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The Karma Kagyu originated in India with the scholar-siddha, Tilopa. He experienced direct visions of the primordial Buddha Vajradhara from whom he received teachings. Tilopa transmitted the teachings to another scholar-siddha, Naropa, who in turn taught them to his Tibetan disciple Marpa the Translator. In the 11th century Lord Marpa took these teachings back to Tibet where he passed them to his primary disciple, the king of yogis, Milarepa. Through incredible diligence and intense asceticism, Milarepa purified his being of all obscurations and realized all the mind’s inherent qualities attaining complete enlightenment in one lifetime. His principal disciple was Dakpo Rinpoche or Gampopa who brought together two streams of teachings: the lineage of the Kadampas and the Mahamudra teachings. Under Gampopa the lineage flourished and was monasticized. It was from Gampopa’s students and the disciples of Phagmodupa (himself a student of Gampopa), respectively, that the Four Greater and Eight Lesser Kagyu schools emerged. Collectively, these are referred to as the Dakpo Kagyu. One of Gampopa’s students was Dusum Khyenpa, who would later be known as the first Karmapa. The practices and oral instructions that flow through him are referred to as the Karma Kagyu.