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:''This articles concerns the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. For information on the ancient Śākya tribe, see'' Shakya.
The 'Sakya' (Tibetan: ས་སྐྱ་) school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug. It is one of the Red Hat sects along with the Nyingma and Kagyu.

Contents

Origins

Teachings

Subschools

Feudal lordship over Tibet

Sakya today

The Rimé movement

See also

Notes

References

External links

Origins

The name 'Sakya' (literally, 'Pale Earth') derives from the unique grey landscape of Ponpori Hills in southern Tibet near Shigatse, where Sakya Monastery, the first monastery of this tradition, and the seat of the Sakya School was built by Khon Konchog Gyalpo (1034-1102) in 1073.
The Sakya tradition developed during the second period of translation of Buddhist scripture from Sanskrit into Tibetan in the late eleventh century. It was founded by Drogmi, a famous scholar and translator who had studied at the Vikramashila University in India for some years, rejected the old tantras and followed the teachings of Atisha. Konchog Gyalpo, who had become dissatisfied with the lax discipline of the Nyingmapa teachers, became Drogmi's disciple.
The tradition was founded by the "Five Venerable Supreme Masters" starting with the grandson of Khonchog Gyalpo, Kunga Nyingpo, who became known as Sachen, or "Great Sakyapa":^[1]

★ Sachen Kunga Nyingpo (1092 - 1158)

★ Sonam Tsemo (1142 - 1182)

★ Drakpa Gyaltsen (1147 - 1216)

★ Sakya Pandita (1182 - 1251)

★ Chogyal Pakpa (1235 - 1280)

Teachings

Sachen, the first of the five supreme Masters, received a wealth of tantric doctrines from numerous Tibetan translators or "lotsawas" who had visited India, most importantly Drokmi Lotsawa, Bari Lotsawa and Mal Lotsawa. From Drokmi comes the supreme teaching of Sakya, the system of Lamdre (lam 'bras) or "Path and its Fruit", deriving from the siddha Virupa (Birwapa/Birupa) and based upon the Hevajra Tantra. Mal Lotsawa introduced to Sakya the esoteric Vajrayogini lineage known as "Naro Khachoma." From Bari Lotsawa came innumerable tantric practices, foremost of which was the cycle of practices known as the ''One Hundred Sadhanas''. Other key transmissions that form part of the Sakya spiritual curriculum include the cycles of Vajrakilaya, Mahakala and Guhyasamaja.
The fourth Sakya patriarch, Sakya Pandita, was notable for his exceptional scholarship and composed many important and influential texts on sutra and tantra, including, ''Clarifying the Thought of the Sage'' and ''Discriminating the Three Vows''.
The main difference with the other schools is that there are two distinct forms of teaching. One form is meant for a generic audience which is mainly based on sutra and private education which is mainly tantric. Many Tibetan masters from other schools have received the private teaching of the Sakya in addition to the teachings of their own schools. Like monks of most Tibetan sects, Sakya monks are not allowed to marry. However, the Sprirtual leader of Sakya, His Holiness Sakya Trizin is a lay practitioner whose lineage is passed down through a hereditary system and so it is vital for His Holiness to take a consort and produce a male lineage holder.

Subschools

In due course, two subsects emerged from the main Sakya lineage,

★ Ngor, founded by Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo (b.1382) Represents 85% of the Sakyapa school and most if not all the monasteries in India are Ngorpa, apart from Sakya Trizin's monastery.

★ Tshar, founded by Tsarchen Losal Gyamtso (1496 - 1560)
The main masters have fled from Tibet during the exile and thus, teaching is difficult to obtain for Tibetans in Tibet now.

Feudal lordship over Tibet

In 1264 the feudal lordship over Tibet was given to Phagpa by the Mongolian emperor, Kublai Khan. Sakya lamas continued to serve as viceroys of Tibet on behalf of the Mongol emperors for nearly 75 years after Phagpa’s demise (1280), until the Emperor of China subjugated the Mongols.

Sakya today

The head of the Sakya school, known as Sakya Trizin ("holder of the Sakya throne"), is always drawn from the male line of the Khön family. The present Sakya Trizin, His Holiness Ngawang Kunga Tegchen Palbar Samphel Wanggi Gyalpo, born in Tsedong in 1945, is the forty-first to hold that office. Today, he resides in Rajpur, India along with his consort Dagmo Tashi Lhakyi and two sons His Eminence Ratna Vajra Rinpoche and His Eminence Gyana Vajra Rinpoche. His Eminence Ratna Vajra Rinpoche being the older son, is the lineage holder and has also taken a consort (Dagmo Kalden Dunkyi), while His Eminence Gyana Vajra Rinpoche is a fully ordained monk.

The Rimé movement

During the 19th century the great Sakya master and terton Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, the famous Kagyu master Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye and the important Nyingma terton Orgyen Chokgyur Lingpa founded the Rime movement, an ecumenical attempt to incorporate all teachings of all schools, to overcome the separation of Buddhist transmission in different traditions.
This movement still influences modern Tibetan Buddhist practice through the "five great treasures" of Jamgon Kongtrul and the treasure of rediscovered teachings (''Rinchen Terdzöd'').

See also

★ Sakya Monastery

★ Tibetan Buddhism

★ Jonang

Notes

1. Powers, John. "Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism''. Snow Lion Publications", 1995. p. 382.

References

★ Davidson, Ronald (1992). "Preliminary Studies on Hevajra's Abhisamaya and the Lam 'bras Tshogs bshad." In Davidson, Ronald C. & Goodman, Steven D. ''Tibetan Buddhism: reason and revelation''. State University of New York Press: Albany, N.Y. ISBN 0-7914-0786-1 pp. 107-132.

★ Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, Powers, John, , , Snow Lion Publications, 1995,

★ Trichen, Chogyay. ''History of the Sakya Tradition'', Ganesha Press, 1993

External links

★ The French Ngorpa temple.

★ Palden Sakya - Website of Sakya Trizin's Monastery in Rajpur, India

★ Tsechen Kunchab Ling - Sakya Trizin's seat in the United States

★ Sakya Dechenling - Canada

★ Sakya Kachöd Chöling - Canada

★ Sakya Lamas

★ International Buddhist Academy (IBA) in Kathmandu, Nepal

★ Sakya Monastery in Seattle, Washington