. In the sÅ«tra, the Buddha asserts that all the objects of the wo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samadhiraja Sutra
Candraprabha (GakkÅ Bosatsu, Moonlight Bodhisattva) sculpture, TÅdai-ji, Nara, Nara">Nara. Candraprabha is the Buddha's main interlocutor in the ''CandrapradÄ«pa.'' The ''SamÄdhirÄja SÅ«tra'' (''King of SamÄdhis SÅ«tra'') or ''CandrapradÄ«pa SÅ«tra'' (''Moonlamp SÅ«tra'') is a Buddhist Mahayana sutras, Mahayana sutra. Some scholars have dated its redaction from the 2nd or 3rd century CE to the 6th century (the date of the earliest manuscript found), but others argue that its date just cannot be determined. The ''SamÄdhirÄja'' is a very important source for the Madhyamaka school and it is cited by numerous Indian authors like Chandrakirti, Shantideva and later Buddhist authors.Regamey, Constantin (1938). ''Philosophy in the SamÄdhirÄjasÅ«tra: Three Chapters From the SamÄdhirÄjasÅ«tra,'' p. 3. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. According to Alex Wayman, the ''SamÄdhirÄja'' is "perhaps the most important scriptural source for the Madhyamika."Tatz, Mark (1972). ''Revelation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Avalokiteśvara
In Buddhism, AvalokiteÅ›vara (Sanskrit: अवलोकितेशà¥à¤µà¤°, IPA: ) is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He has 108 avatars, one notable avatar being PadmapÄṇi (lotus bearer). He is variably depicted, described, and portrayed in different cultures as either male or female. In East Asian Buddhism, he has evolved into a female form called Guanyin. Etymology The name ''AvalokiteÅ›vara'' combines the verbal prefix ''ava'' "down", ''lokita'', a past participle of the verb ''lok'' "to notice, behold, observe", here used in an active sense; and finally '' Ä«Å›vara'', "lord", "ruler", "sovereign" or "master". In accordance with sandhi (Sanskrit rules of sound combination), ''a''+''Ä«Å›vara'' becomes ''eÅ›vara''. Combined, the parts mean "lord who gazes down (at the world)". The word ''loka'' ("world") is absent from the name, but the phrase is implied. It does appear in the Cambodian form of the name, ''Lokesvarak''. The earliest translation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
_at_Rumtek_Monastery%2C_Sikkim_in_1971.jpg "Click for more on -> Rangjung Rigpe Dorje")
