Our Sacred Lineage

The Kagyu lineage is a Tibetan Buddhist tradition known as the "lineage of oral instructions" because its teachings are transmitted directly from master to student. The name "Kagyu" combines "Ka," meaning oral instructions, and "gyu," meaning lineage. The lineage traces its oral transmission from the Indian mahasiddha Tilopa to his student Naropa, then brought to Tibet by Marpa Lotsawa to his student Milarepa, and passed on to Gampopa and the 1st Karmapa, Dusum Khyempa.

The tradition continues through the present-day reincarnated lamas, such as the current Karmapa, and other realized masters who transmit the teachings to new generations.

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