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Lva ba pa, or bLa ma dGe slong, Skt. Kambalapāda, was a tenth-century master who, with others, discovered the yoginī tantras in the country of Oḍḍīyāna (BA, 753), and was important in the lineage of Guhyasamāja. He was known as the Sleeping Bhikṣu (monk) because he is said to have slept for three years at the gate of king Indrabhūti's palace (BA, 362). A bhasuku or bhusuku is similar to a mendicant (sprang bu), that is, free of purposeful action (bya bral pa) (KTGR 2005). Sleeping for three years would probably qualify! (Harding, ''Esoteric Instructions'', 192n172) +
Indian paṇḍita known to have collaborated with Patsab Nyima Drak on Candrakīrti's ''Madhyamakāvatāra'', ''Prasannapadā'', and ''Śūnyatāsaptativṛtti''. He also helped to translate Pūrṇavardhanaḥ's ''Abhidharmakośaṭīkālakṣaṇānusāriṇī'', a two-volume commentary on Vasubhandu's ''Abhidharmakośa''. (Source: [https://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Patsab-Nyima-Drak/P5651#:~:text=With%20Pa%E1%B9%87%E1%B8%8Dita%20Kanakavarma%2C%20Patsab%20edited,of%20pram%C4%81%E1%B9%87a%20(tshad%20ma) Treasury of Lives]) +
Ensho Kanakura was born in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. After graduating from Tokyo University (1920) Ensho Kanakura began studying Indian philosophy and the doctrines of Buddhism. He was a professor of Tohoku University. +
Shuyu Kanaoka is a distinguished Japanese scholar specializing in Buddhist studies, with a particular focus on comparative textual analysis and the transmission of Buddhist texts across different cultural and linguistic contexts. Her scholarly work primarily centers on the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'', a seminal Mahāyāna Buddhist text attributed to the 8th-century Indian philosopher Śāntideva.
Kanaoka has made significant contributions to the understanding of Buddhist textual traditions, particularly in her meticulous comparative studies of Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Mongolian Buddhist manuscripts. Her research delves deep into the nuanced transmission and interpretation of Buddhist philosophical texts, with a special emphasis on the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' and its various regional adaptations.
Her notable publications include several in-depth scholarly articles that explore the textual complexities of Buddhist literature:
*"On the Duplicated Chapter of the Mongolian Bodhicaryāvatāra"
*"A Comparative Study of Sanskrit, Tibetan and Mongolian on Prajñāpāramitā Chapter of Śāntideva's Bodhicaryāvatāra"
*"Characteristics of the Buddhist Mongolian Texts: The Lineage of the Bodhicaryāvatāra"
*"Regional Characteristics of Mongolian Buddhism: A Study on the Basis of the Bodhicaryāvatāra"
*"Śāntideva's Attitude towards Vijñāna Theory"
Through her scholarly work, Kanaoka has made important contributions to understanding the intricate transmission and interpretation of Buddhist philosophical texts across different linguistic and cultural traditions, particularly focusing on the Mongolian Buddhist textual landscape. (Generated by Claude AI March 26, 2025) +
Chris Kang is Professor in Religion and Contemplative Studies – an independent scholar with special interest in Christian theology and Asian philosophies. He is founder of Awarezen, a digital meditation centre and academy providing online courses on meditation and spirituality for human flourishing and transcendence beyond religious boundaries. He received his PhD in Studies in Religion from The University of Queensland (Australia) in 2003. For nearly two decades, Chris has lectured in Australia at The University of Queensland, Griffith University, Queensland University of Technology, Nan Tien Institute, Queensland Health, and various Buddhist centres. Chris has over 15 years of clinical occupational therapy practice in Australia and Singapore. As a Singapore Government Public Service Commission scholar, he was awarded a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy with First Class Honours from The University of Queensland in 1993. He received a Postgraduate Certificate in International Relations with Dean's Commendation in 2009, also from The University of Queensland. In 2008, he was invited by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Professor Glyn Davis as one of 1,000 delegates to the Australia 2020 Summit at Parliament House, Canberra. Professionally, he is certified in Neurosemantics (2003) and Meta-Coaching (2004) from the International Society of Neurosemantics (USA) and Meta-Coach Foundation (USA). From 2016 to 2018, he was Assistant Professor in Health and Social Sciences (Occupational Therapy) at the Singapore Institute of Technology.
