Shangpa Kagyu

The Shangpa Kagyu school (shangs pa bka' brgyud) developed independently and is not counted among the Four Greater and Eight Lesser Kagyu schools. It was established by the great scholar and accomplished master Khyungpo Naljor (990-1139), who travelled to India and studied under many masters, predominantly under the two great female Mahasiddhas Niguma and Sukhasiddhi and under Maitripa and Rahula. Khyungpo Naljor hailed from the same family-clan, the clan of Khyungpo, as Jetsun Milarepa. The teachings and practices special to the Shangpa Kagyu school are the Six Doctrines of Niguma, the Six Doctrines of Sukhasiddi and a special Mahamudra teaching known as the "Chagchen Ga'u Ma" (phyag chen ga'u ma), or the "Mahamudra Reliquary".

The lineage succession, as far as I (TSD) could piece together, is as follows. Since I do not have dates for many of them, I can only assume that the order of masters as they appear is correct (it just reflects the order of a number of short biographies of Shangpa masters in my possession). Also, there seems to be a rather large gap between Taranatha and Lama Karma Norbu, one of the masters from whom Jamgon Kongtrul received the Shangpa transmissions. According to Ven. Tenga Rinpoche, the Shangpa transmissions were then continued through a number of lineages. The various streams of Shangpa transmissions were all received by Kongtrul Lodro Thaye and then passed on by him. One of the lineages that Kongtrul received came through the great Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo. I do hope that people more familiar with the Shangpa Kagyu school than I, will correct and expand upon my scribblings soon:

• Vajradhara, rdo rje 'chang
• Niguma, ni gu ma
• Sukhasiddhi, su kha siddhi
• Khyungpo Naljor, khyung po rnal 'byor (990-1139)
• Mokchokpa, rmog lcog pa (1110-1170)
• Kyergangpa, skyer sgang pa (1143-1216)
• Rigongpa, ri gong pa (1175-1247)
• Choje Sangye Tonpa, chos rje sangs rgyas ston pa (1213-1285)
• Shangtonpa, shangs ston pa (1234-1309)
• Khedrub Choje Zhonnu Drub, mkhas grub chos rje gzhon nu grub (d.1319)
• Khedrub Choje Kudaka, mkhas grub chos rje sku 'da' ka
• Khetsun Sangye Gyaltsen, mkhas btsun sangs rgyas rgyal mtshan
• Khyungpo Tsultrim Gonpo, khyung po tshul khrim mgon po
• Rechen Sangye Senge, ras chen sangs rgyas seng ge
• Shangkarwa Rinchen Gyaltsen, shangs dkar ba rin chen rgyal mtshan (1353-1434)
• Sangye Palzang, sangs rgyas dpal bzang (1398-1465)
  
  

My collection of texts then contains a short text with very short sketches of the lives of the following four masters. Apparently the lineage then continued through various streams. One school, among others, that continued the Shangpa teachings was the Jonang tradition (TSD).

• Khedrub Tsangma Shangton, mkhas grub gtsang ma shangs ston
• Müchen Gyaltsen Palzang, mus chen rgyal mtshan dpal bzang
• Khedrub Dorje Zhonnu, mkhas grub rdo rje gzhon nu
• Müchen Namkha Naljor, mus chen nam mkha'i rnal 'byor
  
  

The lineage then continues with:

• Lochen Gyurme, lo chen 'gyur med
• Jetsun Kunga Drolchog, kun dga' grol mchog (1495-1566)
• Jetsun Taranatha, rje btsun tA ra nA tha (1575-1634)
  

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• Lama Karma Norbu, bla ma karma nor bu
• Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo,'jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse'i dbang po (1820-1892)
• 1st Jamgon Kongtrul, 'jam mgon kong sprul (1813-1899)
  
• Lama Tashi Chopel, bla ma bkra shis chos 'phel
• Lama Norbu Dondrub, bla ma nor bu don grub
• Kyabje Kalu Rinpoche, skyabs rje ka lu rin po che (1905-1989)
• Kyabje Bokar Rinpoche, skyabs rje bo dkar rin po che (1940-2004)
• Benchen Tenga Rinpoche, bstan dga' rin po che (b.1932)
• 2nd Kalu Rinpoche, (b.1990)