ཐིག་ལེ་སྙིང་རྗེ། TIKLÉ NYINGJÉ: NIMBUS COMPASSION FOUNDATION
Loppon Lama Dawa's Nonprofit Organization upholding and preserving the བཀའ་བརྒྱུད KAGYÜ Lineage of Tibetan Vajrayāna Buddhism in Southern California's Orange County and Los Angeles.
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Kagyü Lineage
All about the Kagyü "Oral Lineage" or Whispered Transmission school
In this image below is the Kagyü Refuge Tree ཚོགས་ཞིང་། (also referred to as Refuge Assembly, Refuge Field, Merit Field, Field of Merit or Field of Accumulation)
Print and frame it to begin practicing the preliminary Mahamudra Ngöndro practice for the lineage.
Vajradhara the 'Primordial Buddha' seated at the centre of the Karma Kagyü Refuge Tree, with the main lineage holders of the tradition in the upper canopy of the tree, principal meditational deities in the lower branches, and main protective deities on the row of clouds beneath the tree.
Vajradhara is the progenitor of all the tantric transmissions of the Kagyü tradition. He is deep blue in colour, holds a vajra and bell in his crossed hands, is adorned with the thirteen silk and jeweled ornaments, and sits in vajra-posture upon a white moon, multicoloured lotus, and lion-throne. A smaller image of Vajradhara appears at the apex of the tree, representing the source of the lineage of Indian and Tibetan gurus that descend below him. These include: Nagarjuna, Ratnamati and Saraha; Marpa, Milarepa and Gampopa, and the first three Karmapas' - Dusum Khyenpa, Karma Pakshi and Rangjung Dorje - all of whom appear in the three central columns. The fourth to the sixteen Karmapas also appear wearing their black hats in this assembly, along with the various red hat incarnations of the Sharmapa, Tai Situ and Gyaltsap Rinpoche, and the first two incarnations of Jamyang Kongtrul. Appearing in the three rainbow circles above the tree are Prajnaparamita (center), Samantabhadra (left), and Vajrasattva (right), with the Indian mahasiddhas Tilopa and Naropa on the clouds below.
On the clouds in the upper corners appear lineage masters from other traditions, with Padampa Sangye at the centre of the left cloud, and Ling Repa at the centre of the right cloud. The roofed stacks of books behind the tree represent the profound dharma teachings of the Kagyü tradition, with eight cloud-borne gods appearing on either side holding auspicious offerings. And on the left and right clouds beneath these gods are the great male and female protectors, Kshetrapala (Zhing-zhong), and Shri Devi (Paldan Lhamo).
On the central branch below Vajradhara are ten of the principal meditational or yidam deities of the Karma Kagyü tradition. From left to right on the upper row: Green Tara, Jinasagara, Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi (centre), Guhyasamaja-Vajradhara, and White Tara. And on the lower row are: Machig Labdron, Hevajra, Vajravarahi (center), Kalachakra, and Vajrabhairava (Yama).
Encircled by a rainbow on the left branch are a group of ten Buddhas that represent the ten directions, and the Buddhas of the three times. Shakyamuni sits at the centre of this circle, with red Amitābha Buddha and the blue Medicine Buddha seated to his lower left and right. And within the rainbow circle on the right branch are the eight great Bodhisattvas, with Avalokiteshvara at the centre and the Buddha's two principal disciples, Shariputra and Maudgalyayana, seated in front of him.
Eleven protective deities appear on the row of clouds beneath the tree, with Dorje Bernagchen, the principle protector of the Karma Kagyü tradition, at the centre. The trunk of the great Refuge Tree arises from a lotus-lake, which is surrounded by a meadow filled with a multitude of animals, birds, monks and lay devotees, who make prostrations and present offerings to the divine assembly of the Refuge Tree. And on the lower cloudbanks are assemblies of the eight auspicious symbols (left), and the eight auspicious substances (right).
The Kagyü lineage of Tibetan Buddhism traces its origins to Shakyamuni Buddha through Marpa the Great Translator, who traveled to India three times to bring back authentic Buddhist teachings to Tibet. His teacher, Naropa, received the lineage transmission from Tilopa and so on, back to the Buddha himself. Marpa's most famous student was the greatest yogi in all of Tibet, the renowned Jetsun Milarepa, who passed the teachings on to Gampopa, who in turn transmitted the teachings to the First Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa. Since then, the Kagyü Lineage has been headed by a succession of reincarnations of the Gyalwang Karmapa. The line of the Karmapas is said to be self-announced, because each incarnation leaves a letter predicting his next rebirth. All great Kagyü teachers regard His Holiness Karmapa as the embodiment and source of all of the blessings of the lineage.