Chris directs his academic research and teaching at Asian Centre for Creative Theology. His current research program focuses on Christian theology and Reformed epistemology in comparisons with Buddhist, Confucianist, Daoist, Hindu, and Tantric philosophies from an Asia-centric perspective pivoting on China and India. He also has scholarly interests in Arabic and Continental philosophy. He has over 200 publications and presentations including seven books in Asian and Biblical contemplative wisdoms. His books include ''One in Christ'' (2019), ''The Tantra of Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar: Critical Comparisons and Dialogical Perspectives'' (2017), ''Resting in Christ'' (2015), ''Growing in Christ'' (2015), ''Reclaiming Dhamma: Teachings on Critical Buddhism'' (2014), ''Dhamma Stream: A Garland of Writings on Dhamma, Self, and Society'' (2013), ''Wise Mind Warm Heart'' (2010), and ''The Meditative Way: Readings in the Theory and Practice of Buddhist Meditation'' (1997; co-edited with Rod Bucknell). His academic articles have appeared in ''Asian Journal of Occupational Therapy''; ''Australian Occupational Therapy Journal''; ''Hong Kong Journal of Occupational Therapy''; ''Contemplativa: Journal of Contemplative Studies''; ''Journal of Buddhist Ethics''; ''Mindfulness''; ''Philosophy East and West''; and ''Journal of Reformed Theology''. He is general editor of an open access, open peer review journal ''Contemplativa: Journal of Contemplative Studies''.
Kangyur Rinpoche, Longchen Yeshe Dorje (Tib. བཀའ་འགྱུར་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ཀློང་ཆེན་ཡེ་ཤེས་རྡོ་རྗེ་, Wyl. bka' 'gyur rin po che klong chen ye shes rdo rje) (1898-1975) was a great master and tertön from Riwoche Monastery in Kham, East Tibet; his root teacher was Jedrung Trinlé Jampa Jungné. In exile, he lived in Darjeeling, where he met and taught some of the very first western students of Tibetan Buddhism, including Matthieu Ricard. Kangyur Rinpoche is the father of Pema Wangyal Rinpoche, Rangdröl Rinpoche, and Jigme Khyentse Rinpoche. His commentaries on Jikme Lingpa's ''Treasury of Precious Qualities'' and Nagarjuna's ''Letter to a Friend'' have been translated into English by the Padmakara Translation Group. ([https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Kangyur_Rinpoche Source Accessed Jan 27, 2020]) +
Dr. Kano is an associate professor at Komazawa University in Japan and a specialist of Sanskrit and Tibetan tathāgatagarbha literature. His particular research interests focus on philosophical interpretations of the ''Ratnagotravibhāga''. ([https://conference.tsadra.org/past-event/2019-vienna-symposium/ Source Accessed July 22, 2020]) +
Hans-Rudolf Kantor is Associate Professor at Huafan University’s Graduate Institute of East Asian Humanities, Taipei. His fields of specialization are Chinese Buddhism, Chinese philosophy, comparative philosophy, and Chinese Intellectual History. He has published numerous articles on these topics and is also author of ''Die Heilslehre im Tiantai-Denken und der philosophische Begriff des Unendlichen bei Mou Zongsan'' (1909-1995): ''Die Verknüpfung von Heilslehre und Ontologie in der chinesischen Tiantai'' (1999). ([https://www.buddhismuskunde.uni-hamburg.de/pdf/4-publikationen/hamburg-buddhist-studies/hamburgup-hbs03-authors-linradich-mirror.pdf Source Accessed June 29, 2020]) +
Philip Kapleau (August 20, 1912 – May 6, 2004) was an American teacher of Zen Buddhism in the Sanbo Kyodan tradition, which is rooted in Japanese Sōtō and incorporates Rinzai-school koan-study. He also strongly advocated for Buddhist vegetarianism. [(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Kapleau Source Accessed Nov 20, 2023]) +
