Sep 17

Branching of the Saṅgha: Third, Fourth and Other Councils

Origins of Secret Mantra • Day Ten  September 17th, 2025. Classification of the Councils To recap the first two councils: First Council, held at Rājagṛha (Rajgir), “Council of the 500”, led by Mahākāśyapa Second council, at Vaiśālī, “Council of the 700”, convened by the elder Yaśa and others These two... read more →
Sep 15
Sep 12

Considering the Early Lineage According to Tibetan Sources

Origins of Secret Mantra • Day Eight  September 12th, 2025. Today, His Holiness Karmapa discussed the transmission of the dharma, emphasizing that the lineage of the patriarchs is important because it provides foundational information about early Buddhist history. From the time of the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa until the time of the... read more →
Sep 08

The Early Transmission Lineages of Buddhism

Origins of Secret Mantra • Day Seven  September 8th, 2025. The Karmapa continued his discussion of the transmission of the Buddhist lineages. He explained that he would consider three primary explanations: according to the northern transmission, according to the Tibetan transmission, and according to the southern transmission. In the previous... read more →
Sep 04

An Analysis of the Original Split of Buddhism into Two Schools

Origins of Secret Mantra • Day Six  September 4th, 2025. For the teaching today, His Holiness Karmapa spoke about the position of the Korean scholar Lee Ja-Rang and gave a summary of the original split of Buddhism into two schools. Lee Ja-Rang’s Position First, His Holiness explained the work of... read more →
Sep 01
Aug 27

Saint or Sinner? Unravelling the Story of Mahādeva

Origins of Secret Mantra • Day Four  August 27th, 2025. On the fourth day, the Karmapa continued to speak about the bhikṣu Mahādeva. During the previous teaching Mahādeva was described according to the Sarvāstivāda, or the Vaibhāśika (Exposition) School. Their most famous text is The Great Exposition, or Mahāvibhāṣā, and... read more →