The book titled Saint-Scholars of Drukpa Kagy u Lineage is a biographical treasury containing one hundred two biographies of lineage-masters belonging to Drukpa Kagy u School of Tibetan Buddhism including the life story of the Buddha and Historical Buddha, Vajradhara and Vajrapaņi as well as a brief history of Drukpa Kagy u School. The biographies are compiled from the authentic Tibetan sources attributed to Ven. Khenpo Sonam Gyatsho, Ex-Professor, Kagy u Sampradaya, CIHTS, Sarnath, for his book titled bka' brgyud chos 'byung nor bu'i phreng ba and Ven. Zigar Khenchen Thinley Dorje for his book titled Jewel Treasure of Elegant Saying: Biography of Saint-Scholars of the Drukpa Lineage in particular.
Born in a middle class family in West Bengal, Prof. (Dr.) Sanjib Kumar Das was educated at Chandpara Nimna Buniyadi Vidyalaya (Amtala) and then in Gobardanga Khantura High School. Meanwhile, due to some of his personal problems, he fled away from home and worked as a waiter in several hotels and sweet shops for about two years in Kolkata. Later, he went to Darjeeling and took shelter in a Buddhist Monastery where he also worked as a helper of mason for about a year. There, an auspicious coincidence came upon in his life that also totally changed his life as well. On account of the kindness of the Thupten Sanga Choling Monastery, he was admitted in its branch school named 'Drukpa Kagyu Destitute Home' where he studied upto standard VIII. Subsequently. he was sent to Varanasi in 1989 in order to get admission in the then Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarnath for higher studies. Getting admission, he obtained M.A., pursuing upon Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Language and other prescribed subjects. In 1998, he was awarded with the Kashi Naresh Gold Medal for being the best student of 1998. After completing M.A., he started doing his Ph.D. which he completed in 2002. In 1999, he was invited as a Translator from Tibetan into English to Taiwan where he stayed for about five months. In 2002, he got a temporary job in the Translation Department in the CIHTS, Sarnath and simultaneously a permanent job in Central Institute of Buddhist Studies, Leh where he worked for about six years. In 2008, he got a new job in Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan where he has been working on the post of Professor in the Department of Indo-Tibetan Studies. Apart from his academic works, Prof. Das was also carried out the responsibility of HOD [Head of the Department). Department of Indo-Tibetan Studies twice, for about ten years, I/C Director, Centre for Buddhist Studies for three years and Vice-Principal, Bhasha-Bhavana, Visva-Bharati for two years. Prof. Das has also composed, translated, edited, restored and compiled several books which have been published by different universities, institutions and publishers in India. Similarly, he also undertook the four Tibetan-Bengali Translation Projects funded by ACLS, USA & FPMT, USA as well as English-Bengali Translation Project funded by Berzin Archives, Germany for two years during the Covid period. Apart from translation, compilation, restoration and editing work, Prof. Das attended number of Local, National and International seminars, and presented papers.
Great Vajradhara, Tilopa, Naropa, Marpa,
Milarepa and Gampopa, K unkhyen Karmapa,
the Knower of the three times,
Holders of the four great and eight minor lineages,
Drigung, Taglung, and Tshalpa, these three,
the Glorious Drukpa and so on,
Those who attained mastery over the profound path of Mahamudra,
To the incomparable Dwagpo Kagyuu,
the protector of beings,
I supplicate you, the Kagy u Gurus.
Thus, having paid homage to the lineage-gurus including Buddha Vajradhara, the main subject to be described here is some biographies of the lineage gurus of the Drukpa Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism, including the life story of Buddha Vajradhara and a short description of Kagy u School.
Basically, Kagyu School is one of the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism holding the commissioned lineage of Buddha Vajradhara. Therefore, this school is also known as 'School of Commissioned Lineage, School of Successive Order, School of Oral Lineage or Whispered Transmission School. It is also explained in another way by saying that it is regarded as one of the five main schools (Wyl. chos brgyud) of Himalayan or Tibetan Buddhism, the other four being the Nyingma, Sakya, Jonang and Gelug. Along with the Sakya and Gelug Schools, this school is also classified as one of the 'New Transmissions' (Tib. Sarma; Wyl. gsar ma). It is a Red Hat School along with Nyingma and Sakya This school was founded by Mahasiddha Naropa which was transmitted by Tilopa, Saraha and others duly received from Buddha Vajradhara, and was thereby introduced into Tibet by Marpa Lotsawa in the beginning of the 11th century C.E. Later, the lineage was passed on to the Great Yogi Milarepa, Gampopa, First Karmapa D usum Khyenpa and other lineage-gurus. Besides the other fundamental practices and teachings which include the full range of the Buddha's teachings or Three Vehicles (Triyanas) beginning from the Pratimoksa vows based on the M ulasarvastivadin tradition of the Śravakayana, the main emphasis is on the path of means which is the Six Dharmas of Naropa, and the path of liberation which is the Mahamudra instructions of Maitripa. Today, the term Kagy u almost refers to the Marpa Kagy u or Dwagpo Kagy u and its which offshoots developed from the teachings transmitted by Marpa Lotsawa and his successors.
Actually this school or lineage has two forms of its name to be discussed-Kagy u (Wyl. bka brgyud) and Kargy u (Wyl. dkar brgyud). The former derives from the Tibetan phrase meaning 'Lineage of the Four Commissioned or Lineage of the Four Transmissions (Wyl. bka' babs bzhi'i brgyud pa) or the Lineage that holds the transmission of the teachings while the latter derives from the phrase meaning 'Lineage of the White Cloth' The four-fold lineage mentioned above is: the illusory body and transference yogas of the Guhyasamaja and Chatuspītha Tantra, transmitted through Tilopa, Nagarjuna, Indrabhuti and Saraha, the dream yoga practice of the Mahamaya from Tilopa, Charyapa and Kukkuripa, the clear-light yoga of the Cakrasamvara, Hevajra and other Mother Tantras transmitted from Hevajra, Dombipa and Lvapa; and psychic heat or inner heat yoga, Kamadevavajra. Padmavajra, Dakını and Tilopa.
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