Matthew T. Kapstein specializes in the history of Buddhist philosophy in India and Tibet, as well as in the cultural history of Tibetan Buddhism more generally. He regularly teaches Contemporary Theories in the Study of Religion in the History of Religions program, and Introduction to the Philosophies of India in Philosophy of Religions. His seminars in recent years have focused on particular topics in the history of Buddhist thought, such as Buddha Nature, idealism, and epistemology (''pramāṇa''), or on broad themes in the study of religion including the problem of evil, death, and the imagination. Kapstein has published over a dozen books and numerous articles, among the most recent of which are a general introduction to Tibetan cultural history, ''The Tibetans'' (Oxford 2006), an edited volume on Sino-Tibetan religious relations, ''Buddhism Between Tibet and China'' (Boston 2009), and a translation of an eleventh-century philosophical allegory in the acclaimed Clay Sanskrit Series, ''The Rise of Wisdom Moon'' (New York 2009). With Kurtis Schaeffer (University of Virginia) and Gray Tuttle (Columbia), he has completed ''Sources of Tibetan Traditions'', published in the Columbia University Press Sources of Asian Traditions series in 2013. Kapstein is additionally Professor Emeritus of Tibetan Studies at the École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris. In 2018 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. ([https://divinity.uchicago.edu/directory/matthew-kapstein Source Accessed Sep 17, 2019]) +
György Kara earned a Ph.D. from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary in 1961, and a doctorate of philology degree from Leningrad State University in 1975. His research interests include Mongol and Inner Asian studies; languages and cultures, including Old Turkic, Tibetan, Manchu, Evenki, Khitan and Altaic philology; history of writing systems; Altaic linguistics; Mongol literature and folklore. He regularly teaches classical Mongol, Mongol literature and folklore, and the history of Mongol writing systems.
In 2011, Professor Kara was honored at the 54th annual Permanent International Altaistic Conference (PIAC); he received the PIAC gold medal in honor of his lifetime achievements in Altaic Studies. ([https://honorsandawards.iu.edu/awards/honoree/6436.html Source Accessed Mar 16, 2021]) +
The Casa Tíbet México project is intrinsically linked to the figure of Marco Antonio Karam. In love with Tibetan culture and civilization from a very early age, he is considered one of the most important specialists and disseminators of Tibetan culture and spirituality in the Spanish-speaking world.
After extensive academic training in Tibet, Nepal and the USA, during which he established relationships with some of the most prominent Tibetologists and Lamas of the various traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, in 1988, at the suggestion of His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama of Tibet and the Tibet Office in New York, founded the Casa del Tibet de México as part of an international project aimed at promoting and defending the Tibetan cause and culture. At the invitation of Casa Tíbet México and the Metropolitan University, the Dalai Lama visited our country for the first time in July 1989 to inaugurate Casa Tíbet México and participate in an international forum of global priorities. ([https://casatibet.org.mx/2016/08/16/marco-antonio-karam/ Source Accessed Apr 6, 2021]) +
Professor Seishi Karashima was appointed assistant professor at Soka University’s International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology in April 1997 upon the establishment of the institute, becoming a full professor two years later. After taking on the role of director in April 2011, he continued to make significant contributions to the development of the institute.<br> Specializing in Buddhist philosophy, Professor Karashima applied his vast knowledge of Sanskrit, Tibetan, Pāḷi, Middle Indo-Aryan, and ancient Chinese to conduct detailed analyses of early Chinese Buddhist Translations. Among his many publications, he compiled A glossary of Dharmaraksa's translation of the Lotus Sutra, A Glossary of Kumārajīva's translation of the Lotus Sutra, and A glossary of Lokakṣema's translation of the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā. He studied the formation of early Mahayana Buddhism and was a leading light of the Buddhist academic community in Japan and abroad. Professor Karashima was invited to work at various institutions in Japan and abroad, including the University of California, Berkeley; the School of Literary Studies at Renmin University of China; and Institut de France. During his time at these institutions, he did not limit himself to simply giving lectures on Buddhist studies. He also set up initiatives to support research, such as creating a worldwide network of Buddhist researchers.