Gampopa

Gampopa Sonam Rinchen ( Tib: po pa bsod nams rin sgam chen, also: The great doctor of Dagpo, Tib: dwags po lha rje or Dagpo Rinpoche; Dagpo * 1079, † 1153 ) was next Rechungpa and numerous other main disciple of Milarepa. He is the true founder of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism in the sense of a monastic tradition.

History

Gampopa was born in the southern region of Dagpo as the elder of two sons of the physician Nyiwa Sangye Gyalpo. His mother's name was Shomo Zatse. His birth name was Dharma Drak. At the age of seven he began at the Indian doctor Kyeme in Usil, a doctor from Tsang and Viji to study a Nepalese doctor. He should have learned in 13 other doctors from China and Tibet (see Tibetan medicine). At the age of 15, he studied the writings of the Nyingma and gained an extraordinary knowledge of this tradition. At 22 he married (after Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey ) Chogme, who came from a very rich family from the neighboring village and had with her ​​a son and a daughter. However, both children died in quick succession and also Chogme was seriously ill. Its means you failed to help and the pujas were held to their healing also did not help. At the request of his dying wife, and in the presence of an uncle Gampopa took the vow from his life to the Dharma to dedicate. After the death Chogmes he had to honor her build a stupa. The Chogme Stupa should still be in Tibet. About the death of his wife Gampopa was less distressed than would have been to accept. On the contrary, he was looking forward to become a monk. He was under the name Sonam Rinchen monk of the Kadampa, before he met his main teacher Milarepa.

Gampopa founded the typical for the Kagyu schools Type of school tradition, linked by the monastic tradition of the Kadampa with the mahamudra tradition of Indian Siddhas. One of his major works is the Jewel Ornament of Liberation. The monastery founded by him called Dhaklha Gampo.

Four Dharmas of Gampopa

Gampopa has summarized the Buddhist teachings in the Four Dharmas of Gampopa sogenannanten, these are:

• The dharma of the mind turns to:

After you contemplate on the possibilities of the precious human body, the four noble truths and the suffering of sentient beings in the six realms of existence, about karma and samsara, turns to Gampopa the mind to the Dharma.

• Dharma is the path to enlightenment

The Dharma is then used to attain Buddhahood. Of great importance is the development of bodhicitta.

• The path eliminates the confusion

Now you go to the elimination of the three poisons. This is the mind clear, open, quiet, patient, observant and circumspect. Also, one should contemplate on the contingent emergence and realize that all phenomena are as unreal as dreams. Without the preliminaries ( Ngöndro ) to be unsuccessful advanced practices of Vajrayana.

• The confusion is converted into wisdom.

The Buddha - nature pervades all sentient beings completely. To recognize this is the purpose of studying the Dharma. Therefore, it is important to clean the disturbing feelings, because only in this way it is possible to identify these previously unrecognized fundamental mode of being of reality.

Student

Gampopa had many students, of which four large and eight small Kagyu schools have emerged. For an overview see schools of the Kagyu tradition.

Works

• Gampopa, Albrecht Frasch ( translator's ): Jewel Ornament of Liberation. 2nd edition. Tashi -Verlag, Elmshorn 2005, ISBN 3-00-004501-5.
• Djetsün Gampopa, Lama Sonam Lhundrub ( Tilmann Borg Hardt; Übers ): The Precious Ornament of Liberation. 3rd edition. Norbu Publisher, Obermoschel 2007, ISBN 978-3-940269-00-3.
• Dschetsün Gampopa, Karmapa Translation Committee ( Translator's ): The Precious Garland for the highest way - the book of wisdom of the great Tibetan scholar Gampopa. The calligraphy of the Tibetan characters. Theseus -Verl., Berlin 1999, ISBN 978-3-89620-134-8.