Kagyu is one of the four main Tibetan Buddhism sects and is famous for its “oral transmission practice”. It is juxtaposed with the three schools of Nyingma, Sakya and Gelug, and is a door to the spiritual world of Tibetan yogis. The following will explain the ins and outs, core teachings and unique temperament of Kagyu at once - not trying to cover everything, but just explaining the most important roots like an old practitioner narrating a family tree.

The word "Kagyu" (Bka' brgyud), in Tibetan "Ka" (Ka) refers to Buddha's words and teachings, and "Brgyud" (brgyud) refers to inheritance and continuity. Together they are "oral transmission's inheritance". This name points out the most distinctive character of Kagyu: the precious teachings are not piled up by words, but are handed down personally by the master to his disciples and passed down heart to heart from generation to generation. This is why Kagyu is also called the "Practical Cultivation School" - it values ​​"belief, acceptance and practice" more seriously than learning and memorizing.

It should be noted that Kagyu is juxtaposed with Nyingma (old school), Sakya, and Gelug, and they all belong to the "four major sects" of Tibetan Buddhism; among them, Nyingma focuses on the ancient Terma, Sakya is famous for the Lamdré method, Gelug is famous for its strict discipline and listening and thinking, and the core logo of Kagyu is "oral transmission" and "Witness of Yogis." To understand Kagyu, you must first let go of the stereotype that "reading a lot of books counts as spiritual practice" and instead look at a golden chain that is "passed from person to person".

The origin of Kagyu's dharma lineage is in India. From the 10th to the 11th century AD, the Bengali siddha Tilopa (Tilopa, approximately 988–1069) received teachings directly from the primordial Buddha Vajradhara and assembled the “Four Teaching Lineages”; his disciple Naropa (Naropa, 1016–1100) was a great scholar at Nalanda Temple. After undergoing the famous “Twelve Great Ascetics”, Tilopa’s teaching system was organized into “the Six Yogas of Naropa”. This Indian connection closely connects Kagyu with the tradition of "Mahasiddha" - in India, practice is not speculation in a study room, but a crazy experiment to verify emptiness with the physical body.

The person who brought this golden chain from India to Tibet was the translator Marpa (Marpa Chökyi Lödrö, 1012–1097). He traveled back and forth to India and Tibet three times to study under Naropa and his disciple Maitrīpa, retrieved a large number of secret teachings, and translated Sanskrit classics into Tibetan. Marpa himself is a layman and a farm owner. He marries a wife and has children, cultivates land and does business. However, he has achieved great achievements through ascetic practice - this breaks the stereotype that "cultivation must lead to becoming a monk". His disciple, the yogi poet Milarepa (Milarepa, 1052–1135), was famous for his asceticism and songs of realization; Milarepa’s disciple Gampopa (Gampopa, 1079–1153) integrated the Kadampa’s precepts and Milarepa’s formulas, establishing Kagyu’s monastic system and systematic practice.

Another parallel clue is "Shangpa Kagyu" (Shangpa Kagyu): the founder Khyungpo Naljor studied under the female achievers Niguma and Sukhasiddhi, built a temple in Xiangdi, Western Tibet, and preached Dharma. He is famous for his pure contemplation practice. The "Kagyu" mentioned in later generations mostly refers to the "Dakpo Kagyu" derived from Gampopa, while Shangpa Kagyu is secretly circulated among yogis. Both of them share the same origin with the Indian Mahasiddha.

The two pillars of Kagyu practice are: "Mahāmudrā" (Mahāmudrā), which points directly to the original purity of mind and the unity of all dharmas, and is considered to be the highest view of all esoteric practices; the second is "the Six Yogas of Naropa" (Six Yogas of Naropa), which includes tummo (Inner Fire Yoga), Illusion Body, Dream Yoga, Light, Bardo, and Transference of Consciousness (Powa). The six methods transform daily experiences such as sleep, dreams, death, and transfer of consciousness into the path to enlightenment—this is the uniqueness of Kagyu's "turning life into practice."

