The Sakya tradition traces its origin to Khön Könchok Gyalpo (also rendered Khon Konchog Gyalpo), who founded Sakya Monastery in the Tsang region of Tibet in 1073. From this initial foundation, the tradition developed as a distinctive synthesis of sutra and tantra, rooted in the spiritual and hereditary continuity of the Khön family. Over time, this founding act came to be seen not merely as the establishment of a physical monastery, but as the planting of a doctrinal and contemplative lineage that would shape one of the major schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

Within this tradition, several principal lineages emerged, each preserving the core teachings while cultivating its own emphasis and style. The central or “main” Sakya lineage is carried by the Khön family and expressed institutionally through the succession of Sakya Trizins, the throne holders who maintain the original seat and its curriculum. Closely related to this are the Dolma Phodrang and Phuntsok Phodrang palace lineages, which alternate in providing these throne holders and thus ensure continuity of leadership and transmission. This primary stream safeguards the broad scholastic and contemplative heritage associated with the early Sakya masters.

Alongside the main line, two major branch lineages crystallized as powerful vehicles for the tradition’s teachings. The Ngor lineage, founded by Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo, established its own monastic seat and became renowned for its rigorous preservation of tantric ritual systems and the Lamdré, the “Path and Fruit” teachings that lie at the heart of Sakya spiritual practice. The Tsar lineage, founded by Tsarchen Losal Gyatso, likewise upheld distinctive transmissions of Lamdré and specialized tantric practices, contributing a complementary nuance to the shared doctrinal core. Together, these three—Sakya (or Khön/Sakya Trizin), Ngor, and Tsar—constitute the main pillars through which the Sakya tradition has been transmitted.

Over the centuries, additional sub-lineages and associated houses, such as the Shalu and Jonang lineages, became connected with Sakya, further enriching its internal diversity while remaining oriented around the same foundational vision. Through these intertwined lines of transmission, the Sakya tradition presents a tapestry in which hereditary succession, rigorous scholarship, and esoteric practice are woven together. The result is a school in which sutra and tantra are not seen as competing paths, but as mutually illuminating dimensions of a single, integrated way to awakening.