- 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.
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
Notes
- ^ 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.
- Powers, John (1995). Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism. Ithaca, N.Y. USA:
Snow Lion Publications. ISBN 1-55939-026-3.
- Trichen, Chogyay. History of the Sakya Tradition, Ganesha Press, 1993
External links
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