Khenpo Chödrak Tenphel Rinpoche - an eminent teacher of the Karma Kagyu lineage who is currently lecturing on tantric views and practices at Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery - has accepted Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche’s request to present and discuss Buddhism’s three yānas based on Kongtrul Lodrö Thaye’s Treasury of Knowledge and he spoke with students at RYI on Feb, 4, 5 & 6, 2016 and translated by Dr. Thomas Doctor. 

Khenpo Chödrak Tenphel Rinpoche - "The Three Vehicles" Part-II

A cover of a song I heard on a cd by Nawang Khechog, a Tibetan musician who plays flute very nicely.

“Peace Through Kindness" cover

This talk aims at giving an overview of the history of the early Marpa Kagyü lineage, while illustrating a methodological approach at the bridge of traditional and academic scholarship. In that light, we will first see that although the translator Marpa Chökyi Lodrö (1000?-1081?) is well known as the Tibetan founder of the Kagyü lineage, a close scrutiny of his biographical tradition reveals many more complexities than immediately perceptible. These documents will then be used to give an account of Marpa’s ancestry, especially the Four Currents of Transmission (kabab zhi) and his two main masters, Nāropa and Maitripa. We will then turn to Marpa’s students, the Four Pillars. Among them, Ngok Chödor (1023-1090) gave rise to the Ngokpa Kagyü familial lineage, and Milarepa (1028?-1111?), through his disciple Gampopa (1079-1153), to the Four Primary and Eight Secondary Kagyü traditions. A short account on the Four Pillars will be given, and some more attention placed on the Ngok lineage, which most closely preserved Marpa’s tantric transmission.

Cécile Ducher had a traditional education in KIBI (New Delhi) for 6 years, where she earned a BA in Buddhist Studies in 2003. She pursued her PhD at the EPHE / PSL (Paris), where she defended a thesis on the religious history of the Ngokpa Kagyü lineage that was awarded the Khyentse Foundation Award for Best Dissertation 2017-2018 (Europe). Author of a book on Marpa’s biographies, she is particularly interested in the history of the early Kagyü lineage and the specificities of the tantric transmissions coming from Marpa.
She spoke with students at RYI on 29th Jan 2020.

TASCAM DR-05

Dr. Cécile Ducher - "A History of the Early Kagyü lineage"

Rangjung Yeshe Institute (RYI) has conducted study programs in Nepal for more than 25 years. Since 2002 RYI has partnered with Kathmandu University offering academic credit for those study programs. In 2009 RYI launched its online learning program. Our aim is to utilise our expertise and experience to enable students from around the world to study Buddhism and Himalayan Languages with us.

Dr. Cécile Ducher - "A History of the Early Kagyü lineage"

Rangjung Yeshe Institute

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