The lineage of the Tai Situpas is traced
to one of the main disciples of the Gotama Buddha, the
Bodhisattva Maitreya. Since that time there have been a
successive chain of incarnations, whose achievements are
recorded in Sanskrit, Chinese and Tibetan annals. A direct
lineage that continues to the present day. The Tibetan
incarnation Chokyi Gyaltsen (1377-1448),
became the first to bear the title Tai Situ. The title was
presented in China by the Ming Emperor, Yung Lo, in 1407,
and though the full title is lengthy it may be
abbreviated
to Kuang Ting Tai Situ which essentially means, "far
reaching, unshakable, great master, holder of the command."
The twelfth Tai Situpa is the founder and Spiritual Head of
Palpung Sherabling. A leading spiritual
teacher who has toured the world, a campaigner for active-peace,
artist, poet, calligrapher,
author, architect and geomancer. He is
currently transmitting the entire lineage to the next
generation of masters, including to the supreme head of the
lineage, the Gyalwang Karmapa.
The 8th Kenting Tai Situpa Chokyi Jungne founded the great Palpung monastery in 1727. It became the principle Kagyu monastery in Kham, Eastern Tibet, being the administrative centre for 180 monasteries throughout the country. It had over 1000 monks and housed the leading shedra, monastic college, of the area. Renowned for its extensive library of over 324,000 texts and the art collection of 10,150 thangka paintings; Palpung led the way in painting skills and was the founder of the Karma Gadri style of painting. A concise translation of Palpung is "Glorious Accumulation", and a more thorough interpretation: "The Glorious Accumulation where Talented People are Cultivated".
In 1975 the Twelfth Kenting Tai Situ, Pema Donyo established Palpung Sherabling, his seat in India to preserve and cultivate the Palpung arts and tradition. The building's design, came from the Tai Situpa following the ancient science of geomancy. It has 250 monks' quarters, (which accommodate over 500 monks) three shrine halls, six shrine rooms, and all of the traditional and modern monastic features. Palpung Sherabling also has a leading Monastic College housing a further 300 monks, retreat centres for monks and nuns and individual cabins for lay practitioners. Also a clinic, translation and printing centre, school, temples, stupas as sources of inspiration, lamp house, guest houses and a craft centre.
The Karmapa & Tai Situpa
An extensive website highlighting the Tai Situpa's lineage, art, teachings, history and work with many multimedia resources may be found here: