Marpa

Marpa Lotsawa (1012-1097) or Marpa the Translator is the Founding Father of the Kagyu tradition in Tibet. Most of the Kagyu teachings and practices came through him to his close disciples and have been passed on since. He was described as a wild child who was sent by his parents to study Dharma and learn Sanskrit. Not satisfied with what he could access in Tibet he decided to look for realized teachers in India.

On his way to India he stopped in Nepal, where he encountered the richness of Vajrayana teachings and heard the name of Naropa, a realized yogi, a student of powerful Yogi Tilopa. At that time, real, powerful Vajrayana was not practiced in the monasteries, it was simply too wild, therefore it was practiced by lay yogis. Naropa became Marpa’s root teacher and later declared Marpa to be his successor. Marpa among many other teachers also studied under Kukkuripa and Maitripa. In a dream the master Saraha also transmitted the Great Seal teachings to him and introduced him to the nature of mind.

He completed three journeys to India and four to Nepal, travelling over the Himalayas bringing the wealth of Vajrayana teachings to Tibet, practicing and realizing it, and translating it.

When he lost all his texts at the end of his first journey due to a jealous travel companion, he realized that he actually had the transmission and understanding which was more important than books.

He passed on to his Tibetan students who came to him, exactly and only what he was given by his teachers. He mastered powerful Vajrayana methods, at the same time leading a lay life and being in the middle of the society, full of power, yet approachable and kind. His life embodied Dharma practice.

Vajrayana

“Vajrayāna - Diamond Way is the name we use the most. Diamond Way teachings work with transformation. They give the most amazing results because they transform everything. It is about being totally inspired and seeing something perfect, shiny and meaningful. It’s like falling in love or being in a free fall before one opens the parachute”.

“Meaning of Diamond Way is really to liberate all our power, all our potential, all our courage, joy and energy by lifting us from the level of moles, where we crawl around in the ground, where everything is sticky and we knock our nose on every stone on the way. From there to the level of an eagle which is hovering freely, high with wide possibilities and unhindered by everything. The teachings of the Vajrayāna is that which makes us into the eagle. Takes us out of the narrow, little habits, closed circuits that we are playing, limited little games, where we can only do this and not that. And takes us into owning the whole world, being free like a thousand kings, throwing everything in the air and catching it again, even with our eyes closed. All those special powers, all those moments, really, that moment of richness and extra ability and so on. That real power that is there. This is what Vajrayāna brings us, that moment of real richness here and now.”

“There are a few things that cannot be overestimated in Tibetan Buddhism- one is the meaning of the Refuge - where we put the value of this life, what we concentrate on as being meaningful. And the other one is the lineage, the family we belong to, the transmission that we are in the middle of, that we are standing in. These two things cannot be overestimated because they give direction to our life and they also mean how quickly we can develop, what powers we have and what powers we get.”

The Karma Kagyu lineage

The Karma Kagyu lineage, founded by the First Karmapa Dusum Khyenpa (1110–1193), belongs to one of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism. As a lineage of direct oral transmission, it places particular emphasis on meditation and the realization of the direct experience of mind gained through the guidance of a teacher.

The Karma Kagyu lineage has its roots in the teachings of the historical Buddha and developed into a practical way to enlightenment in India and Tibet. For over a 1000 years Buddhist masters (mahasiddhas) such as Naropa and Maitripa in India, as well as the famous Tibetan yogis Marpa and Milarepa, shaped the lineage as a practical everyday practice especially for lay people.

Since the 12th century there has been an unbroken line of Karmapas, and their reincarnations keep the lineage alive and strong. Today Buddhist teachers such as the 17th Karmapa Thaye Dorje, Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche and Jigme Rinpoche continue to spread the Eastern wisdom further. They support the work of the new Western centers worldwide.

The largest modern branch of the Karma Kagyu lineage became known worldwide under the name “Diamond Way”, a translation of the Sanskrit Term “Vajrayana,” guided by Lama Ole Nydahl.