Editing Gampopa (section)

==Biography==
Gampopa was born in the Nyal (or Nyel) district, [[Central Tibet]] and from an early age was a student of medicine in the Indian, Chinese and Tibetan medical traditions.<ref>Duff, Tony, Gampopa Teaches Essence Mahamudra, vii</ref> Later in his life he moved to the region of Dakpo (''dwags po'') in southern Tibet and hence was also called Dakpopa (''dwags po pa''), the man from Dakpo. The region is also near Gampo Hills, hence his other name, Gampopa.<ref>Duff, Tony, Gampopa Teaches Essence Mahamudra, viii</ref> In his youth Gampopa studied under the [[Nyingma]] lama Barey as well as under the [[Kadam (Tibetan Buddhism)|Kadampa]] teacher Geshe Yontan Drag.<ref>Duff, Tony, Gampopa Teaches Essence Mahamudra, viii</ref> He married a daughter of a man named Chim Jose Darma Wo (''mchims jo sras dar ma 'od'') and had a child, but they both died, causing him to renounce the householder's life. In 1104, at the age of twenty-five he took ordination, either in Dakpo or in Penyul, at Gyachak Ri monastery ('''phan yul rgya lcags ri''), receiving the name Sönam Rinchen (''bsod nams rin chen'')."<ref name="treasuryoflives">{{Cite encyclopedia | last = Gardner | first = Alexander | title = Gampopa Sonam Rinchen | encyclopedia = [[The Treasury of Lives: Biographies of Himalayan Religious Masters]] | access-date = 2013-08-18 | date = December 2009 | url = http://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Gampopa-Sonam-Rinchen/3168 }}</ref> After becoming a monk in the Kadampa lineage under Geshe Lodan Sherab and focused on studying the Kadampa teachings.<ref>Duff, Tony, Gampopa Teaches Essence Mahamudra, viii</ref> In his 30s he sought out and became the foremost student of the yogi [[Milarepa]].<ref>Duff, Tony, Gampopa Teaches Essence Mahamudra, ix</ref> Milarepa instructed him in the practice of [[Vajravārāhī|Vajravārahī]], ''[[tummo]]'' (''gtum mo'') and [[Mahamudra|Mahāmudrā]].<ref>Alexander Gardner, "Gampopa Sonam Rinchen," Treasury of Lives, accessed May 25, 2018, http://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Gampopa-Sonam-Rinchen/3168 .</ref> 

Gampopa's position in the transmission lineage of the [[Mahamudra]] teaching is as follows:
# [[Tilopa]] (988-1069), the Indian [[yogi]] who experienced the original transmission of the Mahamudra
# [[Naropa]] (1016–1100), who perfected the methods of accelerated enlightenment described in his [[Six Yogas of Naropa]].
# [[Marpa Lotsawa|Marpa]] (1012–1097), the first Tibetan in the lineage, who translated the Vajrayana and Mahamudra texts into [[Old Tibetan]]
# [[Milarepa]] (1040–1123), poet and master who overcame Marpa's reluctance to teach but nonetheless attained enlightenment in a single lifetime
# Gampopa, Milarepa's most important student, who integrated [[Atiśa]]'s Kadam teachings and Tilopa's Mahamudra teaching to establish the Kagyü lineage

This lineage sequence, taken together, is called the "Five Founding Masters" by the [[Kagyu]] school.

After his studies with Milarepa, Gampopa founded [[Daklha Gampo Monastery]] (''Dwags lha sgam po'') in 1121 [[Common Era|CE]]. He had many great students who were accomplished tantric practitioners, both monks and laymen.<ref>Duff, Tony, Gampopa Teaches Essence Mahamudra, x</ref> Gampopa's teaching joined the [[Lamrim]] teachings of the Kadampa school with the [[Mahamudra]] and tantric teachings of the Kagyu school.<ref>Duff, Tony, Gampopa Teaches Essence Mahamudra, xii</ref> According to Tony Duff, he taught Mahamudra in two approaches, "one is a gradual approach called the Four Yogas of Mahamudra, the other is a sudden approach called Essence Mahamudra."<ref>Duff, Tony, Gampopa Teaches Essence Mahamudra, xiii</ref>