The Drukpa Kagyu School called either ‘Dugpa’ or ‘Red Hat Sect’, is a branch of the Kagyu School at Tibetan Buddhism, which is considered to be one of the Sarma (new) schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
Within the Drukpa Lineage, there are further sub-schools, most notably the eastern Kham tradition and middle Drukpa School, which existed in Ladakh and surrounding areas. In Bhutan, the Drukpa Lineage is the dominant school and State religion.
The Drukpa Lineage was founded in Western Tibet by Dragon Tsangpa Gyare Yeshe Dorje (1161-1211), a student of Ling Repa, who mastered the Tantric Buddhism practices of mahamudra and six yogas of Naropa at an early age.
On the occasion of Buddha Poornima, which marks Gautama Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and death, the Department of Posts released a commemorative postage stamp on ‘Drukpa Lineage of Buddhism’ on 14th May 2014. His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa released the stamp at function organised in New Delhi, His Eminence Drukpa Thuksey Rinpoche also attended the stamp release function. Shri S.K. Sinha, Member (HRD), India Post, Dr B K Modi, Chairman, Spice Global, Mrs Sterre Sharma, a philanthropist and international acclaimed artist, Arjun Pandey, documentary filmmaker, Dasho Ugyen Takchhu, Surveyor General at the National Land Commission of Bhutan and Mr. Ugyen Gonphel, Head of Chancery for the Embassy of Bhutan in India and other dignitaries were also present at the stamp release function.
