| Key Term | Kagyu |
|---|---|
| In Tibetan Script | བཀའ་བརྒྱུད་ |
| Wylie Tibetan Transliteration | bka' brgyud |
| Tibetan Phonetic Rendering | ka gyu |
| Alternate Spellings | bka' rgyud |
| Term Type | School |
| Source Language | Tibetan |
| Basic Meaning | The Kagyu traces its origin to the eleventh century translator Marpa and his famous disciple Milarepa. It split into as many as twelve sub-traditions, the best known being the Karma Kagyu, the Drigung, and the Drukpa. |
| Definitions | |
The Kagyu school traces its origin to the eleventh-century translator Marpa, who studied in India with Nāropa. Marpa's student Milarepa trained Gampopa, who founded the first monastery of the Kagyu order. As many as twelve subtraditions grew out from there, the best known being the Karma Kagyu, the Drikung, and the Drukpa.
The disciples of the Buddha who aspire to attain individual liberation or nirvāṇa. The final goal of the Hearers is to become an arhat, a state in which one has totally eliminated the inner problems of attachment, hatred and ignorance, the main causes for rebirth in this cycle of existence. There are four stages of a śrāvaka path including eight phases.