<br> Numerous published papers and books bear the hand of Professor Karashima, either as author or editor. These include Vessantara-jātaka Yakuchū (included in The Jātaka, Vol. 10 by Hajime Nakamura, Shunjūsha, 1988); A Textual Study of the Chinese Versions of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra (Sankibo Busshorin, 1992); A Study of the Underlying Language of the Chinese Translation of the Dīrgha-āgama (Hirakawa Shuppan Inc., 1994); Buddhist Manuscripts from Central Asia: The British Library Sanskrit Fragments, (author and editor of three volumes in five books; International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology, Soka University, 2006, 2009, 2015); Abhisamācārika- Dharma (three volumes, German language publication, International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology, 2012); Languages and Transmission of Buddhist Scriptures (Chinese language publication, Nakanishi Shokyoku, 2016). (Source: [https://www.soka.ac.jp/en/news/2019/07/10324/ Soka University])
Nedo Karma Chakme, also known as Raga Asé (Rāgāsya), was an influential Karma Kamtsang scholar-yogin of Tibet, recognized by many as the incarnation of the ninth Karmapa (but not selected). His teachers included the most famous masters of his time, both Nyingma and Kagyu. He was both the teacher and student of Tertön Mingyur Dorje.
Karma Chakme was born in 1609 in the Nyomtod region of Kham. He trained first in his father's Nyingma lineage before entering the Karma Kagyu world. He took novice and full ordination at Tsurpu Monastery in 1627, where he received the name by which he is known, and studied closely with the Tenth Karmapa Choying Dorje, the Sixth Zhamar Chokyi Wangchuk, and the Zurmang Trungpa. His life spanned the turbulent decades of the Mongol invasion and the fall of his Rinpung and Karma Kagyu patrons, and he spent his later years—including a thirteen-year retreat begun in 1645—in intensive practice and writing before his death in 1678.
His ''Aspirational Prayer for Sukhāvatī'' (the "Chakme Sukhāvatī Prayer") remains one of the most widely recited prayers among both lay and monastic Tibetans. His retreat manual ''Mountain Dharma: Advice on Retreat'' (''ri chos mtshams kyi zhal gdams'') became a classic practical guide for practitioners. Crucially, he served as scribe to the visionary Terton Mingyur Dorje, transcribing almost the entirety of the Namcho ("Sky Teaching") treasure cycle, later collected into thirteen volumes, and he is remembered for compositions synthesizing Mahāmudrā and Dzogchen.
His influence on later generations was profound and his students founded lineages that carried both currents of his inheritance: Tsondu Gyatso and Pema Kunga established the Upper and Lower Nedo Kagyu lineages, while his student Rigdzin Kunzang Sherab drew on the Nyingma side to found Pelyul (Palyul) Monastery, which became one of the six "mother monasteries" of the Nyingma tradition. His works were canonized in a sixty-volume Collected Works published by Nedo Monastery in 2010, and he was recognized through a line of seven subsequent reincarnations. Later masters relied heavily on him—historians Guru Tashi and the Eighth Situ Chokyi Jungne, and the great nineteenth-century polymath Jamgön Kongtrul, all wrote about him—and his reach extends into the modern West, where Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche taught Mountain Dharma at Karma Triyana Dharmachakra in Woodstock, New York, which became a series of books published at KTD: ''[https://www.ktdpublications.com/mountain-dharma-1/ Karma Chakme's Mountain Dharma]''. Also see [https://www.lotsawahouse.org/tibetan-masters/karma-chakme/ the Karma Chakme Series at Lotsawa House].
