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The 'Shangpa Kagyu' is is known as the "secret" lineage and is connected to the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism headed by the 17th Karmapa. It was revitalized in the 20th century by the Second Kalu Rinpoche, who had many students in Tibet and in the west.

Contents

Origins

Practice and doctrine

See also

References

External links

Origins

The Shangpa Kagyu lineage was founded by the 11th-Century Tibetan scholar Khyungpo Naljor. Seeking to increase his understanding of the teachings he received in Tibet, he traveled to India, where he met the female mystic Niguma. He received many teachings from her; in particular, the teachings of a special tradition of mahamudra and The Teachings of Niguma. He also met and studied with Sukhasiddhi, another female mystic and student of Virupa, as well as Vajra-asana, Maitripa, Rahula, and others.
On his return to Tibet, he established a monastery at Shang-Shung in Central Tibet. This was his main seat, and he became known as the lama of Shang. Although he was reputed to have founded hundreds of monasteries and had thousands of students, he passed the teachings of Niguma to only one of his students, Mochok Rinchen Tsondru. The Shangpa lineage is often referred to as the "secret lineage" because Niguma instructed Khyungpo Naljor to transmit the teachings to only one student for the first seven generations (beginning with the Buddha Vajradhara and Niguma).
From Mochok Rinchen Tsondru, the lineage was passed to Kyergang Chokyi Senge, Nyen-ton Rigung Chokyi Sherab, and Songjay Tenpa Tsondru Senge. These first seven teachings are known as the Seven Great Jewels of the Shangpa tradition. Songjay Tenpa was the first teacher who gave these instructions to more than one of his disciples, and from this point on, several different lines of transmission developed. The intention for keeping the lineage secret in this fashion was to protect it from becoming an established monastic tradition. As on of the more esoteric traditions, it was meant to be practiced rather than codified.

Practice and doctrine

There are many special teachings in the Shangpa tradition, but the most important are The Five Golden Teachings. The Five Golden Teachings are likened to parts of a tree. The roots are The Six Teachings of Niguma: the teachings on heat, illusory-body, the dream state, sheer clarity, transference, and bardo (the intermediary state between death and birth). The trunk is The Locket Tradition of Mahamudra which combines the mahamudra teachings of Niguma, Maitripa, and Sukhasiddhi. The branches are the three methods of carrying one's understanding in meditation into daily activities. The flowers are the practice of development and completion with the white and red dakinis. The fruit is the teaching of the deathless nature of mind and body.¹
The principal Shangpa protector is the Six-Armed Mahakala, and it was from this transmission that the practices of this deity spread to other schools. Although the Shangpa teachings were highly regarded and were assimilated by many schools, the tradition itself ceased to exist as an independent school with the dissolution of the Jonangpas in the 17th century. However, its teachings were still practiced and transmitted. In the 19th century Jamgon Kongtrul gathered together the surviving transmissions and ensured their continued survival by including them in his Treasury of Key Instructions.
The Shangpa Kagyu is counted among the Kagyu schools because of its connection to Naropa, one of the lineage holders of all Kagyu schools, and because of the many practices it holds in common with them. However, the Shangpa line is to some degree a school unto itself. The lineage transmission has also been incorporated into the Sakya school and other Kagyu schools. Tsongkhapa, who founded the Gelug school, was also versed in the doctrine of the Shangpa Kagyu.
Unique to the Shangpa Kagyu tradition is a body of tantric practices called the "Six Yogas of Niguma," which are very similar to the "Six Yogas of Naropa" practiced by all other Kagyu schools.
After Kalu Rinpoche II died his student Bokar Rinpoche became the head of the sect. After Bokar Rinpoche died the present head of the Shangpa Kagyu lineage is Kalu Rinpoche III, a young tulku still in training.

See also

★ Kalu Rinpoche

★ Kagyu

References

''Like An Illusion: Lives of the Shangpa Kagyu Masters'' by Nicole Riggs. Dharma Cloud Press, Oregon, 2000. ISBN 0-9705639-06.
¹ Samdrub Darjay Choling Monastery

External links

★ Karmaling - French School that follows the Shangpa Kagyu linage