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Gampopa (1079-1153), also known as Dagpo Lhaje ("physician from
Dagpo") and Dakpo Rinpoche ("Precious Master from Dagpo"), founded
the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan
Buddhism. In many ways the establishment of the Kagyu school marks
the beginning of the distinct institution we now recognize as
Tibetan Buddhism, even as the Indian Tantric Buddhism model that
inspired it faded away.
Gampopa, a physician from Dagpo region in Kham, 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.
Gampopa's position in the transmission lineage of the esoteric
Mahamudra teaching is as follows:
Tilopa (988-1069), the Indian yogi who experienced the original
transmission of the Mahamudra
Naropa (1016-1100), who perfected the methods of accelerated
enlightenment, described in his six yogas of Naropa.
Marpa (1012-1097), the first Tibetan in the lineage, who translated
the Vajrayana and Mahamudra texts into Old Tibetan
Milarepa (1052-1135), poet and master who overcame Marpa's
reluctance to teach but nonetheless attained enlightenment in a
single lifetime
Gampopa, Milarepa's best 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. This school merged with the older but
less influential Shangpa Kagyud school, founded circa 1050, also
dependent on Naropa), to form the major Kagyu school
