His Holiness Jigdal Dagchen Sakya is a direct descendant of Sachen Kunga Nyingpo, founder of the Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism. Learn about the origins of this distinguished family lineage, known for their three excellent names and their divine ancestors. Included in their history is a royal minister, some of the first Tibetan monks, a noted translator during the royal period, and disciples of Padmasambhava. They took up the new tantras while retaining a few Nyingma tantras. Upsaka Jeff Schoening will discuss the founding of the first Sakya Monastery, the prophecies about Sakya, and the birth of Sachen Kunga Nyingpo. This presentation is based on the writings of Jamgön Améshap, the great Sakya lama and historian of the 17th century, the two Sakya histories by Lopön Thuchey Wangchuk, and over thirty years of Jeff's research on the Sakya lineage.