(Sources: Ngawang Sherpa , "Karma Chakme," Treasury of Lives, accessed July 20, 2026, http://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Karma-Chakme/9084.
and
[https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Karma_Chakm%C3%A9 Rigpa Wiki])
After taking the levels of monastic ordination and studying sutras, tantras, and classical texts with many experts, Mendong Tsampa Rinpoché (1867–1921?) received all the empowerments and instructions on the great secret mantra from Chöwang Tulku Rinpoché, and through mastery of the paths could control his own wind-mind, achieving liberation from the stains of worldly concerns. He passed the time in retreat and also spoke spontaneously, becoming a great orator. He gave empowerments, guidance, and wrote commentaries on the treatises and oral instructions, creating a vast and profound body of work. ([https://wisdomexperience.org/content-author/mendong-tsampa-rinpoche/ Adapted from Source June 9, 2026]) +
His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa Orgyen Trinley Dorje is the head of the 900-year-old Karma Kagyu Lineage and guide to millions of Buddhists around the world. Orgyen Trinley Dorje is a Tibetan practitioner and scholar, a painter, poet, songwriter and playwright, an environmental and social justice activist, and world spiritual leader who uses modern technology, such as Facebook and other digital platforms, to teach Buddhism and bring the Karma Kagyu lineage’s activities fully into the 21st century. You can see some of the projects he has initiated on Adarsha or Dharma Treasures: [https://digital-toolbox.dharma-treasure.org/ Digital Toolbox] & [https://dharmaebooks.org/ Dharma Books]
[https://kagyuoffice.org/news/ News and links to teachings from His Holiness]
*[https://kagyuoffice.org/joint-long-life-prayer-for-kunzig-shamar-rinpoches-reincarnation/ Long Life Prayer for Shamar Rinpoche with HH Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje]
*[https://www.facebook.com/karmapa/ Facebook - Live Teachings and News]
*[https://kagyuoffice.org/karmapa/ Karmapa Biography from kagyuoffice.org]
*[https://kagyu.org/17th_Karmapa/biography Karmapa Biography from kagyu.org]
[[Category:Karmapas]] +
The Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje, was a prominent Karma Kagyu hierarch who also held Nyingma and Chod lineages. He was likely the first man to carry the title of Karmapa, following his identification by Orgyenpa Rinchen Pel as the reincarnation of Karma Pakshi, whom Orgyenpa posthumously identified as the reincarnation of Dusum Khyenpa. He spent much of his life traveling across Tibet and made two visits to the Yuan court in China. ([http://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Third-Karmapa-Rangjung-Dorje/9201 Read more at the source: Treasury of Lives]) +
The eighth member of the incarnation lineage of the Karmapas, Mikyö Dorje, was a prolific scholar and an acclaimed artist, often credited with the development of the Karma Gadri style of painting. Though he only lived into his mid-40's his contributions to the Karma Kagyu and Tibetan tradition, in general, were immense. His collected works are said to have originally filled thirty volumes and he is widely held to be one of the most significant of the Karmapa incarnations.
For a detailed discussion of The Eighth Karmapa's life, with interesting reference to source texts, see the [https://kagyuoffice.org/life-of-mikyo-dorje/ 17th Karmapa's teachings from February 2021].
'''From the book, ''Karmapa: 900 Years'' (KTD Publications, 2016, revised 3rd edition):'''
Mikyö Dorje is among the greatest scholars Tibet has ever produced. He was an active participant in the rigorous intellectual debates of his day, making major contributions in virtually all areas of textual study. He was an accomplished Sanskritist, and wrote Sanskrit grammars alongside works ranging from poetry to art to tantra. The Eighth Karmapa’s voluminous writings include substantial commentaries on all the principal Sanskrit texts, clarifying points of confusion and deeply engaging with their inner meaning. The act of composing philosophical texts within the Karma Kagyu—a lineage so fully devoted to attaining realization through practice—is wholly unlike the act of producing philosophical texts in a modern academic or scholastic setting. Rather, the philosophical works of Mikyö Dorje point out the way to view reality in order to be liberated from the cycles of samsaric suffering. As such, his compositions are a supreme act of kindness. It is said that Mikyö Dorje’s deeds in recording his insight and understanding in his commentaries had the effect of doubling or tripling the lifespan of the Karma Kagyu lineage.(Source: Page 73, ''Karmapa: 900 Years'' (KTD Publications, 2016, revised 3rd edition). E-Book available online here: http://www.ktdpublications.com/karmapa-900-third-edition-e-book/ .
