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THE LINEAGES PROJECT: TEACHING TRADITIONS OF TIBETAN BUDDHISM
(March 17, 2008)
 
In March the Foundation launched the first version of The Lineages Project, a digital encyclopedia of historical religious figures of Tibet together with portraits drawn from the Rubin Museum of Art and other important collections.
 
The project began two years ago the urging of Matthieu Ricard, the well-known author and photographer and board chair/projects coordinator of the Dilgo Khyentse Fellowship and Karuna Asia, two highly effective organizations dedicated to Tibetan welfare and cultural preservation. Vivian Kurz, DKF's vice president and a tireless champion of Shechen's projects, led the project over the last two years. Under Vivian's direction, numerous excellent scholars have participated in the project, including Mr. Ricard, Gyurme Dorje, Dan Martin, Cyrus Stearns, and others.
 
The Buddhist teachings are passed down from master to disciple in an unbroken transmission that began with the historical Buddha Sakyamuni or, in the case of the Tantric lineages, from the dharmakaya buddha Vajrapani. These lineages are meant to insure that the teachings remain uncorrupted, preserved across consecutive generations of the faithful.
 
Both legendary and historical figures hold pride of place in the lineages, which serve to link current masters to the buddhas and great masters of the past. Tibet religious institutions are organized largely around these lineages, and the founder of a given order is often the imputed originator of that order's teachings. But the lineages are not restricted to sectarian divisions; indeed, the greatest masters of Tibetan Buddhism are almost invariably referred to with the adjective "rimay," meaning "ecumenical" – which is to say that they studied and practiced under masters of multiple institutions. Thus when tracing a single transmission lineage one is likely to travel across the divisions of Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and even Gelug, as well as other minor institutional orders.
 
Since the Communist invasion of Tibet and the subsequent Chinese occupation there has been a great dispersion and loss of Tibetan religious traditions. Lineages that once were rooted in particular Tibetan locations or monasteries have been forced to find new venues for transmission outside of Tibet. One consequence of the diaspora has been a new attention to the great Tibetan masters of the past. But information about them is available for the most part only in specialized and untranslated texts. The Lineages Project is intended to provide a single database of these biographies for the benefit of all who would find it useful.
 
The Lineages project has begun with leading figures of the Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, Gelug, and Jonang traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. We hope that collaborative efforts between the Foundation and others can gradually enlarge the web site so that most of the major teaching traditions of the Tibetan region are fully set forth.  
 
The Lineages site will be linked to the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center and Himalayan Art Resources, adding biographical content to their already extensive bibliographic and iconographic information.