later became the first emperor of the Yuan dynasty in
China. Qubilai Khan requested from ’Phags pa the
complete Hevajra initiation in 1258, marking the be-
ginning of Vajrayana Buddhism in Mongolia. Three
years later Qubilai Khan granted ’Phags pa the title of
national preceptor (guoshi), thereby appointing him
the leading Buddhist master in the empire. This prece-
dent for a patron-priest relationship between Chinese
emperors and Tibetan Buddhist masters would have
great repercussions in subsequent centuries.
Several important subdivisions later developed
within the Sa skya tradition. Two of these are most sig-
nificant: the Ngor pa (Ngorpa) subsect established by
Ngor chen Kun dga’ bzang po (Ngorchen Kunga
Zangpo, 1382–1456) and the Tshar pa (Tsarpa) sub-
sect following the teachings of Tshar chen Blo gsal rgya
mtsho (Tsarchen Losel Gyatso, 1502–1566). It is cus-
tomary to refer to the Sa skya, Ngor pa, and Tshar pa
traditions when discussing the entire range of the Sa
skya school.
In 1429 Ngor chen established the monastery of E
wam Chos ldan (Ewam Chöden) at Ngor, where he in-
stituted strict monastic rules. Ngor chen specialized in
the tantric systems practiced in the Sa skya school and
wrote many treatises based on the definitive works of
the early ’Khon masters of Sa skya. His compositions
formed the basis for the distinctive interpretations of
the Ngor pa school, the first lasting subdivision of the
Sa skya tradition. The Ngor pa tradition became ex-
tremely influential in the eastern regions of Tibet,
where it enjoyed the royal patronage of the ruling
house of Sde dge (Derge).
The Tshar pa tradition takes its name from the great
yogin Tshar chen Blo gsal rgya mtsho. This tradition
is distinguished by its emphasis on a special esoteric
transmission of the ancient tantric teachings of Sa skya,
which came to be known as the “explication for disci-
ples” (slob bshad), in contrast to the “explication for
the assembly” (tshogs bshad). This esoteric transmission
had previously been taught only to small groups of stu-
dents and was seldom written down until the time of
Tshar chen and his main disciples, who wrote a num-
ber of crucial texts. Some of the specific points of the
Tshar pa explication were at first quite controversial,
but they were eventually accepted by all Sa skya and
Ngor pa teachers and taught more widely than before.
At the beginning of the twenty-first century the Sa
skya school is perhaps strongest in the Tibetan com-
munities of India and Nepal, where most of the great
teachers of the tradition resettled in the 1960s follow-
ing the Chinese occupation of Tibet. In the modern es-
tablishments of India and Nepal, teaching, study, and
meditation continue to be freely practiced according
to the ancient traditions of Sa skya. The leader of the
Sa skya school, His Holiness Sa skya Khri ’dzin (Sakya
Trizin), Ngag dbang kun dga’ theg chen dpal ’bar
(Ngawang Kunga Tegchen Palbar, b. 1945), is the
forty-first patriarch of Sa skya. From his residence in
India, he frequently travels in Southeast Asia, Europe,
and North America, constantly spreading the tradi-
tional Sa skya teachings.See also:Sa skya Pandita (Sakya Pandita); TibetBibliography
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of the Lam ’bras Tradition in Tibet.Boston: Wisdom, 2001.CYRUSSTEARNSSA SKYA PANDITA (SAKYA PANDITA)Sa skya Pandita Kun dga’ rgyal mtshan (Sakya Pandita,
1182–1251) was revered as the greatest early scholar of
the SA SKYA(SAKYA) sect of Tibetan Buddhism. He is
accorded the distinction of being the fourth of the five
great Sa skya teachers, and is noted for his conserva-SA SKYAPANDITA(SAKYAPANDITA)