Mikyö Dorje left numerous Buddhist writings on all major and minor topics, including a biography of Bodong Chogle Namgyal (1376–1451), entitled ''Ocean of Miracles'' (ngo mtshar gyi rgya mtsho), a Gongchik commentary, and he introduced a special guru yoga in four sessions, which is the basis for contemporary Karma Kagyu practice. See a list of Tibetan works by the 8th Karmapa available as free ePubs on [https://dharmacloud.tsadra.org/book-author/eighth-karmapa-mikyo-dorje/ Tsadra Foundation's DharmaCloud website].
'''For more biographical information see the following sources:'''
*Rheingans, Jim. 2017. ''The Eighth Karmapa's Life and His Interpretation of the Great Seal: A Religious Life and Instructional Texts in Historical and Doctrinal Contexts''. Bochum, Germany: Projekt Verlag.
*[https://library.bdrc.io/show/bdr:P385 BDRC Person page for The 8th Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje]
*[https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1335480 WikiData entry for The 8th Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje]
*[https://www.himalayanart.org/items/560 Himalayan Art Resource page for The 8th Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje]
*[https://buddhanature.tsadra.org/index.php/People/Karmapa,_8th Tsadra Foundation person page for The 8th Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje]
*[https://kagyuoffice.org/life-of-mikyo-dorje/ Official Karmapa Office Page on the 8th Karmapa]
*[http://tsurphu.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=19:the-eighth-karmapa-mikyo-dorje-1507-1554&catid=10&Itemid=280&lang=en Tsurphu Monastery Page on the 8th Karmapa]
Born in eastern Tibet in 1924, Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche was one of the great masters of the Karma Kagyu tradition. Rinpoche, who received most of his training and education in Tibet before the Chinese invasion, was highly accomplished in meditation, philosophy, and monastic arts. As abbot of Karma Triyana Dharmacakra Monastery (KTD) in Woodstock, New York; spiritual guide of thirty-five Karma Thegsum Choling (KTC) affiliate centers; and retreat master at the Karme Ling Retreat Center in Delhi, New York, Rinpoche touched the lives of thousands of students. He was also known for numerous books, including ''The Quintessence of the Union of Mahamudra and Dzokchen''; ''Dharma Paths''; ''Instructions of Gampopa''; ''Bardo: Interval of Possibility''; ''The Wish-Fulfilling Wheel: The Practice of White Tara''; and the five-volume masterwork ''Karma Chakme’s Mountain Dharma''. +
Rudolf Kaschewsky was a German Mongolist and Tibetologist. He attended high school with a focus on ancient languages (including Hebrew and Arabic). After graduating from high school in 1959, he studied Catholic theology, education, Semitic studies, Indology, language and cultural studies of Central Asia and Sinology at the Universities of Cologne and Bonn, where he graduated in Catholic theology in 1963. He received his doctorate in 1967 with a major in Linguistics and Cultural Studies of Central Asia (Tibetan and Mongolian) and the minor subjects [of] Indology and [the] Old Testament. On June 22, 1968 he was awarded the GEFFRUB Prize. He taught as Assistant Professor and Senior Researcher at the University of Bonn [from] 1974 to 2004, during this time also [carrying out] temporary teaching assignments for Tibetan at the Sinological Seminar of the Goethe University. Until the winter semester 2012/2013 he had unpaid teaching assignments at the University of Bonn. He headed a working group on Tibetan/Mongolian translation methodology, which resulted in a joint essay ''The Life of Byams-chen chos-rje and the Development of the Monastery of Se-ra'' (Zentralasiatische Studien 45 (2016) pp. 591–650). He spent several research and study stays in Tibetan-speaking areas of Nepal and India. ([https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Kaschewsky Source Accessed Feb 24, 2021]) +
