Sakya

Sakya is one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. It is named after the Sakya Monastery, located near Sakya in the Tsang region of Tibet. The school emerged in the 11th century from the monastic lineage of the Khön family, who established the monastery as a center of study, meditation, and tantric practice.

Central to Sakya doctrine is the Lamdré, or “path and its fruition,” a tantric system that integrates view, meditation, and conduct. The tradition emphasizes scholarly study, translations of Indian Buddhist texts, and the transmission of a distinct set of tantras and initiations through the Khön lineage. Prominent figures include the translator-scholars Sakya Pandita and his relative Chögyal Phagpa, who played key roles in the school’s development.

Historically, Sakya gained political prominence in Tibet during the 13th century when Phagpa aligned with the Mongol Empire and served as imperial preceptor to Kublai Khan. This alliance helped establish the Sakya-Pa lineage’s influence within the Yuan dynasty and Tibetan governance. The rise of the Gelug school in the following centuries reduced Sakya political power, but the tradition persisted and spread beyond Tibet.

Today the Sakya tradition remains active with monasteries and centers in Tibet and in India (including Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh), Nepal, and Bhutan. It is led by the Sakya Trizin, a hereditary title within the Khön family, and continues to sustain monastic colleges, ritual practice, and extensive scholarship. The name Sakya is traditionally said to derive from the gray earth of the region surrounding the monastery.