About Myrtle Beach Karma Kagyu Study Group
The Myrtle Beach Karma Kagyu Study Group (MBKKSG) is a group for study and practice in the Karma Kagyu Buddhist tradition of Tibet. Our study Group was established in 2006 with the blessing and inspiration of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, Abbot of Karma Triyana Dharmachakra monastery located in Woodstock, New York.
MBKKSG offers instruction for newcomers on meditation, and group meditation sessions for anyone who wishes to attend. Meditation instruction and group practice sessions are offered free of charge. Ongoing classes on Tibetan Buddhism are also available through MBKKSG.
Several times a year we may travel to KTD or affiliate centers (KTCs) to see and receive teachings from accomplished Buddhist teachers of the Kagyu Lineage. These teachers may include Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, Lama Karma Drodhul, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa and others. As our group grows, we hope to host Buddhist teachers in the future.
The Karma Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism
The Tibetan Buddhist Tradition is especially rich because the teachings of the Buddha were preserved in their entirety and elaborated upon over the centuries by meditators who took the teachings to heart and brought them to full fruition in their own mind streams.
The Kagyu tradition dates back to the 10th century in India and remains a flourishing lineage today in the 21st century. His Holiness 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, who currently resides in India, continues this long tradition of sacred Buddhist instruction. The Karma Kagyu Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism traces its origins to Shakyamuni (Siddhārtha Gautama) Buddha through Marpa the Great Translator, who three times traveled to India to bring back authentic Buddhist teachings to Tibet. His teacher, Naropa, received the lineage transmission from Tilopa and so on, back to the Buddha himself.
Marpa’s most famous student was the greatest yogi in all of Tibet, the renowned Jetsun Milarepa, who passed the teachings on to Gampopa, who in turn transmitted the teachings to the First Karmapa, Dusum Khyenpa. Since then, the Kagyu Lineage has been headed by a succession of reincarnations of the Gyalwa Karmapa.
The line of the Karmapas is said to be self-announced, because each incarnation leaves a letter predicting his next rebirth. All great Kagyu teachers regard His Holiness the Karmapa as the embodiment and source of all of the blessings of the lineage.
The Tibetan Buddhist tradition continues unbroken to the present day, and the teachings of enlightened Kagyu masters are considered among the most precious jewels of spiritual insight and practical guidance in the world.