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Gampopa

 
Buddhism Dictionary: Gampopa
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(1079-1153)

(Tibetan, sgam-po-pa). Epithet of the Tibetan teacher Dakpo Lharje Sönam Rinchen (Dvags-po dha-rje bsod-nams rin-chen). The name Gampopa, meaning ‘man of Gampo’, comes from the fact that he spent several years in meditation in the Gamp po region. Born in the district of Nyel in 1079, he initially worked as a skilled physician (lha-rje), and is also known as ‘The Doctor of Takpo’ (Dwags po lha-rje). In 1110, he received the Kagyü lineage from Milarepa. After some years of private practice, he founded Daklha Gampo in 1121 and resided there. He combined together the gradual path of the Kadampa school and the Great Seal (mahāmudrā) instructions of Milarepa, and consequently composed the Jewel Ornament of Liberation. He died in 1153 at the age of 75. Thereafter, his teaching lineage became known as the Dakpo Kagyü. See also Tibet.

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Gampopa Sonam Rinchen (Tibetan: སྒམ་པོ་པ་བསོད་ནམས་རིན་ཆེན; Wylie: sgam po pa sod nams rin chen) (1079-1153) "Sonam Rinchen from Gampo" — who was equally well known in Tibet as Dagpo Lhaje (Tibetan: དྭགས་པོ་ལྷ་རྗེ; Wylie: dwags po lha rje) ("the Physician from Dagpo"), Nyamed Dakpo Rinpoche ("Incomparible Precious One from Dagpo"), and Da'od Zhonnu (Tibetan: ཟླ་འོད་ཞུན་ནུ; Wylie: zla 'od gzhon nu), (the Tibetan for Candraprabhakumara)[1][2] — established the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism today, as an institution.

Another name for Gampopa was Ü-pa Tönpa. "Ü" is central Tibet, and "pa" means "person," so "Ü-pa" means a person who comes from central Tibet, and "Tönpa" means "teacher." [3].

Contents

Short Biography

Gampopa, a physician from Dagpo region in S. Tibet, was the foremost student of the Tibetan Buddhist teacher Milarepa. Gampopa was renowned for the clarity of his perception and his knowledge of both Kadampa and, later, Mahamudra methods.

Wiki letter w.svg This section requires expansion.

Gampopa's position in the transmission lineage of the esoteric Mahamudra teaching is as follows:

  1. Tilopa (988-1069), the Indian yogi who experienced the original transmission of the Mahamudra
  2. Naropa (1016-1100), who perfected the methods of accelerated enlightenment, described in his six yogas of Naropa.
  3. Marpa (1012-1097), the first Tibetan in the lineage, who translated the Vajrayana and Mahamudra texts into Old Tibetan
  4. Milarepa (1052-1135), poet and master who overcame Marpa's reluctance to teach but nonetheless attained enlightenment in a single lifetime
  5. Gampopa, Milarepa's most important student, who integrated Atisha's Kadampa teaching and Tilopa's Mahamudra teaching to establish the Kagyu school

This lineage sequence, taken together, is called the "Five Founding Masters" by the Kagyu followers.

Prior to studying under Milarepa, Gampopa had studied the kadampa traditions, which is a gradual path based on the lamrim teachings. He searched for, and eventually met Milarepa, and attained realization of ultimate reality under his guidance.

Gampopa wrote The Jewel Ornament of Liberation and founded the Dagpo Kagyud school in 1125. It was the integrative teaching of Gampopa which unified Kadampa and Mahamudra teachings into the distinctive Kagyu approach.

Gampopa also established various monastic institutions, taught extensively, and attracted many students. Four of his disciples founded the four "major" Kagyu schools:

The succession of Gampopa's own monastery passed to his nephew Dagpo Gomtsul Tsultim Nyingpo (dwags sgom tshul khrims snying po)

See also

Shri Singha

Notes

  1. ^ Sgam-po-pa and Guenther, Herbert V. (trans). The Jewel Ornament of Liberation p. ix (Preface). Shambhala Publications (2001) ISBN 1570626146
  2. ^ TBRC RID P1844
  3. ^ Gampopa (1079-1153) Lifestory in details

External links

Preceded by
Milarepa		 Kagyupa school Succeeded by
Dusum Khyenpa, Phagmo Drupa, Barom Darma Wangchug, Dagpo Gomtsul

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Karma-kagyü
Jewel Ornament of Liberation
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