In the stage of practical practice, Kagyu attaches great importance to the "four common preliminaries" (the rarity of the human body, the impermanence of death, the fulfillment of cause and effect, and the dangers of reincarnation) and the "four non-common preliminaries" (the intention to take refuge, Vajrasattva, offering mandra, and guru yoga). After laying a solid foundation, Kagyu enters the yidam yoga and perfection stages. What runs throughout is the utmost sincerity to the guru (guru yoga), regarding the guru as a Buddha and indistinguishable from the Dharma Realm. Kagyu believes that a guru is not an ordinary teacher, but a "living bridge" that connects disciples to original awareness.

If Gelug emphasizes "learning" and Nyingma emphasizes "Terma", the most prominent label of Kagyu is "cultivation". Traditionally, after completing the preliminaries, Kagyu practitioners would enter a mountain retreat cave and practice the Six Yogas of Naropa alone for several years or even longer; Milarepa practiced hard in a cave near Mount Kailash, eating only nettles and glowing green, becoming the spiritual prototype of the retreatants.

Kagyu's warmest cultural symbol is Milarepa's "Hundred Thousand Thousand Songs" - he conveys his views with songs of the mountains and fields, singing profound and profound meanings into the wind, singing to shepherds and singing to demons. This tradition of "teaching the teachings through songs" makes Kagyu's teachings always have a human atmosphere, not just rituals in the temple.

After Gampopa, the disciples spread their wings and formed the "four major branches" and "eight minor branches" of Dakpo Kagyu. The four major branches are: Karma Kagyu (Karma Kagyu, founded by the first the Gyalwa KarmapaDüsung Khyenpa, later famous for the reincarnated living Buddha system), Phagdru Kagyu (Phagdru, who established the Pazhu regime that ruled Tibet and had far-reaching political influence), Barom (Barom), and Tsalpa (Tsalpa). The Pazhu family is divided into eight sub-branches: Drikung, Taklung, Drukpa (later the state religion of Bhutan), Yasang, Chopu, Xiose, Yepa and Macang.

The main ones that are still passed down independently today are Karma Kagyu, Drukpa Kagyu, Drikung Kagyu and Taklung Kagyu. Although Shangpa Kagyu has not formed a large sect, it is secretly spread among yogis with its yoga and pure vipassanā practices. No matter how the tribes divide and merge, they all recognize the same oral transmission golden chain: Tilopa-Naropa-Marpa-Milarepa-Gampopa. This lineage is called the "Golden Pearl Garland" within Kagyu.

The first basic ashram of Kagyu is Tsurphu Monastery (Tsurphu), which was built in the northwest of Lhasa in the 12th century by the first the Gyalwa KarmapaDüsung Khyenpa (1110–1193). It has been the residence of the Karmapa for more than 800 years. In addition, the Dansati Monastery in Pazhu, the Zhigong Ti Monastery in Drukpa, the Relong Monastery in Drukpa, and the Dapo Gampo Monastery in Gampopa are all the spiritual centers of each tribe. High mountain retreat caves (such as the Gangdisi area where Milarepa practices) are the embodiment of Kagyu's "practical practice" symbol. These dojos are not just buildings, but also containers of "living inheritance."

Although Kagyu is known as "oral transmission", it has also left a wealth of documents: Gampopa's "The Jewel Ornament of Liberation" is the foundation work of Dakpo Kagyu, which systematically performs the path from full human life to Buddhahood; Milarepa's "One Hundred Thousand songs of realization" conveys insights in poetry; many the Six Yogas of Naropa and Mahāmudrā formulas and annotations constitute Kagyu's unique "heard" literature group. For modern readers, these classics are the key to understanding Kagyu's "emphasis on empirical evidence without departing from scriptures".

