Tibetan · International (centers in 30+ countries)
Teacher authorization pathway in the Drikung Kagyu, a major sub-school of the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Trains Khenpos and Lamas through the Drikung Kagyu Institute (Dehradun) and the global Drikung center network.
The Drikung Kagyu is a major sub-school of the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, founded in the twelfth century by Jigten Sumgön. The Kagyu lineage as a whole descends from the Indian masters Tilopa and Naropa through Marpa, Milarepa, and Gampopa, with the various Kagyu sub-schools branching out from Gampopa's senior students. The Drikung Kagyu is currently led by His Holiness Drikung Kyabgön Chetsang Rinpoche and His Holiness Drikung Kyabgön Chungtsang Rinpoche, the two head lineage holders. The lineage's primary monastic-academic institution is the Drikung Kagyu Institute in Dehradun, India, where Khenpos and Lamas receive formal training in the lineage's classical Tibetan curriculum. The Drikung Kagyu maintains an international network of dharma centers in more than thirty countries, and authorization to teach in the lineage is granted by the head lineage holders or recognized senior teachers. The Drikung Kagyu's distinctive teachings include the Fivefold Path of Mahamudra developed by Jigten Sumgön, which integrates bodhicitta, deity practice, guru yoga, mahamudra, and dedication into a single graduated structure. Mahamudra practice is central to the lineage and is approached through the dual streams of sutra mahamudra and tantra mahamudra. The lineage also holds substantial Phowa (consciousness transference) teachings, with the Drikung Phowa transmission being one of the most widely practiced consciousness-transference teachings in the Tibetan Buddhist world. Formation as a Khenpo or Lama in the lineage is multi-year and combines monastic study with retreat practice. Lay practitioners can engage substantially without formal ordination, though senior teaching authorization typically requires either monastic ordination, completion of the traditional three-year retreat, or equivalent depth of training. The pathway draws on the lineage's traditional Tibetan Buddhist economic structures with monastic institutions, lay supporters, and program fees for empowerments and teachings. The Drikung Kagyu has been active in extending its reach through international teachings and through the lineage holders' regular travels. Authorization in the lineage carries weight within Tibetan Buddhist circles globally and within the wider Kagyu teaching field.
Formation moves through ngöndro preliminary practices, study of the Drikung Kagyu's specific lineage texts including Jigten Sumgön's Single Intention, the wider Kagyu curriculum including Mahamudra teachings from Gampopa and the lineage's senior masters, and progressive empowerments leading to the Fivefold Path of Mahamudra and other Drikung-specific tantric practices. The Drikung Phowa receives substantial attention given its centrality in the lineage. Khenpo training at the Drikung Kagyu Institute adds extensive classical Tibetan textual study spanning the major Buddhist philosophical schools, the prajnaparamita literature, and the lineage's own commentarial tradition. Reading is substantial at senior levels.
Formation is mentored apprenticeship within the lineage. Practitioners attend empowerments and teachings from the Drikung lineage holders and senior teachers, undertake ngöndro and longer retreats, study with senior teachers, and gradually move toward authorization. Some practitioners undertake the traditional three-year retreat as part of formation. Khenpo candidates engage extended monastic-academic study at the Drikung Kagyu Institute or affiliated institutions. Authorization is granted by the lineage holders or senior teachers when readiness is recognized.
Authorized Khenpos and Lamas teach within Drikung Kagyu monasteries, dharma centers, and at the lineage's international teaching events. They confer empowerments, give teachings, lead retreats, transmit the Drikung Phowa, and support practitioners through the lineage's curriculum. The credential is recognized within the international Drikung Kagyu community and within the wider Kagyu teaching field. It carries no external accreditation.
Candidates need formal connection to the Drikung Kagyu lineage through refuge and ongoing teaching relationships, completion of ngöndro, and direct relationship with senior lineage teachers. Senior teaching authorization typically requires monastic ordination, completion of the three-year retreat, or equivalent depth of training. There is no application process for general teacher authorization.
The Drikung Kagyu sits alongside other Kagyu sub-schools including the Karma Kagyu (the largest Kagyu lineage led by the Karmapa), the Drukpa Kagyu, and the smaller Shangpa Kagyu profiled separately through the Kalu Rinpoche Foundation. The Drikung Kagyu is distinctive in its Fivefold Path of Mahamudra developed by Jigten Sumgön and in the prominence of the Drikung Phowa transmission. Compared to the four major Tibetan Buddhist lineages of Sakya, Kagyu, Nyingma, and Gelug, the Drikung Kagyu sits as one major sub-school within the Kagyu family. For practitioners drawn specifically to the Drikung lineage and its head lineage holders, the international Drikung center network is the primary access.
| Location | International (centers in 30+ countries) |
| Country | India |
| Tradition | Tibetan |
| Format | In-person, Hybrid |
| Duration | Multi-year (lineage-based) |
| Estimated cost | Varies |
| Accreditation | Drikung Kagyu Authorized Khenpo / Lama |