Sakyapa Tibetan Buddhism

Sakyapa is one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism and is the smallest school today. Sakya means “pale earth” in Tibetan and it got the name due to the grey land of Sakya Monastery. It is developed during the second translation of Buddhism from India to Tibet in the eleventh century. It was founded by Drogmi, who studied from Naropa, Ratnakarasanti, Vagishvakirti and other pandits for twelve years. The Sakya tradition was developed from Nyingma teachings and has been preserved to today though the Khon lineage.

Sakya monastery was founded by the abbot Konchok Gyelpo in 1073. Sakya has its special system called Lamdre means “path and its fruits” from the mahasiddha Virupa based on Hevajra. In the thirteenth century, Mongol conquered Tibet and the power to control Tibet was given to the fifth leader of Sakya, Drogon Chogyal Phagpa, from Kublai Khan, the founder of Yuan Dynasty. Thus, Chogyal Phagpa became the first religious and secular leader of Tibet. After that, Sakya masters ruled Tibet for about 100 years in Yuan Dynasty. In Ming Dynasty, Sakya was weakened. Sakya had two subschools, Ngor and Tshar. Ngor was founded by Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo (1382-1457) and represented 85% of the Sakyapa school. Most monasteries in India are Ngorpa. Tshar was founded by Tsarchen Losal Gyamtso (1496-1560 or 1502-1556) The head of Sakya, Sakya Trizin, is drawn from the male line of Khon family. The present Sakya Trizin was the 41^st Sakya Trizin reincarnating from Apong Terton and his grandfather, the 39^th Sakya Trizin.