The 17th the Gyalwa Karmapathe Karmapa (Ogyen Trinley Dorje) is the most internationally influential leader of contemporary Kagyu, and his lineage can be traced back to the second the KarmapaKarma Pakshi, the "first reincarnated living Buddha" 800 years ago. Today, Kagyu centers are spread across the Himalayas and cities around the world, bringing the ancient method of "oral transmission practice" into the physical and mental well-being of modern people. From retreat centers to urban meditation classes, Kagyu's "practical gene" is continuing in new forms.

The touching thing about Kagyu is not that it has many temples, but that it always believes that: the deepest Dharma can be achieved; the farthest road can be walked by one person to the heart.

Q: What is the difference between Kagyu, Nyingma and Gelug?

Answer: The four schools have the same origin as Buddha, but have different emphases. Nyingma emphasizes Terma and early tantra, Gelug emphasizes discipline and listening and contemplation (a system of comprehensive study and practice of sutra and tantra), Sakya emphasizes Lamdré method, and Kagyu takes "oral transmission practice, guru yoga, the Six Yogas of Naropa and Mahāmudrā" as its core logo.

Q: What is the Six Yogas of Naropa?

Answer: The six tantras compiled by Naropa are: tummo (inner fire), illusory body, dream yoga, light (awareness during sleep), bardo (dying and existence), and shifting consciousness (powa). The goal is to transform daily experience into the path to enlightenment.

Q: Does Kagyu have to leave home?

Answer: Not necessarily. Marpa himself is a layman, and although Milarepa is a celibate ascetic, he is not a monk; Kagyu values ​​"real experience" rather than status, and lay practitioners can also practice.

Q: Who is the Karmapa?

Answer: the Karmapa is the leader lineage of Karma Kagyu. The first Düsung Khyenpa is regarded as the "incarnation of the cause of all Buddhas". The second Karma Pakshi is the first certified reincarnated living Buddha in Tibet and has been passed down to the seventeenth life.

▶WatchLiving Buddha — Kagyu Tekchen ChölingKagyu Tekchen Chöling Argentina · Watch on YouTube

Image source: YouTube (Kagyu lineage documentary), which can be embedded after oEmbed verification.

This article is compiled based on public Buddhist historical data, aiming at cultural and faith exchanges, and is not a final conclusion of religious authority. If there is any discrepancy with the inheritance received by readers, please refer to their respective masters and classics.

Images (all from Wikimedia Commons, see notes for licensing):

• Lord Milarepa (Samye Monastery mural style) — Tonii (it.wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0
• Bhutanese style Milarepathangka (circa late 19th century – early 20th century) — Unknown author, Public domain
• 18th century Tibetan gilt bronze Milarepa statue (Linden Museum, Stuttgart) — Unknown author, Public domain
• Image: YouTube documentary (can be embedded after oEmbed verification)

Q: How does Kagyu differ from Nyingma and Gelug?

A: All four major lineages trace back to the Buddha but emphasize different paths. Nyingma centers on terma (treasure teachings) and early tantras; Gelug on discipline and the integrated study-and-practice system of sutra and tantra; Sakya on the Path and Fruit (Lamdre). Kagyu is distinguished by its core of oral transmission and direct realization: guru yoga, the Six Yogas of Naropa, and Mahamudra.

Q: What are the Six Yogas of Naropa?

A: Six tantric practices systematized by Naropa: Tummo (Inner Heat), Illusory Body, Dream Yoga, Clear Light (luminosity awakened in sleep), Bardo (the intermediate state at death and between), and Phowa (transference of consciousness). Their aim is to transform ordinary experience into the path of awakening.

Q: Must one be a monk to practice Kagyu?

A: Not necessarily. Marpa himself was a married layman, and Milarepa, though celibate and ascetic, did not wear monastic robes. Kagyu values direct realization over external identity; lay practitioners can absolutely engage in the practice.

Q: Who is the Karmapa?

A: The Karmapa is the lineage holder of the Karma Kagyu. The First Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa, is regarded as the embodiment of the buddhas' enlightened activity, and the Second Karmapa, Karma Pakshi, was the first recognized reincarnate lama in Tibet. The line continues to the 17th Karmapa today.